Focalplane

"One train can hide another" is the translation of this sign seen at a minor level crossing west of Nissan: And it does happen! First a westbound Téoz (Grandes Lignes) express approaches the crossing: As it passes an eastbound Reseau TGV approaches. Headlights are dimmed and the inevitable horn is sounded: The Téoz express clears the crossing and the TGV bears down on the crossing:

The Narbonne Autotrain runs during the summer months between Germany and Narbonne. It is one of the few remaining autotrains and with the high prices it is understandable why they are a diminishing sight. An overnight service, the train leaves Narbonne toward the end of the afternoon. It is a long train as can be seen from the photos. The first sees the train approaching Nissan, taken with a teklephoto lens that brings the distant Corbieres Hills much closer than they really are. The busy road is the old Route Nationale 9, a haven for prostitutes each afternoon, though the government has plans to curtail their activity. We once counted 13 "ladies of the afternoon" between Nissan and Narbonne. The train then entered the Malpas Tunnel and from my hilltop viewpoint I waited for it to emerge: The second class DB coach is not the only foreigner on the line, as well as the Spanish Talgos there are also Italian couchettes to be seen. The train then took the curve into Colombieres and on to Germany.

As far as I can tell, the Montpellier-Cartagena Talgos are no more now that the Paris-Barcelona through TGV is up and running. This is a real shame for railfans as the Talgos made an interesting sight and also traveled the coastal route complete with a gauge change at Port Bou. So there will be several postings on the Talgo, starting with this one which shows a modern Talgo passing through Nissan with me standing trackside (behind the yellow line). The train would be the morning run which passed Nissan around 8:30 am. The train approaches, hauled by a locomotive belonging to the 26xxx class. The usual loco was a BB7200. As the train passes my vantage point you can see how much smaller the Talgo coaches are, yet they seem spacious inside, no doubt due to the small single axles connecting each coach to the next which allow for a lower floor level. Talgo trainsets have separate "power" cars to provide on board electricity, etc:

And now for something different - a tourist heritage line west of Rivesaltes. Le Train du Pays Cathare et du Fenouillèdes (TPCF) is a privately run tourist line from Rivesaltes to Axat following the Agly river valley (well, sort of). The scenery is stunning and the upper reaches include some curved viaducts. Sadly the line no longer passes trough the Aude Gorge to Quillan. Equipment includes rail cars and diesel hauled open wagons in the summer. It may not be as famous as Le Train Jaune but is a good alternative. The first two are of a two car train on a Père Noel special before Christmas in 2010: The third is at the line's storage sidings

But this one was entering the station, the water column is at the eastern end of the station and the westbound train has some way to go before stopping. I have heard that the drawdown for heavy loads does require the second pantograph to be raised.

The first time we travelled on A75 was in 2004, before the Viaduct de Millau was completed, so we remember well the drive down into and up from from Millau. There was a special lookout to view the fast completing bridge which was compelling. I would think the Viaduct chops off at least 90 minutes from the journey time.

I understand that the bridge is not in good enough condition at the moment for trains to cross. I saw it the other morning while driving to Paris and there is no sign of any work being done. Low priority I assume. Two photos taken in the early morning sunlight. I was driving only because my TGV had been cancelled due to "la Grève" (strike), this was the highlight of an otherwise long drive.

The previous post mentioned Béziers which is an important stop and junction along the Midi Main Line. Most of the facilities at Béziers are out of use, including a large MPD/Works and marshalling yards. Béziers is also the southern end of the single track line from Clermont Ferrand, still operating but with autobus workings to avoid the Viaduc to Garabit. The station building is classic SNCF architecture, very similar to the next large station down the line at Narbonne. The train shed is relatively small, at least when two coupled TGV trainsets stop. But notice the throwback to steam days to the right: A classic French water crane! No longer connected but left in place as is so often the case in France. A conventional "Grandes Lignes" express at Béziers, with a westbound train, possibly from Nice to Bordeaux. The locomotive is BB7255, yet another of my favorite "Nez Cassés"! Note that both pantographs are up, a sign that this is a long train.

One of the joys of living around Béziers is the proximity of the main line to the Canal du Midi. This shot was taken from the tow path near Colombieres, just east of the Malpas Tunnel. The amazing Etang de Montady, a drained lake dating back to the 12th Century, is behind the main line. A relatively short train of tank cars had what appeared to be a rather powerful rake of locomotives (double heading is not unusual, but FIVE?) In truth, only one locomotive was working, the front BB7200. Its two cousins behind have their pantographs lowered, while the Class 668xxx diesels are also in tow. The latter are often seen at Nimes MPD, the regional SNCF centre. Various explanations for their presence at Nimes run from emergency use when the overhead power fails to maintenance trains at night on the LGV, again possibly when the power is switched off. Similar pairs are also seen at Gare de Lyon in Paris.

