JAMIE'S RANDOM FRENCH RAILWAY PHOTOS

[jamie92208]

Thanks for that Jeff and very sorry to hear about your situation.  Indeed I was usually the navigator and planner. My long suffering  other half has learned over the year how my mind works (partially) and tolerates my hobbies. At least she knows where I am most of the time.  I'll PM you.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon, it's sunny but chilly here.  The Tardis is still at the side of the A1 north of Paris in early August 1998.   Here a Thalys set is going past.

1We stayed in a Gite south of Dax not too far from the main line to Spain. This was, I think, one evening with a northbound behind what I think is a 9200.

Then a 7200 beneath the very distinctive Midi catenary.

Morning bike rides gave me the chance of this shot, probably a Sunday morning with a 7200 taking a diesel for fuel.

Z7309 heading south on the 9th August probably in the afternoon.

Then the next day we went down to Hendaye where 7241 and 6509 were on the stabling point.

 

Jamie

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by jamie92208

[brushman47544]

5 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

.1We stayed in a Gite south of Dax not too far from the main line to Spain. This was, I think, one evening with a northbound behind what I think is a 9200.

My personal recollection was that 9200s were more common working to/from Paris including shorter distances such as Tours and Le Mans whereas the 9300s worked more in the South West including local trains south from Bordeaux to places such as Arcachon, Toulouse and Hendaye. But which this is who knows...

[JeffP]

On a Eurodomino ticket I once did Beziers-Bordeaux-Paris.

Waiting at Bordeaux I was thrilled when the train came in hauled by a C-C 65xx.

I was less thrilled when it came off in favour of a B-B 9200.

I never did get haulage behind a C-C 65xx, but did manage Avignon to Marseille with a C-C 7100.

[brushman47544]

19 hours ago, JeffP said:

I never did get haulage behind a C-C 65xx, 

 

On a long weekend in Lyon in late June 1996, I was well and truly bowled. At that time, 6500s were diagrammed for the Lyon - Modane leg of the trains to Italy, but of the two I went for the 6500 was replaced on one by a 7200 and the other was diagrammed a 26000 on Mondays. So I only managed a couple of short trips instead, one of which was from Perrache to Part Dieu!

 

The 26000 was brand new 26208 (first passenger working) though!

Edited April 8, 2021 by brushman47544
add info

[Philou]

On 06/04/2021 at 23:40, JeffP said:

By this method I managed to visit Chalindrey

 

Ah, Chalindrey! My local station. The roundhouse is still there and in use for storing a few locos overnight - it's also a diesel refuelling point. The rest of the roundhouse is used currently for dismantling loads of asbestos-filled coaches and other stock. There are lines and lines of them awaiting disposal at Vesoul - including some stainless steel ones.

 

The chair of our club works at the roundhouse and the club is about 1km away.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

PS: Seeing Arcachon mentioned - when I was there two years ago, it was a continuous parade of TGVs in the station!

Edited April 8, 2021 by Philou
PS added

[jamie92208]

Good evening from a nice and sunny Charente, thought it did freeze last night.  However we are still in 1998 and tonight was are at Dax on the 14th August. A double Atlantique set is heading in from the north.

Here's the coupling between the two sets, is this  a real French Kiss.

Within a minute they had pulled apart and the nose doors started to close.

Then the front unit headed off for Hendaye.

And the rear unit headed south west to Pau, Tarbes and I think Toulouse.

Very smartly done.   Next in was 9211 heading south.

Jamie

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by jamie92208

[Philou]

Having mentioned Chalindrey, it's where I saw one of the first Euro-based Class 66 (66255 IIRC) a few years ago now, still in it's unchanged EWS branding (no DB or Europorte markings), on the 'train des eaux'. It was taking empty covered wagons (UK type IHAs) to Vittel and Contrexéville to load up. Why I remembered it in particular was that it had sucked a couple of umbrellas into the louvres!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[JeffP]

So many memories.

Went to Tarbes on a Eurodomino, shed closed, two 4700 electrics awaiting disposal.

Broke a journey at Les Aubrais.

JOGGED to the shed, (nearly killed me), so as to do a flying visit and make my train back.

Shed closed. One shunter.

Ah well.

I did cab a 141R in steam at Toulouse with both lads.

And photograph their C-C 1100 shunters.

[jamie92208]

6 minutes ago, JeffP said:

So many memories.

Went to Tarbes on a Eurodomino, shed closed, two 4700 electrics awaiting disposal.

Broke a journey at Les Aubrais.

JOGGED to the shed, (nearly killed me), so as to do a flying visit and make my train back.

Shed closed. One shunter.

Ah well.

I did cab a 141R in steam at Toulouse with both lads.

And photograph their C-C 1100 shunters.

I think I mentioned in the first postb n this thread that my first ever haulage on SNCF was by two 141R's from Calais to Amiens. Great machines.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from a chilly and, we think, soon to get damp Charente.  The Tardis is still in Dax on 14th August 1998.  One last photo from that holiday. Here a 63000 is shunting in the station.

