Sud de France 2007-Present Day - Photos

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, JeffP said:

Ah, Cannes la Bocca.

 

On one of my first solo expeditions I drove from our campsite near Castellane to Lingostiere on the Chemin de Fer de Provence, touring the little depot and works there, before boarding a CFD train to Nice Sud. Disappointingly modern, with the old gothic station left to rot nearby, but a very interesting ride. There were lots of very interesting old trains  and locos at Lingostiere, again, sadly, mostly now gone.

 

I then walked to Nice mainline station, and decided, having seen Cannes la Bocca mentioned in a Platform 5 book, to take a ride to it. The train stopped at the station, but there was little to see, so I stayed abaord...only to find it proceeding into the sidings at La Bocca and parked up, in full sunshine in August!

 

I eventually managed to get out of the train, and walked across the yard to the mazement of various french SNCF employees, before walking the 2km or so back to La Bocca and a welcome drink!!!!

I managed to do the same at Ventimiglia and was towed into the siding beyond the station by an Italian Diesel shunter.  I also had an 'Interesting' walk back through the sidings.   The sidings at La Bocca are rather different now than when I first went there in the 80's.  The turntable is still there but inaccessible and there are no stabled main line locos or trains of sleeping coaches.   Instead there are some newly built EMU stabling and servicing sidings on the seaward side f the main line and the sidings on the landward side are used for infrastructure trains.  Last September there were 4 class 182's and a 61XXX there.

 

Jamie