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Moves at Limoges and other French Photos


jamie92208
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Thanks Jamie. 

 

The 92 means it's a diesel, the 87 means it's registered to a french operator. The rest of the numbers I think will be class number etc. This link goes someway to explaining it. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UIC_identification_marking_for_tractive_stock

 

I've also seen on t'interweb a whole huge document complete with appendices that explains all rolling stock numbers, can't find it at the moment. I used to have a copy on my desk at work, but..

 

Enjoying your photos, I do like the single cabs. I would love for Eurotunnel to run a charter over HS1 using their 64xx style diesels hauling a Javelin set to get around permitted rolling stock over HS1.

 

Paul.

Edited by Hippel
To many 'x' in 64xx.
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Nearly a month since the last pictures but Andy and I had another afternoon/evening out to Poitiers earlier this week.  It is definitely autumnal and the multi story car park was a little chilly. We started off as usual at St Saviol and were rewarded by an infrastructure train heading north behind 22212 and 67409. I needed 22212 which upset Andy as he thinks I've seen far too many of them.

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Next up was the regular LPG and steel train which had 3 locos. 27007 on the point, then a 60XXX and a Sybic behind.

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Later on a TGV headed into the freight sidings in fron of us. No 847.  We think this is a brand new one on test after assembly into a train at Aytre just south of La Rochelle where the coaches are built. 

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It later headed back north. We can only surmise that they were testing it on the 1500vDC classic line.

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Two suppositories were in the sidings and then 75326 headed north with a stone train. This is possibly from the quarry branch north of Niort.

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Finally to Z73XX's headed in from the north before going to stable.

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All in all a good afternoon out and the world was put to rights for a short time.

 

Jamie

 

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2 months on and lockdown 2 has been replaced by curfews from 8pm, however a trip to buy bathroom fittings gave Andy and I the chance to spend a few hours at the trackside near Luxe.  Not the best of days and by 2pm the sun was quite low in the sky. First off was the regular car train from Spain heading north. 

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Where we park we have a view for over a kilometre south over the top of the fence. That meant that any photos as the train passed us had to be through the fence. 186 342 was the power.

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Then the regular infrastructure working with 22302 doing the business.

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The next working was 27013 heading north Light engine.

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That disappeared north to go under the SEA TGV line.

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And last of all 27014 on a northbound mixed freight.   Coaches, presumably for scrap at the head end then steel and LPG. I missed getting a shot of a TGV crossing it on the High speed line.

PC170862_resize.JPG.1397876202de797f827b5377cecd50e0.JPGIn the foreground is the spur that allows northbound TGV;s that have called at Angouleme to get back on the high speed line. The changeover board to 25Kv from 1500 DC can be heard.

 

Jamie

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Andy and I managed a few hours trackside yesterday.  We are rather limited as to where we can go.  However we managed to see a grand total of three trains near us plus several TGV's a distance away on the High Speed Line.

First off was a northbound TGV that had called at Angouleme.   There is a spur north of Luxe where the northbound TGV's can access the LGV SEA.  Southbound workings go a little further south past the maintenance base at Villognon before joining the classic line.

 

The spurs include voltage changeover sections. The northbound one is relatively flat through the changeover then climbs steeply to join the LGV just after it has passed over the classic line.  here TGV 890 is accelerating up the spur onto the LGV.

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Very little else was around but eventually a short freight came north hauled by one of the newish Class 60XXX No 460062.

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And that's it for 2020 folks, hopefully it will better in 2021.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

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Good afternoon from the Charente.   Happy New Year to all readers.   Andy and I both got permission to play out yesterday and headed south to our usual spot north of Luxe.   Very little freight was seen but this did head north.

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Super power for such a short train. It was rather a grey and misty and very cold day.  At least they only had one loco under power and they were consecutive numbers. 27011 leading and 27012 trailing. We stayed for 3 hours in total. There was quite a bit of TGV traffic which is too far away to get numbers. Then a signal cleared and one of the High speed recording cars that are used to check the LGV came south on the classic line. They have sharp noses at either end and are known as suppositories. It was going quite slowly so was probably slowing down to take the spur into the LGV maintenance base at Villognon which is just south of Luxe.  