Five years ago, most TVGs south of Nimes/Montpellier were the single deck Reseau (System) trainset. What we think of as the classic French high speed train. As demand increased out of Gare de Lyon the tendency has been to replace Paris trains with Duplex trainsets while retaining Reseau trainsets for cross country services that use, somewhere along the line, high speed track. So Perpignan-Bruxelles, Toulouse-Dijon cross country trains still retain the older design but today you are more likely to see Duplex TGVs, often in pairs. Two examples from 5 years ago: The first is a Reseau trainset heading into the Malpas Tunnel near Nissan The second is a Reseau passing through Nissan. Note the yellow line, an advisory to would be passengers that this is as close as they should stand to the tracks. No fences, just simple signs advising you that trains run at high speed and can be dangerous.

Introducing Gare de Nissan Near where I used to live and an excellent spot for close up train photography! Nissan closed down but was re-opened as an Arrete, or stop, with certain (very few) trains slowing down to respond to an arm wave. Only Regionals in the rush hour, basically. Grande Lignes went by at 160kph. So did TGVs. Nissan station has been let to a family but the last time I was there it was empty and rather forlorn. I can recommend the line between Montpellier and Narbonne for serious "railfanning" as there are all the examples of French trains you could ask for: TGVs (Duplexes and Reseau) Grande Lignes - CoRail, AutoTrain, etc. Regionals - Languedoc Roussillon mainly but other regions sometimes appear Freight - Container, Wood Pulp, Covered Wagons, Tank Cars, Transfesa Maintenance - all sorts! Because there is no LGV between Nimes and Perpignan, and won't be for several more years, the line shares regular traffic with TGVs. And the bonus is that you really can get close to a fast but not high speed TGV. Makes easier photography too.

So one day we visited the big city, Montpellier, which apparently tops the list of cities most French people would like to live in. It does have a certain character though I prefer Perpignan. And there at Gare St. Roch was a real stranger, or so I thought at the time: A British Class 66! In fact there are quite a few "Sheds" working as expats in Europe. What was immediately obvious was the very different loading gauge of the locomotive and the tank cars it was pulling. One advantage of working in Europe is that an air-conditioning unit can be stuck on top of the cab - quite a prerequisite in Languedoc summers - though this one had not been so modified.

The branch line from Narbonne north to Bize is still used occasionally though the tourist train operation ceased several years ago. The line crosses the Canal du Midi where the canal is also joined by the Canal de la Robine, a spur that runs down to Port La Nouvelle. The two photos show the blue sky as well as the canal (the first one of them does!) These were five exposure "natural" HDR efforts, the only way to reduce contrast under the midday sun.

Ah the weather! Yes, it can be most unpredictable and all those catchment areas for flood water along the autoroutes are there for a reason (take note Highways UK!) Some examples. We rented a 3.5 tonne truck to move our effects down south in February. A75 is the cheapest toll route but in winter it can be closed. For us it stayed open but the temperature went down to -17ºC north of Millau. Winter 2011/2 was the big freeze. The Canal du Midi froze over, the Leucate Etang froze over, ice appeared on rocks on the beach at Leucate. I have been told that the southern France olive would not have survived another one or two days of sub-zero weather. La Tramontane! La Marine! Every wind in France has a name! In these examples you cannot have both at the same time - one blows from the NW, the other from the SE. La Tram wins most of the time. What amuses me about the TV real estate programs is how many people appear to decide to live in the area after just one visit! Do they really think that the summer Mediterranean climate lasts year round?

Some background. In 2003 I returned to Europe after 30 years working in the oil industry. The previous 23 years I had lived in Houston, Texas where I picked up a devotion to all things EsPee, but enough was enough, we decided to return to what was to be our retirement home in England. Which we did, but the England I returned to was far different from the one I left in 1974 and a holiday to southern France in 2004 set us to think about a second home in the sun among the vineyards, etc. etc. Being overly cautious we did nothing for three years, then started to visit at odd times of the year, staying at a fine self catering apartment near Béziers. In 2009 we rented an apartment in the same village and it then took three years to find what we were looking for, a "lock up and leave" apartment near the coast but not on it with access to good hiking and wild swimming locations. Since November 2012 we have been happily living in Aude though I should stress that we still have that retirement cottage in England! So, on with the purpose of this photo thread. Member JeffP is responsible for instigating it with his fine sequence of older photos. I have previously posted many of mine on the US site, trainorders.com, for which you have to be a paid up member to see anything more than small thumbnails. As a modeler I also try to capture images of the details that good layouts need and I also take photos of the many abandoned branch lines in the region. I'll kick this post off, then, with two photos of a 2007 Talgo service from Montpellier to Cartagena. The motive power is my favorite of all SNCF electrics, the aptly named "nez cassé" or "broken nose" BB7200 series which towers above the miniature shared bogie carriages. The red colored Talgo series are long gone from this line now, so this is truly historical. I will post more on the Talgos later. The first shows the west/southbound train approaching the Malpas Tunnel, immediately west of Colombieres. This tunnel passes under the Canal du Midi, also in a tunnel. The second shows the same train after it has passed through the tunnel and now passing Nissan station. This latter location features in many of my photos. Both of these photos were taken from the ridge that forms the Oppidum d'Ensérune. An excellent spot, particularly with a good telephoto lens mounted on a tripod!

