Metre-Gauge Railways in Provence

[rogerfarnworth]

There was a short line which ran through the streets of Nice linking the Gare du Sud to the central railway station in Nice. It was less than a kilometre long and I have done some research into the line and the locomotive which was predomiantly used to move wagons along it ... CP 51. You can get the story on this link ...

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/the-connection-between-the-plmsncf-station-in-nice-and-la-gare-du-sudchemins-de-fer-de-provence-59

[rogerfarnworth]

The next length of the journey along the Nice to Digne railway line starts at La Manda and takes us to Plan du Var, where the TAM formed a junction with the Nice to Digne line. The TAM operated the line from Plan du Var to St. Martin Vesubie.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/08/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-3-la-manda-to-plan-du-var-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-63

 

We begin the next stage of our journey along the Nice to Digne les Bains line at Colomars Station. The modern halt is on a section of railway line which was not part of the original alignment. The as-built alignment had to accommodate access for the branch-line to the bridge over the River Var and had to allow for a height gain to permit trains to travel over the top girders of the truss-bridge over the Var.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

In November 2018, my wife and I visited a number of the perched villages in the area around Fayence. As a result, I have updated one or two posts on my blog which relate to parts of the Central Var metre-gauge line. The changes to the post below relate to a visit to the perched village of Tanneron which sits high in the hills above the line. The village is a staggering 11 kilometres from the old station which bore its name.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/03/ligne-de-central-var-part-6-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-26

[rogerfarnworth]

On the same journey on 15th November 2018, Jo and I were also fortunate enough to follow the line of the D94 linking Tanneron to the site of its station, and then to travel along the D562 and the Avenue de Narbonne before visiting the village of Montauroux The result of these visits has been some minor additions to the post below, particularly some photographs.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/03/ligne-de-central-var-part-7-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-27

[rogerfarnworth]

In November 2018 my wife and I stayed in St. Raphael for 10 days. On a couple of those days, Jo and I were able to visit the old Chemin de Fer du Sud de La France station site alongside the old PLM station. The modern SNCF station seems to me to be just as ugly as I thought it would be. The site of the old metre-gauge station is now covered by the Gare Routiere. The structures which supported the old line alongside the main PLM line remain and are now in use by small retail outlets.

 

As far as we could tell the details given in the original version of the post below are all correct.

 

I have just added a postcript and some photos.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/15/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-13-sainte-maxime-to-saint-raphael-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-48

[rogerfarnworth]

In the most recent post about the Nice to Digne line we noted that there was a short-lived tramway which left the Nice to Digne line at Plan du Var. It travelled up the Valley of the River Vesubie as far as St. Martin Vesubie.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/tam-tramway-from-plan-du-var-to-st-martin-vesubie-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-64

 

Tramway services left Plan du Var Station travelling North and diverged from the Nice to Digne line before reaching the Vesubie River. The images below are old postcards of the location of the junction and show the development of the site over a number of years. Initially a stone arch bridge took the road over the Vesubie, but when this failed it was replaced by the concrete arch bridge visible in some of the pictures.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

This is the next stage of the journey up the Valley of the River Var on the Nice to Digne metre-gauge railway:

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-4-plan-du-var-to-la-mescla-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-65

 

After a detour to look at the metre-gauge TAM tramway from Plan du Var to St. Martin Vesubie we continue along the main line toward Digne. We board the train once again and head North from Plan du Var. ..... North of the Station the line crosses the River Vesubie and continues on the east side of the River Var towards Chaudan, about 2 kilometres north of Plan du Var. .......

 

This post covers another short-lived tramway which provided a service up the valley of l'Esteron from Pont Charles Albert over the River Var to Roquesteron, a distance of more than 20 kilometres.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/16/tam-tramway-in-the-valley-of-the-river-esteron-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-66

 

Before the tramway was constructed the Charles Albert Bridge was a suspension bridge (built by Marc Seguin in the mid-19th Century) [2] but this bridge was not designed to accommodate tramway loading. In 1913 it was rebuilt to accommodate the trams, just as was necessary with the Pont de la Mescla on the Tinée tramway. The replacement structure had six spans of over 30 metres in concrete built by the company Thorrand. In the foreground of the image immediately below, there is the Pont-Charles Albert stop and the lime kilns at La Lauziere overseen by the perched village of La Roquette sur Var, © Yann Duvivier. [6] This 'new' bridge was replaced in the mid-20th Century by the one which is in use today.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

Another of the branch tramways. This left the Nice to Digne line close to La Mescla Station.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/18/tam-tramway-from-la-mescla-to-saint-sauveur-sur-tinee-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-67

 

I first looked at this tramway in 2013. It was only a short blog recognising the existence of the line in the valley.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/chemins-de-fer-de-provence-8-tramway-in-the-tinee-valley.