Then t was time for the long drive home.  We did make one detour on the way back and visited the grave of my father's 1st cousin , Geoffrey Fyldes Potts who was killed during the battle of Arras on 23rd April 1917. As far as I can find out, I was the first member of the family ever to visit the grave which is about a mile away from where he was killed. Very moving and of course the cemetery was beautifully maintained.

We now skip forward to August 2000. We headed south by train to Cannes La Bocca.  3 Eurostars. a NoL set from Leeds to London, a regular set from Waterloo to Lille then another from Lille to Cannes before a taxi back to our flat in La Bocca.

Here you can see Alcatraz in the background as a 22XXX heads west with a set of Corail stock.

Another on passing the stabling sidings at La Bocca with a sleeper train from Nice. A lot of them came back to these sidings to be serviced.

There were also sidings where the local trains reversed, some EMU's were replacing the push pull sets. A nice bit of steam era infrastructure in the foreground.

Then an attempt to get a good shot of a 22000 as it headed west. The uploader didn't  like portrait format photos but has now been corrected. 2022)

Now time to finish a glass of home made Sloe gin before tea.

 

Jamie

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by jamie92208

[brushman47544]

3 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Another on passing the stabling sidings at La Bocca with a sleeper train from Nice. A lot of them came back to these sidings to be serviced.

 

Then an attempt to get a good shot of a 22000 as it headed west. The uploader does not like portrair format photos.

Now time to finish a glass of home made Sloe gin before tea.

 

Jamie

 

Some very interesting photos. Three rakes where the  “day” coaches are FS (Italy) UIC X in rosso/fegato livery and in the first behind 22346 the couchettes have the NS logo, so I wouldn’t like to guess what overnight train they operated if Nice was the destination. There used to be a through train between Rome and Hendaye which had both FS UIC X and SNCF UIC Y coaches so the second one could be that.

[jamie92208]

51 minutes ago, brushman47544 said:

Some very interesting photos. Three rakes where the  “day” coaches are FS (Italy) UIC X in rosso/fegato livery and in the first behind 22346 the couchettes have the NS logo, so I wouldn’t like to guess what overnight train they operated if Nice was the destination. There used to be a through train between Rome and Hendaye which had both FS UIC X and SNCF UIC Y coaches so the second one could be that.

Thanks. I remember that there were NS coaches most days, plus SNCB ones. I presume that Amsterdam must have been  a start point along with Brussels.

 

Jamie

 

 

[JeffP]

Cannes la Bocca.

More memories.

We were camping in the Gorges du Verdon near Castellane and I got permission to drive to Nice, ostensibly to visit the works and depot of the Chemins de Fer de la Provence at Lingostiere. Having seen all their loco stock I then boarded a CFP train there and got off in Nice where I walked to the SNCF station.

After an hour or so I found a train going to Cannes la Bocca, and, having seen photos taken there, decided to go.

It arrived at the station, which was about a mile short of the yard, so I stayed on board until the next stop in order to view the yard.

Sadly, the next stop WAS the yard where it stabled. Sigh.

 

After about half an hour when it became obvious it wasn't going to move again or reverse direction, I forced the doors and jumped down.

I then visited the yard, (priority was right), and walked back to la Bocca, all in 85-90 temperatures.

First job at la Bocca was to buy a litre of water which went down without touching the sides!

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by JeffP

[jamie92208]

9 minutes ago, JeffP said:

Cannes la Bocca.

More memories.

We were camping in the Gorges du Verdon near Castellane and I got permission to drive to Nice, ostensibly to visit the works and depot of the Chemins de Fer de la Provence at Lingostiere. Having seen all their loco stock I then boarded a CFP train there and got off in Nice where I walked to the SNCF station.

After an hour or so I found a train going to Cannes la Bocca, and, having seen photos taken there, decided to go.

It arrived at the station, which was about a mile short of the yard, so I stayed on board until the next stop in order to view the yard.

Sadly, the next stop WAS the yard where it stabled. Sigh.

 

After about half an hour when it became obvious it wasn't going to move again or reverse direction, I forced the doors and jumped down.

I then visited the yard, (priority was right), and walked back to la Bocca, all in 85-90 temperatures.

First job at la Bocca was to buy a litre of water which went down without touching the sides!

 

I did the same at Ventimiglia that holiday and ended up in the FS yard and had to walk back, taking photos and numbers as I did so. As you say priorities have to be observed. Though I do remember a girlfriend many years ago, who was seeing me off at Nottingham after a busy weekend. For some obscure reason she couldn't quite see why I needed to walk to the front if the train to get the number of the peak. No sense of humour.

 

Jamie

[JeffP]

I think the most bemused were the SNCF guys at Autun, where I photographed three of the four class 20's very early one August morning.

I asked where the fourth was and was told it was currently at Etang.

I asked how far it was, and they said why was I bothered, since it was the same as the three that were there.

And trying to explain to my guide at Acheres why I was noting numbers.

He wanted to know if there was some sort of prize or award once I'd got them all?

