Rotonde de Mohon

[kintbury jon]

Morning all.

 

Got back yesterday evening from a week in the Belgian Ardennes followed by a week in Alsace (near Mulhouse). 

 

Have been intrigued by the various 'Material' stored at the old depot at Mohon (near Charleville-Mezieres).

Various engines are preserved as part of the national collection but I assume there's no room for everything at the Cite du Train in Mulhouse.

 

After a bit of web searching and email sending, I got in contact with the secretary from the AMR, who appear to be involved with the depot as volunteers.  Hoping to be able to visit whilst nearby in the Belgian Ardennes, I asked whether I could visit during that week.  By luck, they were having an open weekend on the day we were heading to Alsace so a visit was on the cards en route. 

 

The roundhouse is an impressive structure and the structure of it is wooden (I think it is listed).  The place was dusty and of course quiet but oozed atmosphere.  Many of the stock there is in 'as withdrawn condition' but is safely indoors.

 

Enough rabbiting, here are some photos.

 

The 'sausage' coach

An old third rail EMU coach

Half of Z7133 + BB8100

Other half of Z7133 and Gas Turbine T2010

Y6312

Restored Railcar X52103

2-10-0 

Restored Flat Iron/Monocabine BB13052

1930's Midi Electric

 

A couple of locos were absent as they were involved in an anniversary elsewhere.  The staff there were extremely friendly and made us feel most welcome.  We spent an hour there as we had a long journey ahead but definitely worth a visit.

 

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

Very interesting.

 

Pity that the passenger service along that line is so poor these days or it would just about make a day trip from the UK possible with Eurostar to Lille.

[kintbury jon]

Agreed.  It's a quiet area of France (as is the Belgian part).  I can thoroughly recommend the area around and north of Charleville.  

[SNCF stephen]

WOW! Some great stock there and in some ways it is nice to see it in the "as withdrawn" condition. The Turbotrain is fantastic and so is that monocabine 13000 locomotive. They really are excellent designs. 

 

Thanks for posting these pictures. 

[bluedepot]

very nice!

 

esp like the monocabine

 

here is a cfl one i saw a few years ago...

 

[Pacific231G]

Thanks for posting these Jon, It looks like an interesting visit. 

 

The 2-10-0 150P13  was at the CF Baie de Somme's Fête de la Vapeur at the end of April. Though not of course in steam, its bearings and running gear must be in fairly good nick as It was hauled the hundred or so miles there and back to Mohon mostly I think along secondary lines which must have been worth seeing. I only saw it in Noyelles yard but it was run along the SG line to and from St. Valery Canal. I found this picture of it on the Fête website http://www.fetevapeur.fr/images/stories/20130426/9.jpg

and there are a few more more in the section Festival "Off" on  http://www.fetevapeur.fr/

Edited August 15, 2013 by Pacific231G

[Fat Controller]

Thanks for posting these Jon, It looks like an interesting visit. 

 

The 2-10-0 150P13  was at the CF Baie de Somme's Fête de la Vapeur at the end of April. Though not of course in steam, its bearings and running gear must be in fairly good nick as It was hauled the hundred or so miles there and back to Mohon mostly I think along secondary lines which must have been worth seeing. I only saw it in Noyelles yard but it was run along the SG line to and from St. Valery Canal. I found this picture of it on the Fête website http://www.fetevapeur.fr/images/stories/20130426/9.jpg

and there are a few more more in the section Festival "Off" on  http://www.fetevapeur.fr/

There are some photos of the 2-10-0 on this site; it's updated daily, so you'll have to trawl back a bit:-

http://lapassiondutrain.blogspot.com.au/

[sparks]

Very nice! I'd much rather wander around a place like this than a modern museum with lots of interactive stuff for the kids but very few actual exhibits!

 

Good to see the Standard emu car under cover (6th pic) - hopefully the other car was there too?

[kintbury jon]

It was the only one there.  Not sure whether any other vehicles of that type have been preserved.

[sparks]

It was the only one there.  Not sure whether any other vehicles of that type have been preserved.

 

It would appear to be Z1567. See here:- http://forum.e-train.fr/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=59455&start=150#p1261544 and here:- http://forum.e-train.fr/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=59455&start=165#p1262098

 

Z1572 is also preserved, and appears to be undergoing restoration:- http://z1572.free.fr/2000/20030325/index.htm. Unfortunalely with the end of the 3rd rail in 1993 there's nowhere to run them any more!

 

Edit: It looks like Z1572 moved on in 2008:- http://histoire.trains-en-vadrouille.com/viewtopic.php?p=393332#p393332. Hopefully this was a good thing!

Edited August 31, 2013 by sparks

[tomstaf]

Morning all.

 

Got back yesterday evening from a week in the Belgian Ardennes followed by a week in Alsace (near Mulhouse). 

 

Have been intrigued by the various 'Material' stored at the old depot at Mohon (near Charleville-Mezieres).

Various engines are preserved as part of the national collection but I assume there's no room for everything at the Cite du Train in Mulhouse.

 

After a bit of web searching and email sending, I got in contact with the secretary from the AMR, who appear to be involved with the depot as volunteers.  Hoping to be able to visit whilst nearby in the Belgian Ardennes, I asked whether I could visit during that week.  By luck, they were having an open weekend on the day we were heading to Alsace so a visit was on the cards en route. 

 

The roundhouse is an impressive structure and the structure of it is wooden (I think it is listed).  The place was dusty and of course quiet but oozed atmosphere.  Many of the stock there is in 'as withdrawn condition' but is safely indoors.

 

Enough rabbiting, here are some photos.

 

The 'sausage' coach

DSC00079.JPG

 

Do you know anymore about the sausage coaches Jon? I've gone a quick google but doesn't seem to be much about them - did they have a formal type or classification series?

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[Joseph_Pestell]

Hi Tom,

I am having a senior moment as to their usual name/classification. But they were built for use on prestige trains serving the Atlantic liner traffic from Le Havre and Cherbourg.

[Gordonwis]

Hi Tom,

I am having a senior moment as to their usual name/classification. But they were built for use on prestige trains serving the Atlantic liner traffic from Le Havre and Cherbourg.

 

 

Voitures Métalliques Allégées Etat (dites 'Saucisson')

 

55 built, 45 in batch 1 1936 - 7

10 more in 1939

 

Pennsylvania style bogies: Etat type X3RA

 

 

.

[kintbury jon]

Fortunately others have replied as I know nothing about the coaches.

 

Just looking at the photos again and realise just how much my kids have grown!

[Fat Controller]

Voitures Métalliques Allégées Etat (dites 'Saucisson')

 

55 built, 45 in batch 1 1936 - 7

10 more in 1939

 

Pennsylvania style bogies: Etat type X3RA

 

 

.

I remember seeing those at Gare St Lazare on my first visit to France in September 1976.

[ianp]

Very interesting.

 

Pity that the passenger service along that line is so poor these days or it would just about make a day trip from the UK possible with Eurostar to Lille.

 

Indeed. The rail service there is diabolical. A couple of years ago I went to Sedan for the biennial model railway exhibition. In the end we flew from London to Luxembourg and drove in a hire car back to Sedan because there was simply no direct rail service to Sedan from Lille. To do the entire journey by train would have involved a Eurostar to Paris then two, or even three trains, out to Sedan via Charleville. Quicker, and only a bit more expensive, by plane.