 

This line was 26.5 Km long and connected villages in the Tinée valley to Nice to Digne line. Like other lines of the Tramways Alpes Maritimes (TAM), the electric current was single phase. The civil engineering works (bridges, tunnels) were executed by the Department.

 

The line was built in 1911 and operation started on 1st April 1912. Landslides affected the operation of the line in the early months. The original opening was delayed from January to April because of landslides and on 2nd April a further landslide affected several hundred metres of track and destroyed power lines.

 

The line ceased operations in 1931.

 

 

The available imagery from the time of the tramway is limited in extent and is supplemented by images from later dates.

The next length of the line from Nice to Digne takes us from La Mescla to Le Pont de Gueydan. It is at Le Pont de Gueydan that the line leaves the banks of the River Var and follows one of its tributaries.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/21/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-5-la-mescla-to-le-pont-de-gueydan-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-68

 

Beyond La Mescla the railway continues to hug the river bank on the South West side of the River Var. The satellite image below shows the extent of quarry workings on the north bank of the river associated with Lafarge Bétons Centrale Malaussène (Construction Material Wholesaler)! Two bridges are visible in the satellite image. The first in the bottom right crosses both railway and river, the second appears to be an internal industrial bridge across the river.

 

Although I have travelled on this line a number of times, I have only once travelled beyond Entrevaux and that was in 2001. So looking at the line in 2018, I am almost in virgin territory by the end of this post!

 

 

 

New territory for me. The now removed TAM tramway from Pont de Gueydan to Guillaumes up Les Gorges de Daluis .....

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/25/tam-tramway-from-le-pont-de-gueydan-to-guillaumes-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-69

 

The line from Le Pont de Gueydan north to Guillaumes followed the valley of the River Var and ran through the Gorges de Daluis.

 

Marc Andre Dubout, writing in French, says that the line was probably the moist daring of secondary line construction work with very steep gradients, numerous tunnels, two remarkable bridges. He comments that it is the most impressive tramway from a tourist perspective with 'unique viewpoints and singular landscapes'.

 

One of the bridges on this route has the distinction of being one of the earliest reinforced concrete arch structures in France. Edited November 17, 2018 by rogerfarnworth

[rogerfarnworth]

After a detour up the tramway to Guillaumes we continue on our way towards Digne and travel as far as Annot.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-6-saint-benoit-pont-de-gueydan-to-annot-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-70

 

The first two significant structures on this section of the line are a bridge which carries the N202 over the railway and then the Tunnel de Saint Benoit which is also known as the Tunnel du Pont de la Reine Jeanne and is curved in plan and 110 metres long. This tunnel's north-east portal is a matter of metres from the road bridge.

 

The line has left the River Var behind and now wends its way along a number of different watercourses.

[rogerfarnworth]

Our journey along the Nice to Digne line recommences at Annot. We are halfway between Nice and Digne. My memory of travelling on the line is that Annot was touted as being an excellent destination when travelling from Nice, to allow access to mountain walking. A little research shows that to be the case. The map below is a copy of the hiking route map which includes an extensive range of walks. The ".pdf" from which it is taken can be accessed by following the link in the references at the bottom of this post. [1] The train we travelled on through Annot to Digne in 2001 was full of hikers who left the train at Annot.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/08/04/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-7-annot-to-meailles-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-71

 

We are close to the highest point on the route by the time we complete this section of the journey. Soon, after a long tunnel we will be on a downward ruling grade.

[rogerfarnworth]

This is an aside from the string of posts about the Nice to Digne Line. The valley of the River Var has been prone to flooding over many years. A friend mentioned landslips which occurred at Annot in 1994 and 1996 as a result of heavy rains. The 1994 incident was part of a much wider catastrophic event affecting the whole River Var catchment area. The link below provides some details of the 1994 floods:

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-9-floods-and-landslides-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-72

 

On 5th November 1994 an extreme flood event caused the lowest and the second-lowest dams on the Var to collapse. The flood wave inundated parts of Nice, including Nice’s international airport which is situated near the river mouth. It was out of service for several days. The airport lost the business of 50,000 passengers, with damages running up to an estimated 4.5 to 6 million euro. Elsewhere roads like the RN202 were cut, power and telephone lines were interrupted, and three people died and four disappeared. This estimate of lives lost is low compared with some, for instance HydroEurope say that 70 people were estimated to be killed, with large scale infrastructure damage and economical losses from the closure of the airport. The economic damage is estimated at 550 – 800 million Euros. Of the three most recent flood events the flows of 1994 were an order of magnitude higher than the others - 1994 (3680 m3/s), 2011 (1330 m3/s), 2016 (1280 m3/s).

