The model railway was described in the 8 October 1859 issue of the magazine Le Monde Illustré:
The railway built for the amusement of the Prince Imperial is a real toy as well as a masterpiece of mechanical science. It has been set up in a corner of the private park of Saint-Cloud. Its track is in the shape of a figure 8, and the curvature of its tiny rails is reminiscent of the surprising curves of the railway from Paris to Sceaux. It has a small station, its small viaducts, its small bridges, its small inclines and ramps. The engine, which is about fifty centimetres wide, has wheels driven by an internal spring which can be wound up as desired.[1]
The photograph of the railway of the Prince Imperial is the oldest known photograph of a model railroad[2] and shows that the clockwork-driven tender engine had six wheels (0-6-0T) and pulled two three-axle flat wagons. The station building stood on a straight by-pass,[3] connected by two sets of points to the figure-of-eight loop.
Historic documentsedit
Woodcut by E. Grangile from a photograph by Charles-Louis Michelez, Le Monde Illustré, 8 October 1859
The article in Le Monde Illustré is the only known description of the railway of the Prince Imperial.[citation needed][dubious – discuss] The illustration which shows the complete set-up was a woodcut after a photograph by the Parisian photographer Charles-Louis Michelez. The photograph was reproduced by Gustav Reder in 1970.[2] He estimated the gauge to be approximately 20 cm (8 in),[2] while Le Monde Illustré gave a width of about 50 cm (20 in) for the locomotive.[1]
It is not known who built the track and the rolling stock, or for how long the railway was used and kept in the park.
Referencesedit
^ abc"Chemin de fer du Prince imperial". Le Monde Illustré (in French): 229-230. 8 October 1859.
^ abcReder, Gustav (1970). Mit Uhrwerk, Dampf und Strom. Vom Spielzeug zur Modelleisenbahn [With Clockwork, Steam and Electricity: from Toys to Model Railroad] (in German). Düsseldorf: Alba-Buchverlag.
^Cuthbert Hamilton Ellis (1962). Model railways, 1838-1939. London: George Allen & Unwin. p. 17.
railway, prince, imperial, railway, prince, imperial, french, chemin, prince, impérial, first, documented, model, railway, world, citation, needed, photograph, railway, prince, imperial, taken, 1859, charles, louis, michelez, 1817, 1883, contents, location, de. The railway of the Prince Imperial French Chemin de fer du Prince imperial was the first documented model railway in the world citation needed Photograph of the railway of the Prince Imperial taken 1859 by Charles Louis Michelez 1817 1883 Contents 1 Location 2 Description 3 Historic documents 4 ReferencesLocation editThe model railway was built in 1859 for Napoleon Prince Imperial the 3 year old son of emperor Napoleon III in the private park of the Chateau de Saint Cloud 1 between the Bassin des Trois Bouillons and the Bassin des Chiens citation needed Description editThe model railway was described in the 8 October 1859 issue of the magazine Le Monde Illustre The railway built for the amusement of the Prince Imperial is a real toy as well as a masterpiece of mechanical science It has been set up in a corner of the private park of Saint Cloud Its track is in the shape of a figure 8 and the curvature of its tiny rails is reminiscent of the surprising curves of the railway from Paris to Sceaux It has a small station its small viaducts its small bridges its small inclines and ramps The engine which is about fifty centimetres wide has wheels driven by an internal spring which can be wound up as desired 1 The photograph of the railway of the Prince Imperial is the oldest known photograph of a model railroad 2 and shows that the clockwork driven tender engine had six wheels 0 6 0T and pulled two three axle flat wagons The station building stood on a straight by pass 3 connected by two sets of points to the figure of eight loop Historic documents edit nbsp Woodcut by E Grangile from a photograph by Charles Louis Michelez Le Monde Illustre 8 October 1859The article in Le Monde Illustre is the only known description of the railway of the Prince Imperial citation needed dubious discuss The illustration which shows the complete set up was a woodcut after a photograph by the Parisian photographer Charles Louis Michelez The photograph was reproduced by Gustav Reder in 1970 2 He estimated the gauge to be approximately 20 cm 8 in 2 while Le Monde Illustre gave a width of about 50 cm 20 in for the locomotive 1 It is not known who built the track and the rolling stock or for how long the railway was used and kept in the park References edit a b c Chemin de fer du Prince imperial Le Monde Illustre in French 229 230 8 October 1859 a b c Reder Gustav 1970 Mit Uhrwerk Dampf und Strom Vom Spielzeug zur Modelleisenbahn With Clockwork Steam and Electricity from Toys to Model Railroad in German Dusseldorf Alba Buchverlag Cuthbert Hamilton Ellis 1962 Model railways 1838 1939 London George Allen amp Unwin p 17 48 50 14 N 2 12 48 E 48 8371 N 2 2134 E 48 8371 2 2134 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Railway of the Prince Imperial amp oldid 1197413869, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
