---
type: Article
title: Halle Marchandise en bois
description: A love letter to a timber freight hall in France—history, structure and craft intersect, revealing warm wood, handsome spans, and quietly brilliant engineering.
resource: https://www.simoncox.com/post/2014-10-03-halle-marchandise-en-bois/
tags: [Post, Modelling]
timestamp: 2014-10-03
---

![Halle Marchandise en bois.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise.jpg){loading="eager"}

## French meter gauge goods shed

I was invited to display one of my layouts as part of the celebrations at the [Froissy Dompierre Light Railway in France.](https://www.petittrainhautesomme.fr/all-you-need-to-know-about-us/) a few years ago. Whilst there I picked up a plaster cast kit of a classic wooden goods shed often found on the meter gauge lines with the idea that I would build a small layout for the La Meuse locomotive. The kit is from the artisan manufacturer [Colinter Productions.](http://boutique.colinterproductions.fr/) based in Verdun, Northern France. The kit is HO but I will be using it at 4mm to the foot so it might appear to be a little small to some people. I will claim artistic licence for any that mention it.

My French is abysmal. However, the kit was straightforward enough — the plaster casting needing only a minor clean up to remove flashing and unwanted cast residue. The roof is corrugated cardboard — this could be substituted for better looking wiggly tin or a proper tile roof but I built my version as is. One side of the roof is larger than the other — I thought this was a mistake until I found plenty of prototype photos on the web.

I have not put together a plaster kit before so experimented with PVA and ended up using Evostick Ultra which appears to have done the job. There are 4 walls and the office that go on the base so the bulk is quite simple. The roof takes a little bit of thought and almost caught me out as it is actually deeper on one side — I had to check photos of prototypes online to make sure this wasn’t a mistake. The roof trusses and beams are from the supplied strip wood and rest of lintels on the side walls.

I have applied the first paint over the black undercoat using mostly dry brushing techniques and need to consider the details for the final finish before I get this project back on the workbench.

## Halle Marchandise en bois Gallery

![Plaster walls glued together.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-1.jpg)
*Plaster walls glued together*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - roof joists.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-2.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - roof joists*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - roof joists in place on the cast walls.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-3.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - roof joists in place on the cast walls*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - roof on the building.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-4.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - roof on the building*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - end office.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-5.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - end office*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - end entrance doors.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-6.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - end entrance doors*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - painted and weathered.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-118.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - painted and weathered*

![Halle Marchandise en bois - with box.](/assets/img/content/halle-marchandise-119.jpg)
*Halle Marchandise en bois - with box*


[Read full article](https://www.simoncox.com/post/2014-10-03-halle-marchandise-en-bois/)