TGV Time! #2 Double Jouef SNCF TGV Duplex

Index points:
00:00 Panoramic view of the TGVs on the curve. Réseau Duplex 600 facing
00:38 Platform level view with Réseau Duplex facing
02:37 Dramatic low level view with Duplex 264 facing
03:03 Tracking shots of the TGV Duplex 264
03:36 Tracking shots of the Réseau Duplex 600
04:33 High level view of the TGVs passing
06:07 High level telephoto shot with TGV Duplex 264 facing
06:36 Panoramic low level view of the TGVs on the curve. Réseau Duplex 600 facing
08:04 Platform level view of the TGVs speeding around the curve.
08:34 Final panoramic shot of the TGVs

Here is a video of my two Jouef TGV Duplex rakes. I can't quite make two full 8 car rakes, but the 6 car formations I can do are still reasonably impressive.
My TGV collection is put together from a random collection of display and engineering samples I picked up on eBay ages ago. The display sample were fully decorated, but had no mechanisms, whilst the engineering samples were unpainted, but operational. However, some used pre-Jouef upgrade Lima style mechanisms.

My pure Duplex has a non digital, Lima-style circuit board and bulbs, not LEDs. The motor is centre mounted, but not as fast and powerful as the others. I have a new replacement, but haven't got round to installing it. This is because the loco has been a bit of disaster! The gears crack (and then the replacements also crack!), cardan shafts snap and wires unsolder themselves. After a protracted struggle, I have at long last got it reliable (just not very fast!). The dummy car was only partly decorated, so I have finished that off. The lights are only powered by two wheels on each side, so are a bit flickery. The middle buffet car is an unpainted sample that I painted myself. The colour match of the blue isn't perfect, but close enough for a care worn unit. Apart from that, a couple of the roof isolators are missing. One bogie is a spare single deck Réseau bogie, as I seem to have lost one.

The second train is a Réseau duplex (TGV-RD). This paired existing, old style Réseau power cars with new duplex coaches. The new power cars with that order were placed with the Réseau coaches and used on the new LGV-Est and called TGV-POS. This was because they could run at 300km/h, were setup for running in Germany and it was felt that double deck trains were unnecessary. LGV-Est is now covered by Euro Duplex trains. The TGV-POS went to run Lyria services to Switzerland after the LGV-Est, but have now been used to replace the last of the original Sud-Est units.

My TGV-RD features a fully decorated dummy car (which is leading). The headlights aren't very bright, unfortunately. The power car (at the rear) was an unpainted display sample which I painted myself. I did it a while ago and it still looks OK to me now. This loco has the full Jouef spec and runs really nicely.