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon, or is it evening s it's 18.02 as I type.  We are still in the Cannes La Bocca area in August 2000. This was taken from La Bocca station as the morning working went up the Grasse branch to the car terminal that was about half way up.  The car carriers were dropped off in the yard then worked down to just past the station before reversing to head up the branch.  At this time there was, IIRC, no passenger service to Grasse.

Out one day to catch the Eurostar working from Brussels via Lille as it heads over the bridge towards Cannes.

And another shot of it. These were SNCF owned sets that had been modified to work of 1500 v DC as well as the usual 300 Dc, 750 DC and 25 Kv AC.

Then a 25500 heading into the sun one evening with a push pull working.  Probably heading to the sidings  to reverse.   A few workings did carry on to Frejus.

And the new order coming in slowly replacing the Inox sets.

That's it for the year 2000 so we now jump forward to summer 2001 and 22272 is heading west with an express passenger working.

Jamie

Edited August 11, 2022 by jamie92208

[JeffP]

It was that car carrier service hauled by a B-B 63000 on the front of my first ever Platform 5 French Railways book, that attracted me to la Bocca.

Never did see it.

[jamie92208]

16 hours ago, JeffP said:

It was that car carrier service hauled by a B-B 63000 on the front of my first ever Platform 5 French Railways book, that attracted me to la Bocca.

Never did see it.

That was my second Platform 5 book. The photo is taken from the westbound platform of La Bocca station. We never stayed in the big block of flats that are behind the loco.  

 

Jamie

Edited April 11, 2021 by jamie92208

[JeffP]

I've now got the previous one.

Recently looked at a new one but it seems to be already 5 years out of date, so may wait a while.

[jamie92208]

11 hours ago, JeffP said:

I've now got the previous one.

Recently looked at a new one but it seems to be already 5 years out of date, so may wait a while.

Yes the present one was published in 2017 so I think a new edition may well be due.

 

Jamie

Edited April 11, 2021 by jamie92208

[brushman47544]

On 09/04/2021 at 18:14, jamie92208 said:

Thanks. I remember that there were NS coaches most days, plus SNCB ones. I presume that Amsterdam must have been  a start point along with Brussels.

 

Jamie

 

 

I used to catch the Eurostar to Brussels regularly for work and the coaches used for the Nice train were always in the yard outside Midi station. Same SNCB types every day so presumably both rakes provided by SNCB. I agree a train to Amsterdam is likely, what I was curious about was why NS and FS (but no SNCF) stock in the same train in Nice. I’ve always been interested in the long distance international trains in Europe in the 80s/90s. Does anyone know where to find a diagrammatic map of those services. I’ve searched but...

[jamie92208]

11 hours ago, brushman47544 said:

I used to catch the Eurostar to Brussels regularly for work and the coaches used for the Nice train were always in the yard outside Midi station. Same SNCB types every day so presumably both rakes provided by SNCB. I agree a train to Amsterdam is likely, what I was curious about was why NS and FS (but no SNCF) stock in the same train in Nice. I’ve always been interested in the long distance international trains in Europe in the 80s/90s. Does anyone know where to find a diagrammatic map of those services. I’ve searched but...

I've just dug out my Benelux book and saw a considerable  number of NS international coaches at Cannes La Bocca in 2000 some if which were ex DB. There were also quite a few SNCB ones.  I have a feeling that all these were off Motorail trains that terminated at St Rafael.  I suspect that the pure sleeper trains were serviced at Nice.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from a sunny but cool Charente.   The Tardis is still in the warmth of the Cote D'Azur in July 2001.

To start with a similar shot to yesterdays as 22272 heads west one evening at La Bocca.

 

Then a shot of the morning Eurostar working to Brussels coming past the old concrete water column at La Bocca.  It's just a shame that I never saw the 141R's on this route.

An the Eurostar heads west through a nearly empty yard.

Whilst one of the old Inox push pull sets sits waiting for it's next eastward duty.

We were in a different apartment block  in 2002 and this shot was from one of the upper floor balconies as the car train headed up the branch, push pulled by IIRC a 63000 and a Y8000.

Then whilst waiting for a train at La Bocca 22330 headed east.

 

Jamie

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by jamie92208

[iands]

10 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Good afternoon from a sunny but cool Charente.   The Tardis is still in the warmth of the Cote D'Azur in July 2001.

To start with a similar shot to yesterdays as 22318 heads west one evening at La Bocca.

Then a shot of the morning Eurostar working to Brussels coming past the old concrete water column at La Bocca.  It's just a shame that I never saw the 141R's on this route.

An the Eurostar heads west through a nearly empty yard.

Whilst one of the old Inox push pull sets sits waiting for it's next eastward duty.

We were in a different apartment block  in 2002 and this shot was from one of the upper floor balconies as the car train headed up the branch, push pulled by IIRC a 63000 and a Y8000.

Then whilst waiting for a train at La Bocca 22330 headed east.

 

Jamie

 

Thanks for sharing your photos Jamie. Brings back happy memories of our annual family holidays on the Cote D'Azur, as well as at the "other end" in the Perpignan, Argeles, Agde area, when we used to take advantage of my travel perks.