Our photographic locations are a but limited by Covid restrictions and the weather at the moment but hopefully things will improve soon.

 

Jamie

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Good morning, not a lot of chance to get out and watch trains recently for various reasons, but I have managed to get out a couple of times. 11th of Feb I had a short trip out to find a model shop and buy some paint. This was a couple of miles east of St Saviol. St Saviol is on the Main Line to Bordeaux between Poitiers and Angouleme north of Ruffec.

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There is a branch that heads east and there used to be a minor line that came down past our village towards St Jean d'Angely. I crossed the branch line track en route to the model shop and it looked pretty much disused with some track still in situ.  North east of the station however there are some very large grain silos. I had a drive round them and found that they were still rail connected and the connection was actually electrified.

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I think that there were 3 electrified spurs, all serving a row of silos. There was a level crossing that gave this view .

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The tracks have obviously been used relatively recently.

Then a couple of days ago I managed some more time near the tracks.  I started at Ruffec and there was trackwork ongoing. This finished at 13.00 in time for the north and southbound local trains. The northbound one pulled into the usual platform but the southbound one arrived, running wrong line and was put into the up loop which has a normally unused platform face.

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I just managed to get a shot that included both trains.

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 After that I went and met Andy and we parked up a little north of our usual spot.   First up was a long cereal train with Millet Rail hoppers heading north hauled by two Regio Rail class DE18's.   These are identical to the new class 79XXX's that are coming into service with SNCF.   The leading loco was DE18 2178 but I can't find any roster details for Regio Rail, they apparently have 6 of them.

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Then a class 186 came north with a train of cars from Spain.

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Not a lot but still nice to get out.

 

Jamie

 

Edited by jamie92208
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The model shop is Station Minimodels just outside Civray. It's in the backyard of a bungalow.  It's a plastic kit shop but has a good range of Humbrol and Revell paints plus modelling accessories and some scenic stuff. Nice fellow that runs it, and he has a facebook presence.

 

Jamie

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Good evening.   I managed to get out to do some trainspotting yesterday. With various other pressures, on me and my mate Andy, it's a bit of a military operation as he's got to fit around dog walking duties at the moment as his wife has just had a hip replacement.   Anyway we managed an hour or so trackside yesterday.

I had an hour before I went for Andy, just north of Courcome south of Ruffec. I was rewarded by this infrastructure train heading north behind 22383.

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I do like the look of that yellow livery.   Anyway Andy and I then headed south to just north of our usual spot.  Nothing came in the first hour then we got two at once, a Euro 4000 4042 on a long train of tankers heading south and immediately afterwards a northbound mixed freight behind 27104 with 75004 puling corail coaches for scrap and some covered vans.  I didn't get chance to get a photo, then it was time to head back as I had to go for fish and chips and be home in time for curfew.

 

For anyone that's interested I've started a new thread of my historic French photos from 1984 to 2014 it's in the French railway group and is titled surprisingly, JAMIES RANDOM FRENCH RAILWAY PHOTOS.

 

Jamie

 

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2 days ago I got out to just south of Ruffec again and saw three movements on 20 minutes, all northbound.  First was 186 330 towing a G1000 as light engine.   Next was a track machine then came the usual infrastructure train.

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This movement often conveys other locos dead in train and 222277 was towing a dead 72XX and a 674XX, plenty of power though.  After I picked up Andy we herd a southbound but didn't manage to see it.  Nothing else passed us though before I had to set off to pick up the fish and chips.

 

Jamie

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Hi Jamie,

Are you making the fish and chips yourself or buying them!?

Either there’s a huge expat community in the area or French tastes have changed somewhat since I lived there, all of my old French friends would have seriously turned their noses up at such a “rosbif” meal!!!

Bon appetite!

John

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54 minutes ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Hi Jamie,

Are you making the fish and chips yourself or buying them!?

Either there’s a huge expat community in the area or French tastes have changed somewhat since I lived there, all of my old French friends would have seriously turned their noses up at such a “rosbif” meal!!!

Bon appetite!

John

There is a British couple who have a mobile trailer and do a different town every evening. Excellent all round and they have a lot of French customers.. they are having a few troubles at the monent getting the right fish and spuds due to the B word but apparently there are quite a few such outfits operating. 

