JeffP Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 It was new-ish when photographed, on what proved to be one of my last serious outings over there. We used to caravan in France for 5 weeks every summer, but around 1999 were based in the Dordogne, with no station nearby, and a tortuous journey to whichever mainline station I chose. Add to that, I'd visited ALL the big sheds and two works by then, interest wained. Before that, we had camped near Clermont l'Herault three years running, and Beziers was an easy half hour...did it in twenty minutes one morning following a Frenchman who was running late. I used to park the car, put a day or two day's parking on it, and off I went on the first train of the day, armed with a Euro-Domino ticket for five days in any thirty-one. And SNCF often forgot to cancel my ticket, so more than five days was possible. Mostly, I came back the same day, but once went up to Paris via Bordeaux, stayed overnight, and came home via Strasbourg, Lyon etc. I had a Thomas Cook Euro timetable, and lived on coffee croissants from main stations. I once helped an American get back from Modane to the UK, he spoke no French whatsoever, so we sat on the sation and wrote out train times, then I made a call on his phone to book a seat on a Eurostar from Paris. Happy days. Since then, we have an old property near to Limoges, another railway desert, and spend every holiday working on it. I haven't done a serious outing since having a day in Avignon/Miramas in 2008, when we had five days in an hotel in Isle sur la Sorgue...Mrs went to the market. I keep saying I'll have myself a day out, but the work on the house won't do itself........ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 Tonight's offering: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Today's photos: (please note I will be away in France until the end of October. I will have internet but the photos are on my UK computer. I have some over there, but not as many.) All today's are at Miramas once again. The last four were "posed". I was approached and asked what I was doing, while photographing the loco. When I said I was photographing the record holder, the SNCF worker called his mate and told him there was an Englishman who knew about "their" loco. When I became clear I knew dates, speeds and the identity, and location, of the other loco, they offered to pose the loco for me. Hence pantographs up, lights on etc. a bit different from the "welcome" I was getting at UK depots around that time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Since then, we have an old property near to Limoges, another railway desert, and spend every holiday working on it. I haven't done a serious outing since having a day in Avignon/Miramas in 2008, when we had five days in an hotel in Isle sur la Sorgue...Mrs went to the market. I have pleasant memories of Limoges-Benedictine, with its distinctive clock tower, from the days when the stabling point held BB300, BB900 and BB4700 locomotives and BB900 hauled railcar trains for a brief season. Is there no longer much of railway interest there now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Multiple units, mainly. The occasional loco-hauled Corail stock. VERY little freight. Some diesels for the line to Perigueux The depot is units. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tetsudofan Posted October 2, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 2, 2013 Pardon my ignorance, Jeff, but what is that sleek-looking MU in this pic, please? In terms of styling, it looks a cut above the norm. Great pics, by the way. I've been hooked on French railways since discovering the genius of Andre Chapelon. Even into the diesel/electric era, they still managed to convey an air of style. Apologies for intruding on Jeff's fantastic series of pictures but you may be interested to know that H.Jouef have recently released a model of the sleek-looking X725xx DMU in SNCF-TER Pays de la Loire livery......... Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted October 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 10, 2013 Many thanks for sharing Jeff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted October 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 10, 2013 Apologies for intruding on Jeff's fantastic series of pictures but you may be interested to know that H.Jouef have recently released a model of the sleek-looking X725xx DMU in SNCF-TER Pays de la Loire livery......... Yes, it does look the biz. I see you have a (presumably Rail87) mobylette parked next to it, too! These are nice models but not cheap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Been struggling with internet here in France, yet again, surprise, surprise. I've now been reinstated back to 7Mb from 0.23Mb that I was put on while they worked out why it was so unstable. Tonight I might get round to resizing some pics taken at Sotteville a couple of years back. Being here on my own, too dark to work in the new area, and only UK and French Freeview, there's not much else to do......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tetsudofan Posted October 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 10, 2013 Yes, it does look the biz. I see you have a (presumably Rail87) mobylette parked next to it, too! These are nice models but not cheap. You're right Ian on all counts.....another one arrived today (toit rouge) so think it best I start a separate thread on these little beauties.....warts and all.... Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Only got home in the early hours of today, after an eight hundred mile drive. On the way, I saw this: Can you identify it? If not, these might make it clearer: The last two are looking roughly south, with the sucrerie at Artenay in shot in the distance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted October 27, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 27, 2013 Though I have not seen it personally, I am guessing it is the track for the Aerorail monorail half scale prototype.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Though I have not seen it personally, I am guessing it is the track for the Aerorail monorail half scale prototype.. It's the track from the Bertin Aerotrain (,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rotrain ) on the side of the Nationale between Orleans and Paris. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 That's it. The end, fist photo, is about 25km north of Orleans, just north of Artenay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Back in the UK and recovered from an 800 mile drive, here are a few more: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Today's selection: First four at Villeneuve St Georges station, last two at Beziers shed, works in background of fifth pic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 That third one, with three bogie vans behind 7251 (?), is one of the 'high-speed' (were ME160, now ME140) perishable trains from the south to Rungis market. The wagons have tread and disc brakes, and electro-pneumatic actuation of the air brakes. They did run some services over LGV 1 using these wagons behind TVM-equipped BB22200s, with a maximum speed of 200 kph, but I'm not sure if they still run. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Didn't know that, thanks for the info. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 Not posted any for a while, so here are a few more: The first four are from the station platform at Villeneuve St Georges, the last two at the running shed adjacent to Beziers works. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 A few more for today, including three RENFE Spanish locos. Being based at Beziers, I took the opportunity to look at the works there every time I could, as it was under threat at the time. The first shot is of the works shunter standing outside one of the shops. Next we move to Cerbere, on the border with Spain, where the southbound trains were regauged. The first Spanish loco is ready to leave with a southbound Talgo working. Still early morning, I later boarded a train for Marseille, I could go where I wanted with the Eurodomino. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertcwp Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I have been scanning some old negatives, including ones from a 1993 trip to France. I only had a small pocket camera so the photos are not great, but they may be of interest. Here are a few: CC6512_CC6513_Austerlitz_15-3-93 by robertcwp, on Flickr CC72051_Dijon_13-3-93 by robertcwp, on Flickr TB1014_Dijon_14-3-93 by robertcwp, on Flickr There are more in this set, which includes various other countries too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/sets/72157604064728336/with/11589669626/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted December 28, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2013 I think it's a bit like the demise of steam. In the UK, we rushed it, with the result that we had quite a few very poor diesels and electrics. We stated that steam and diesel couldn't work together, and were quie pedantic about it. the French managed it for years...much longer than us. We then went for a corporate livery, and spent lots of money on it, some of it wasted, repainting stuff that didn't NEED a repaint. In both cases, the French took their time, wasted less money and ended up with more to show. Tonight's photos;France rail.96.jpg France rail.97.jpg France rail.98.jpg France rail.99.jpg France rail.100.jpg France rail.101.jpg France rail.102.jpg France rail.103.jpg France rail.104.jpg France rail.105.jpg France rail.146.jpg France rail.147.jpg The last shot, I have no idea what that is, nor can I remember where it was taken, though it MAY be at Nevers. Not sure but I think it is the track-recording vehicle that an acquaintance of mine drove. He used to set up a video camera and take "driver's-eye-view" films. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Not sure but I think it is the track-recording vehicle that an acquaintance of mine drove. He used to set up a video camera and take "driver's-eye-view" films. I believe it could be the self-propelled catenary inspection vehicle, whose name escapes me (the French seem to give their inspection equipment names, like 'Vulcain' and 'Mauzin') Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2014 France rail.147.jpg The last shot, I have no idea what that is, nor can I remember where it was taken, though it MAY be at Nevers. Jeff reading through an old Voies Ferrees (1983) I came across an article on BB 10004 and behind it sat a coach with pantograph in the same livery as your shot. This is described as a "voiture electrotechnique". Is it a possibility that your shot is of a more modern version? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Just found this thread and admire it greatly! Thank you! Living between Narbonne and Perpignan for much of the time when on R&R I have also built up a lot of photos of French railways, many of which can be found on trainorders.com, that is, if you are a member. I stopped being a member 6 months ago because the model railroad group were "not very proactive" though the European group was always friendly. Given the response you have, perhaps I should do a similar theme on a separate thread here? Lot's of TGVs, nez cassés, etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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