Maker record
CPMR
CPMR (Compagnie Privée du Modèle Réduit) was a French railway-model maker associated with the RMA range. Its products included HO-scale models of French railway equipment, among them locomotives and passenger cars. The range covered different periods of French rail history and included both powered models and kits. CPMR and RMA products were developed within a small specialist model-railway business, with production involving railway engravers and outside manufacturers.
- Founded
- 1964
- Countries
- United States
- Locations
- Chicago, United States
- Founders
- Louis Lavigne · Roger Guérin
The story of CPMR
Louis Lavigne, his wife Charline and his father Joanny developed a French model-railway business under the RMA name. Its public layout and shop occupied a former dance hall in Montmartre. RMA’s HO-scale range grew to include locomotives, passenger cars and freight wagons, with models representing several periods of French railway history.
The related company CPMR (Compagnie Privée du Modèle Réduit) was created in 1964 by Louis Lavigne and Roger Guérin. The RMA range included the X3800 Picasso railcar, announced models such as the 030-TA and Crampton locomotives, and later passenger cars and two-axle stock. Some models were sold by subscription, and production also involved outside makers. The RMA business continued into the 1980s; its shop closed after Lavigne’s death, while RMA products remained in circulation on the second-hand market.