If you are into SP, the following are highly recommended but may be hard to find. A Century of Southern Pacific. Steam Locomotives by Guy L. Dunscomb. The bible on SP steam, published in 1967, no ISBN on my copy, which I consider priceless Southern Pacific Dieselization by John Bonds Garmany. A useful history of the modernization of the railroad, published in 1985, ISBN 0-915713-12-8 The Southern Pacific 1901-1985 by Don L. Hofsommer. An almost academic history of the "empire, not a railroad", published 1986, ISBN 0-89096-246-4 These three books focus on motive power and the system at large. More specific books on subjects like the Daylight are also worth looking into. Some superb period color photos are out there!

Thanks, Alan, for the link. I knew there must be a way!

I've never used Sketchup before but yesterday decided to download the free version and learn how to use it. Once I got all my Illustrator bias out of the way I found it to be intuitive and really quite good! I am sure I have a long way to go and will come back to that last comment and regret it! Anyway, the coal hole design had started to come real in my mind, so why not use Sketchup to prove it? Here is the standard view with the coal truck platform under the tank and the coaling track to the left. The water pipe is not in place yet (how do you bend an extruded pipe?) This is the view along the coal truck track which is elevated by 3 feet (12mm). The door color is a distant approximation to LM® red. And lastly, a view from above: The tank dimension is 25 ft x 25ft in plan view.

Yes, Tim that is the one. I should probably take some photos before it disappears completely! Not quite in keeping with the GWR feel of the Shipston Branch but since there never was a signal box, then poetic license could apply. The "what ifs" of a discussion group are always very useful. Thank you!

My purist sentiment says that I should persevere with a 1935 era accurate rendering of a GWR branch. And there is no reason why this should not be the initial aim for the project. But what then, when the layout is finished. Well, there are two options. The first is to make a bold assumption that Dr. Beeching never existed, that old branch lines were encouraged to exist, that Ernest Marples was never Minister of Transport and road taxes on trucks became exorbitant. So not only did passenger traffic on the branch continue but the line was expanded with signaling, token running, etcetera. Two locomotives could coexist at Shipston. A signal box would be required and there is a post WWII example rotting on the side of the A435 near Alcester to act as a prototype. A side issue of this would be that the tramway to Stratford was also converted to standard operating practice, allowing LMS locos and stock to visit from the north. Taking things a step further, why not then turn the line into a preservation railway? Personally I don't much like this idea, but it would allow for strange visitors from other regions. If option 1 was to go ahead, the layout could be easily converted to a heritage line for occasional use. All this is, of course, a mere discussion point. The layout still doesn't physically exist in any form!

Thanks, Alan, you've been gone missing for a while! Meantime the project has moved on and won't be on the Cambrian after all - Shipston-on-Stour instead! http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1581-shipston-on-stour-branch/

A couple of wagons for the future "coal hole". Only light weathering (so far); the coal is real, collected from an abandoned surface working above the town of Graissessac, Languedoc, France. The sieving process is not quite right, the scale "lumps" are possibly too small to be prototypical. I should add that Graissessac is almost a ghost town since the mines were closed. I understand from friends who live nearby that many of the miners were Polish. One of the ironies of the area is that wind turbines have been erected on one of the old surface workings. The valley would make an interesting French layout with either steam or diesel motive power, depending on the era.

After several attempts, I have finally reached a reasonable solution for motorizing the Peco turntable. The two pictures show the arrangement: Basically I gave up with attaching the motor directly to the plastic well and created a strong plywood substrate. The need to reinforce the plastic well now seems to be unnecessary, so those three holes in the plywood are no longer used. Meccano parts did indeed come to the rescue. The motor is noisy but not as noisy as the previous kit and the gears run nicely with an application of lithium grease. The DCC control uses a TCS decoder and speed is easily controlled at a realistic level. There are still several cosmetic touches to finish on the top side but these can wait while I re-jig the coal hole/water tank that will be scratch built later this year. If I was to start over again, I would seriously consider an indexing kit

Yes, we saw that as well. The name wharf seems a bit strange - there is also a Wharf in nearby Ilmington. I have always associated wharfs with canals (being from Brum!) but there are no canals in the area.

I have access to both Google and Apple mapping apps so it is always worth a look to see what remains of a branch line that ceased to exist a looooong time ago! Sometimes the line is easily recognized as two rows of overgrown hedges. Sometimes the line disappears across a ploughed field. The worst case is when a housing development completely eradicates history, as in Shipston-on-Stour. It is also interesting to see the old crossing cottages, sold off 40 years ago or more. In one case the owners have built an extension across the old right of way. The northern crossing over the A429 (Fosse Way) has a cottage whose presence today is difficult to explain until you realize there was once a railway there. There are also on the ground clues. A farm gate on the Campden Road says "Tramway" but the GWR bridge is completely hidden by summer foliage. Although little remains, it is clear that a detailed photo safari is necessary in the weeks ahead.