 

Jamie

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1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Hi Jamie,

Are you making the fish and chips yourself or buying them!?

Either there’s a huge expat community in the area or French tastes have changed somewhat since I lived there, all of my old French friends would have seriously turned their noses up at such a “rosbif” meal!!!

Bon appetite!

John

 

French tastes have changed a lot. The local, British owned, Fish n Chip trailer round here has been doing roaring business for the last 7 years - their biggest customers by far are now French (there is another reason for that - they did something to another Brit here that was unforgivable to most Brits). So much so, that two other vans have copied them, on different nights, both French owned.

 

It is strange - when we first arrived, the French craze was for curry! Then it moved to Chinese. Then Fish and Chips, but tastes seem to be reverting to pizzas, tacos and home-made burgers gradually.

 

You cannot buy a decent French meal, at a reasonable price, anywhere within 30 miles here now, apart from one, lonely restaurant/bistro, and that was before Covid. Guess which one has succumbed and will not re-open?

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Good heavens!

Thanks for the explanations, guys. I’m staggered that such a thing can exist successfully in France, good for them!

Having passed through France twice a year since 1970 and living there from 1979 to 1983, it is completely remarkable to me, how much France developed over that time.

By the time I took my previously mentioned TGV tour around 1985 or so, I could see that she was developing into a very advanced country indeed with an advanced aerospace and space industry, multiple nuclear power stations, not to mention the joint best trains in the world.

Fantastic country!

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Bon Apres Midi from a rather sunny Charente.

 

I managed to get a full afternoon out yesterday as both our wives were on the mend from various ailments.  Andy and I got to our usual winter spot just north of Luxe.  There was quite a bit of traffic. One of the northbounds was this intermodal freight . The first twenty of this class have the Midi pantographs for working in the south west. I only needed to see 16, 18 and 20 so was very happy when 27020 was seen to be on the head of it. 

1752275673_P3230972_resize-Copy.JPG.93086389e67e06191b61ba6fcc1929d7.JPG

Then a mixed freight came north behind 27075, another one to underline.

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The train included some coaches as well as tankers.   The coaches may be coming from refurbishment in the south from a non rail connected works in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

P3230976_resize.JPG.28f4bbb9e1d494b560a0e7336c655cc0.JPG

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Next was this light engine heading north,

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Then a rare southbound working of two 675XX's light engine.

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Finally TGV 4418 heading north having stopped at Angouleme and climbing the steep ramp up to the LGV from the classic line. It has just gone through the voltage changeover section that was alongside where we were parked.

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All in all a good afternoon and weather warm enough to stand outside the car.  Lemon drizzle cake, coffee helped pass the time, along with good conversation.

 

Jamie

 

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I had an afternoon out earlier this week and even though I forgot my wallet and couldn't do the shopping that I intended I had a pleasant couple of hours on the station.   As I got 27020, that I had copped only the week before came north with a mixed freight .

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A better shot of the loco with the sun on it as it passes.  Much work ongoing to install lifts and refurbish the platforms. 

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There was still a seat on the up platform but I was nearly surprised by 22288 heading north on the loop line.

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Again it looked better with the sun on it.

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Then 27012 came north with 60111 dead in train behind it.

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Lockdown lite now looms for 4 weeks from Saturday night so unless I get out today or tomorrow there will be no more updates for a while.

 

Jamie

 

 

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Nice to see a “correct” number on the BB22200 - and that they are still going strong. I don’t think I’ve seen you posting any Sybics at least recently. Do they still appear, perhaps on the daily (?) Corail train or has that gone the way of COVID?

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It seems such a short time ago that "Sybics" were being delivered to Dijon Perrigny depot for commissioning.

I visited and got a guided tour, my guide being mystified by my referring to them as Sybics, saying that they just called them " vingt-six milles, ( 26000's)".

Now there appear to be a few among the dumped locos in the yard at Sotteville, Rouen.

I don't know how many locos remain, but there have been upwards of 400 locos there at times.

Perrigny was another example of French kindness.

I could not find the entrance, but a guy who had seen me pass the same spot three times, flagged me down and gave me directions.

