cornish trains jez Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Good morning, Just got back from a week in France and I paid a little visit to the local station of Pornic, where we were staying. Just thought I would share a few photos of the smart units that were at the station. I also managed to get a couple of shots just around the corner from the site where we were staying. You would never be allowed to get this close to the track in the UK! Best regards, Jeremy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Those units are quite impressive. We had a look at one a few years ago when they had the rail exhibition along the Champs-Elysees and they were still in the prototype stage. More recently we took one while staying in Alsace. What's especially good is that the whole of the driving area has a transparent partition, so you can sit and enjoy the view along the line much like the earliest DMUs in this country. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted June 29, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2014 Jouef will be pleased to sell you models of both those railcars in that striking livery! Pays de la Loire seems very focussed on public transport, is forever trying to improve train services. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 They do look nice. Why do our units have to look like runaway coaches, anybody? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Hardly fair. Some of them look like Darth Vader. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Welly Posted June 29, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 29, 2014 I confess the name of the town is what caught my eye and led me to click.... Charming location though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted June 29, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2014 I confess the name of the town is what caught my eye and led me to click.... Charming location though! It is - and there is, or maybe was, a camera shop. And yes, it really is/was called Pornic Photo! EDIT - Ah yes, from 2003 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 The Bombardier trainsets are very good to ride in, plenty of space for bikes, luggage, dogs, etc., except on summer weekends. TER Languedoc run two sets together to cater to peak travel times. But I really like the Doodlebugs that serve remote branch lines, at least those that still exist. Good to think that SNCF see the need for updating the older railcars to the latest technology. And the Loire livery looks good, too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan100 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 We stayed near Pornic about 20+ years ago and I remember looking at the same sidings. The railcars that were there then looked very sorry for themselves, and I thought it looked as no money was being spent on the line and it was going to be closed. Wrong again! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matabiau Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Jouef will be pleased to sell you models of both those railcars in that striking livery! Pays de la Loire seems very focussed on public transport, is forever trying to improve train services. Jouef only sell the bubble car. The articulated unit (AGC) is available from LS Models but not in this livery and only in limited release. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted July 1, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 1, 2014 I thought the unit was a 72500. Obviously not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted July 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 3, 2014 Pays de la Loire seems very focussed on public transport, is forever trying to improve train services. Courtesy of the regular "puff" put out by the Region (Pays de la Loire) I can now quote some figures. The Region took over regional services in 1997, and, since 2004 has purchased 112 "trains" which no doubt vary from single unit cars to 3/4 coach units. The 1997 figure for journeys was 6.8 million, which had risen to 17 million by 2013. In the last 4 years, the number of trains run has increased by 32%, with 800 additional station stops (presumably daily). Trains now on order will be both double-deck and 200kph/125mph capable. Living some way from a local station, I'm ashamed to say the only trains I've caught in my decade here have been TGVs to Paris, which are not run by the Region. I do intend to do better! Of course, if the steam tramway that used to run 200 metres from my house were still going.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 My ratio of TGV to Regional is also high, mainly because parking at my local station is recognized to be risky, so I drive into Narbonne for the TGV. Would be different otherwise, but it's all about safety in numbers in parking your car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matabiau Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I live next to a level crossing on the Toulouse to Auch line in the Toulouse suburbs. I get my fair share of B81500s (AGCs) and X73500s trundling past my front door every day. Unfortunately here they are the standard blue and grey with a MIDI-PYRENEES sticker on the side or some colourful graffiti. In my opinion the best livery has to be the red Languedoc-Roussillon with yellow stars. They make it as far as Toulouse every now and again to distract me from my work as they trundle past the office. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 The X73500 single rail car has at least four nicknames in France. The prototypes were painted in blue and were called Blue Whales. Sometimes they may be doubled or tripled and this gave rise to Sausages. Another obvious name is Cucumber, but the least likely one is, in French, Suppos! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 The X73500 single rail car has at least four nicknames in France. The prototypes were painted in blue and were called Blue Whales. Sometimes they may be doubled or tripled and this gave rise to Sausages. Another obvious name is Cucumber, but the least likely one is, in French, Suppos! After the preferred French method for administering medication... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matabiau Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 I'll certainly think twice before going to the doctor again if that is what he is going to prescribe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted July 11, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 11, 2014 I'll certainly think twice before going to the doctor again if that is what he is going to prescribe. Especially as, for all the good some of it might do you, you might as well stick it up your a..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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