 

The volumes of water involved in the 1994 floods were unbelieveable!

[rogerfarnworth]

The next stage of our journey takes us out of the catchment of the River Var and into the Valley of the River Verdon. ....

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/08/10/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-8-meailles-to-thorame-haute-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-73

 

The centre piece of this section of the line is the 3.5 kilometre long tunnel which links the valleys of the Verdon and the Vaire together - the Tunnel de la Colle Saint Michel.

 

The railway line between Meailles and Thorame-Haute was on the last stretch of the line from Nice to Digne to be built. The length involved was that between Saint-André-de-Méouilles and Puget-Théniers.

 

Work began in January 1900 on the final 27km of the line. The tunnel boring took a number of years to complete. Steady progress was made on the tunnel. The project had a significant setback when, in April 1909 part of the land mass above the proposed location of the station at Thorame-Haute collapsed onto the site of the station engulfing the part built buildings and platforms. Stabilisation of the mountain required the construction of a 114 metre long, 33 metre high retaining wall. The wall was 1.5 metres thick and reinforced by 7 buttresses. [22]

 

The station was opened to travellers on 3rd July 1911 [23] with the inauguration of the full line taking place on 6th August 1911. The station at Thorame-Haute quickly became a significant tourist destination providing access to some high quality hotels in the upper reaches of the Verdon valley. A wealthy clientele travelled from the Côte d'Azur to access such hotels as the Alp'hôtel de Beauvezer, and the Fontgaillarde in Thorame-Haute.

 

 

Its been highlighted to me that in my last post in this series (No. 73) I did not provide details of Thorame-Haute Viaduct. In that post, I provided rail-level images and then rushed on to the site of Thorame-Haute Station. This short blog is an attempt to rectify that mistake! I guess you could also see it as a bonus for patiently bearing with me as I meander along the line between Nice and Digne-les-Bains!

 

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-10-thorame-haute-viaduct-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-74 Edited November 17, 2018 by rogerfarnworth

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post focusses first on the Station and buildings close to it at Thorame-Haute. It highlights a local festival and the importance of the chapel adjacent to the railway station.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-11-thorame-haute-to-saint-andre-les-alpes-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-75

 

The blog then takes us on from Thorame-Haute to Saint Andre les Alpes.

 

In a number of these posts I have been picking up some images from 'www.railsim-fr.com' as there is now a rail simulator version of the Nice to Digne line.

 

 

The next step along the Nice to Digne railway line takes us from Saint-Andre-les-Alpes into the next valley - the valley of L'Asse.

 

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/17/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-12-saint-andre-les-alpes-to-barreme-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-76

 

Our journey recommences in Saint-Andre-les-Alpes. The feature image shows the village with the station in the foreground. The image immediately below gives a panoramic view of the village from the north, showing the first of the lakes in the Verdon valley behind the village, as well as the railway station in the bottom-right.

 

Edited November 17, 2018 by rogerfarnworth

[rogerfarnworth]

The next post in the series on the line from Nice to Digne covers the length of the route from Barreme to the station at Mezel.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/18/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-13-barreme-to-mezel-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-77

 

As an interesting aside, research on line suggests that the final location of Barreme station was not the location originally intended. I have found a sequence of drawings which seem to locate the station to the north-west of the present location further along the Nice -Digne line, beyond the bridge in the village centre. It is possible that I have misunderstood the drawings, but it seems that there was another location planned and that the station would have had larger facilities if the original plans went ahead.

 

Barreme Station has been used as the source for a model by Aubertrain (http://aubertrain.com/modules.html). The diorama is 602 x 400 x 250 mm in size and costs 875 euros.

[rogerfarnworth]

This is the final post covering the length of the Nice to Digne line. I hope to cover the motive power and rolling stock on the line in one or more additional posts.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/22/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-14-mezel-to-digne-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-78

 

Traffic on the metre-gauge line is hampered by that fact that the standard-gauge connection to Digne has been cut. There has been talk of a possible metre-gauge line extension to meet the SNCF mainline at Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban, however, this is probably beyond the resources of the Chemins de Fer de Provence.

 

In looking for plans of the Station Site at Digne les Bains, I noticed reference to a 'Project de Tram Train Digne Manosque'. It can bee seen on Openstreetmap as a dotted line which runs from Digne to Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban.

 

The project is intended to use the old standard-gauge formation and its line into Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban. The project now has a website:

 

http://transport-provence-alpes.centerblog.net/12-projet-multimodal-digne-sisteron-manosque.

 

Is the scheme feasible? There are some questions about this which appear in the comments on the website.

 

How likely is this scheme, does anyone know?

