Chemin de fer du Vivarais

[4901]

We recently took a Viking River Cruise on the River Rhone and were delighted to travel on the Vivarais line from Tournant.    Apart from enjoying the sounds and the smell of coal, smoke and engine oil for the first time in years (we live in Utah USA), I commend Viking for supporting a steam railway.  

[Fat Controller]

It's a lovely line, isn't it? We camped alongside it, near Lamastre, back in the late 1970s. In those days, the first train was planned to arrive at Lamastre at about midday; everyone would then go off in search of lunch, returning to the station in time for their return towards Tournon at about 15:00. Viking are to be commended for organising an excursion like this.

Tournon has a place in railway history, being the birthplace of Marc Seguin, one of the pioneers of tube boilers for steam engines.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

It's a lovely line, isn't it? We camped alongside it, near Lamastre, back in the late 1970s. In those days, the first train was planned to arrive at Lamastre at about midday; everyone would then go off in search of lunch, returning to the station in time for their return towards Tournon at about 15:00. Viking are to be commended for organising an excursion like this.

Tournon has a place in railway history, being the birthplace of Marc Seguin, one of the pioneers of tube boilers for steam engines.

We made the trip in May 1984. There was a fair in the main square at Lamastre too, so a great day out.

[Andy Hayter]

And I have the pleasure of living above the line.

For all the changes made Kleber Roussillon are to be commended for attracting group travellers like those taking the Viking barges.

[Fat Controller]

4 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

And I have the pleasure of living above the line.

For all the changes made Kleber Roussillon are to be commended for attracting group travellers like those taking the Viking barges.

Lucky man!

Where do services start from at the Rhone end? When I used it, they still ran from Tournon station, using a dual-gauge section of SNCF line. The line then shut for a while for some reason.

[Andy Hayter]

The line shut due to insolvency, none of the Mallets being fit to be run (boiler replacements needed before certification)  and a demand from SNCF for €1m as contribution to realigning the bridge over the river Doux.

 

When it was eventually brought back to life a new station was built on a former camp site in St Jean de Muzols.  This would be around 2km after the line left SNCF's line but before the ancient arched road bridge, which the line runs under through its own portal.

 

So dual gauge has sadly gone.