Rambouillet : 2014-01

I visited a friend in Rambouillet, France (just a 30 minute train ride southwest of Paris). It's a nice town of about 26,000 people and my friend has a great house. We visited the miniature train museum (The Rambolitrain), the Château de Rambouillet and the Laiterie de la reine. Most of the pics were of the model trains because I think they're cool. And I'm equally impressed by the model landscapes. The surroundings of a model train can be very realistic and I think the trick is to avoid adding people. When you add model people they have to look incredibly real or it diminishes the effect. And it's difficult to make people look incredibly real. 

On the way, I took this shot of Gare de Bellevue (actually for Meudon). I imagine it was a pretty cool station when it was new. It has the art deco or streamline moderne look, and the pic actually turned out okay for being through a window.

I took these pics above just to show some of the detail of these models. The engine on the left is only about as long as a thumb drive - pretty impressive, and on the right, just one of several well-crafted engines (steam, diesel and electric).

Some more impressive detail here! Four engines sitting parked in a roundhouse (une rotonde). I blurred out the people in the lower center of the shot because, like I said, they detract from the realism. This could actually be an aerial shot of a roundhouse. The turntable actually worked and it reminded me of the old roundhouse in my hometown. Models can be so cool.

The shot on the left is after I practiced taking some action shots (read below) and on the right is a cool view of one of the many bridges with impressive detail and great foliage. I liked the sign and the approach of the train but was a little disappointed with the clarity (I must've moved my phone). 

These little trains were moving faster than I expected which was obvious when I looked at the pics. So, I tried tracking the trains to blur the background instead. I was getting better at it, but one thing held true - follow through. I was tracking well, but I think I naturally stopped the camera as I snapped the pic. Had I followed through, I think the trains could've been very clear. Next time. This particular passenger train was cool - very old school with a cool little "cockpit" for the conductor. Above (bottom) was a shot when I got better at "tracking" the engine.

 

A couple more shots (not tracking and tracking) of a steam engine. I think tunnels are cool - what happens inside is like a mystery. What peril might be awaiting the train? Will it make it? How impressive are tunnels in general? And so on. Above (top), I liked how the engine showed it's speed as it charges the tunnel, and above (bottom), I got the same effect, but in reverse. Go, train, go! 

On the topic of speed, there was a video of the speed record being broken by a TGV train. It was impressive as it reached 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph)! One of my favorite scenes was when it was throwing dust all over the place. That is a fast train.

It was a great afternoon visit and thanks to my friend for having me over. By the way, the lunch was fantastic! We had stingray, and fromage, and desert, and an appertif AND dessert! Awesome.

fin