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Jeff mentioned the locos stored at Sotteville here's a link to the the relevant bit of Google Maps:- https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/76300+Sotteville-lès-Rouen,+France/@49.4033084,1.107174,259m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47e0de5a71f8823b:0x40c14484fb66a90!8m2!3d49.4147405!4d1.0915405?hl=en-GB

There are some locos that are obviously being cannibalised before scrapping, but others look to just being stored, having just been delivered from manufacturers or works.

There is another facility, dedicated to withdrawn TGVs (including Eurostars) near Amberieu on the line from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambery.

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@jamie92208 Hi, just found your thread that I found really interesting - at least you do have something to go and look at! Round here on the classic Ligne 4, we're limited to four up and down Regios daily and a handful of freight weekly.

 

Fish'n'chips ..... mmmmm! You lucky lot out in the far west! I discovered a place in the Deux Chevres just north of where you are that has a restaurant doing fisn'n'chips suppers. I have a Welsh cousin living there - another big ex-pat area. A few ex-pats around me here in the frozen east but no fisn'n'chips!!

 

@Allegheny1600 France WAS so much advanced than the UK in the 90s and 00s with its avant-guarde architecture (bizarre if you will) but it's all gone to pot what with closing down nuclear, infrastructure falling to bits (especially secondary rail-lines) AND an annoucement earlier this week that they're looking at the closure of 40% of the TGV network - though the PoF has declared that flights of less than 2h30 will be proscribed (exactly how he's going to control that I can only guess) that may help the train network.

 

Keep the photos coming,

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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6 hours ago, brushman47544 said:

Nice to see a “correct” number on the BB22200 - and that they are still going strong. I don’t think I’ve seen you posting any Sybics at least recently. Do they still appear, perhaps on the daily (?) Corail train or has that gone the way of COVID?

 

4 hours ago, JeffP said:

It seems such a short time ago that "Sybics" were being delivered to Dijon Perrigny depot for commissioning.

I visited and got a guided tour, my guide being mystified by my referring to them as Sybics, saying that they just called them " vingt-six milles, ( 26000's)".

Now there appear to be a few among the dumped locos in the yard at Sotteville, Rouen.

I don't know how many locos remain, but there have been upwards of 400 locos there at times.

Perrigny was another example of French kindness.

I could not find the entrance, but a guy who had seen me pass the same spot three times, flagged me down and gave me directions.

Yes the sybics are on theircway out apparently.  A lot have been withdrawn. I do have the figures somewhere and will try and post them.  The Fridays only inter city was diverted to La Rochelle and according to Todays Railways was cancelled altogether at the end of August. We  saw quite a few of them at Poitiers in the summer but I've not seen any of them down our way since then.

 

Jamie

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6 hours ago, JeffP said:

It seems such a short time ago that "Sybics" were being delivered to Dijon Perrigny depot for commissioning.

I visited and got a guided tour, my guide being mystified by my referring to them as Sybics, saying that they just called them " vingt-six milles, ( 26000's)".

Now there appear to be a few among the dumped locos in the yard at Sotteville, Rouen.

I don't know how many locos remain, but there have been upwards of 400 locos there at times.

Perrigny was another example of French kindness.

I could not find the entrance, but a guy who had seen me pass the same spot three times, flagged me down and gave me directions.

Gawd!

 I remember when they were the newest, white hot technology, the best thing since sliced bread!

According to things I’ve read, the difficult thing with the Sybic was marrying the sophisticated control gear and traction motors from the industrial frequency high voltage, with the low current direct voltage system.

Seems a fairly common thing to be able to do now but back in the eighties, it was something else.

That plus the fact they were the brand new face of the railways then, it’s a big shock to see them bowing out now, boo hoo.

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9 minutes ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Gawd!

 I remember when they were the newest, white hot technology, the best thing since sliced bread!

it’s a big shock to see them bowing out now, boo hoo.

 

 

I know exactly what you mean!

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24 minutes ago, Gordonwis said:

 

Strangely, lots of the batch built in 1992 have been withdrawn, but none (so far) of the first 20 from 1988.


I suspect that’s because they came up for overhaul first and were overhauled for the passenger sectors, whereas the last batch have been SNCF Fret locos for many years, so have not been overhauled and so the bodywork has deteriorated to the point where it’s not worth the money.

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