 

 

[rogerfarnworth]

On Sunday 18th November, Jo and I travelled from St. Raphael via the Sunday Market in Le Muy to Hyeres. We enjoyed an hour or so on the spit of land extending out from Hyeres towards Iles d'Hyeres and we had lunch next to La Tour Fondue. We spent the rest of the day following Le Macaron from Hyeres to Sainte-Maxime. Nothing I saw on the journey caused me concern about the text of the series of blog posts I have written about the route and that I have already provided links to on this thread. I was able to take a few pictures while on the journey, although there was little time to stop if the full journey was to be completed in daylight! I will post a link to the photographs in due course. On the journey we were also able to make two detours. The first, to Les Bormettes and the site of the old torpedo factory at what is now known as Miramar. The second to St. Tropez.

 

The relevant links to my blog are:

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/30/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-6-hyeres-to-bormes-les-mimosas-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-41

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/29/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-7-la-londe-les-bormettes-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-42

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-6-bormes-les-mimosas-to-cavalaire-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-41

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-9-cavalaire-to-la-foux-les-pins-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-44

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-10-la-foux-les-pins-to-saint-tropez-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-45

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-11-la-foux-les-pins-to-cogolin-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-46

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-12-la-foux-les-pins-to-sainte-maxime-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-47

[rogerfarnworth]

This link contains, among other things, pictures taken on 18th November 2018 on and around the line of Le Macaron:

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/18/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-15-november-2018-visits-to-the-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-81

 

It was a bright but blowy day on the Mediterranean Coast!

[rogerfarnworth]

One final PostScript on Le Macaron from our holiday in St. Raphael ....

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/19/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-15a-november-2018-visits-to-the-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-81a

[rogerfarnworth]

This time, a PostScript on the Central Var Line which covers a short walk along the line close to Seillans Station ....

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/20/ligne-de-central-var-postcript-a-short-walk-near-seillans-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-28a

[rogerfarnworth]

In order to complete this series of posts on the Metre Gauge Railways of the Cote d'Azur and Var in Provence I have been working on a series of posts about the locomotives and rolling stock on the Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line. I have just posted the first of these:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/11/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-15-locomotives-and-rolling-stock-steam-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-79

This post focusses on the Steam locomotives used on the line between Nice and Digne-le-Bains. It is unlikely to be comprehensive and I'd be grateful of any contributions by others which will add to my knowledge. I am hampered particularly by not having access to the seminal work on the network by Jose Banaudo, "Le Siecle du Train des Pignes." [25] The text of this book is in french and as it is out of print a good copy will cost well over 50 euros. If anyone has access to this book and is prepared to add to the text of the blog, please feel free to do so, or email me direct and I will update the post.

I would be particularly interested in details of locomotives which ran on the Nice to Digne Line throughout its life and which are nor properly covered within the text below.

As part of studies on the two other main-lines which made up the network of the Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France - the Central Var line and Le Macaron - we covered a lot of ground investigating early traction and steam power on the lines of the whole network and provided as much information as possible about rolling stock on the system.

The relevant posts are:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/02/23/locomotives-and-rolling-stock-on-the-central-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-50

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/02/locomotives-and-rolling-stock-on-the-central-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-52

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/07/rolling-stock-on-the-central-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-54

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/26/ligne-du-littoral-toulon-to-st-raphael-part-14-locomotives-and-rolling-stock-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-49

These posts are as comprehensive as possible for the era of operation of those lines and cover the period up to their closure after the Second World War. However, they are focussed on the two lines which closed. It make sense, therefore to review those posts in the light of a focus on the Nice to Digne Line. This blog sets out to do just that. I need also to acknowledge the support I have received in collating this information from 242TE66.

Edited December 15, 2018 by rogerfarnworth

[rogerfarnworth]

I have just updated my blog about Steam on the Nice to Digne line after some very helpful comments on a French forum from 242TE66 ........

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/11/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-15-locomotives-and-rolling-stock-steam-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-79/

Edited December 17, 2018 by rogerfarnworth

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post on the locomotives and rolling stock on the Nice to Digne line focusses on the diesel locomotives in use on the line at different times during its development - shunters, locotracteurs, draisines, etc.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/29/nice-to-digne-les-bains-part-16-locomotives-and-rolling-stock-shunters-diesel-traction-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-82

 

The next post will consider the various railcars (autorails) in use on the line.

[rogerfarnworth]

The Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line has been in the news in France over the past few months. In February 2019 there was a collapse of the tunnel at Moriez while strengthening work was taking place. In November 2019 the already closed line suffered some further damage as a result of bad weather. The linked post covers the latest news about repairs on the line. .....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/09/les-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-an-update-on-maintenance-work

Edited March 10, 2020 by rogerfarnworth