Railways in france, 1980's/90's more pics added 01/2015

[kintbury jon]

Yes please!

[JeffP]

Rather neglected this thread, just seen people have obviously looked, so I've added a few more.

 

BB8000 series, numbers 8196 and 8216 are stabled at Miramas.

 

Also at Miramas is 22200 series, 22371.

 

And further over in the sidings is class 6500, 6528. Note that the side of the loco carries the new number 406528, the front numberplate being smaller carries no 40 for the sector.

 

At the museum at Miramas, which is next door to the engine shed, and is in the old steam shed area, a CC7000 loco stands in the open.

 

And a series 8000 loco preserved, this one is at Miramas and is 8177, still in it's old green livery.

 

I used to love Miramas, the busy station, the almost certain sunshine and the heat, the cicadas etc, (it's very close to Cavaillon, one of the sunniest places in France), the quite and calm of the museum area, the bustle of the modern shed, yet no problems, (then) of going wherever you wanted to. My last visit was in 2010 and it was much the same.

[kintbury jon]

Entirely agree. During my French travels in the early 90's it used to be a good place to go if one was in the area. The old DC electrics were great so I love seeing photos of BB8100 and CC7100 on here. How I wish I'd taken more photos than the handful I did.

 

Many thanks Jeff.

[JeffP]

Gare de L'Est, brightly liveried class 17000, 17059 is seen leaving with an RER train.

 

Y8000 shunter, I think it's Y8047 at Les Arcs.

 

Colourful SNCF nameplates.....most namers are named after towns, cities, even communes. These three are taken at Gare de L'Est Paris, prior to the TGVs arriving, circa 2000.

[Focalplane]

Jeff, More please!

[JeffP]

I think this is Gare de Lyon, "Sybic" No. 26038 with a tarin of Corail stock.

 

B-B 9200 No. 9256 at Tours St. Pierre.

 

BB9701 at I think Paris Gare de l'Est Lyon.

 

15039 at Gare de l'Est

 

Sybic 26194 is bound for Paris at Villeneuve St Georges, with a mixed freight.

 

While in the then newer livery, sister loco 26048 runs light engine at the same location.

 

BB7200 No. 7251 with a short train of bogie vans at Villeneuve heading south.

 

B-B25200 series No. 25212 with a well loaded car train at Villeneuve St Georges.

 

At this time I had zero idea where Villeneuve depot was in relation to this station, and, having my youngest son with me, had little inclination to try and find it...Villeneuve isn't the most welcoming area in Paris........

[EddieB]

I think it's a typo, but 9701 is at Gare de Lyon (note the famous clocktower in the background).  Its poor 1.5kV dc pantographs wouldn't fare too well with the 25kV ac on stream at Est!

[Focalplane]

Thanks, Jeff!  I agree about 9701, that clock tower is distinctive.

 

And in my experience there are many parts of Paris that are "interesting" but not advisable, particularly with family in tow.

[Pacific231G]

Great stuff Geoff and thank you so much for posting them. Though I tell myself I'm only interested in Ep III these are fascinating so the more the merrier so far as I'm concerned.

[Andy Hayter]

I think it's a typo, but 9701 is at Gare de Lyon (note the famous clocktower in the background).  Its poor 1.5kV dc pantographs wouldn't fare too well with the 25kV ac on stream at Est!

 

 

Agree.  A 1500V DC loco with pantos raised at a 25kV AC  station would be an interesting but probably terminal experiment.

[JeffP]

Thanks lads...I first typed in "Gare de Lyon", then, for some reason, changed it.

It's edited now.

More tonight.

[JeffP]

 

Beziers works, classes Y2400 and Y6100

 

Works shunter at Beziers works, Y2511 shows off a modified coupling a a nice "smile".

 

Preserved C-C7000, 7121 at Miramas museum.

 

Y6000, No. 6013 at Miramas.

 

Y 7000 class shunter, No. 7466 shows off some unofficial paintwork at Miramas.......probably gained in a yard nearer Marseille.

 

More of the above.

[Focalplane]

One of the retired shutters at Béziers had been nicknamed "Sarko".

[JeffP]

LOL.......loved that place, i made most of my visits in long summer evenings.

The works had no-one present and I was able to enter from the rear and wander round as the sun turned orange.

All was silent and the setting sun added more atmosphere.

 

Never even got stopped once.

 

There was also a long scrapline at the rear with BB4100, BB300 and a few Y2200 and Y2400 on it when I first went.

[JeffP]

 

Not sure where this is, but I think these are withdrawn BB300 class locos, bereft of all plates, sadly. Possibly Beziers works scrapline.

 

This seems to be the same pair from the other end and this one is BB322, Beziers.

 

Back to Miramas, showing various classes around the turntable.

 

Nimes, BB9319 about to leave with a train for Bordeaux.

 

At the other end of Nimes station, this pair of BB67400 series locos is preparing to leave with the north bound "Cevenol" to Paris, taking a route across the Cevennes to Clermont Ferrand, very slow but incredibly scenic.

[kintbury jon]

Great photos.  I think the BB300 are the two that are still at Miramas, BB327 and BB346.  Photos of them are on post number 9:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/92062-french-adventure-photo-heavy/

 

I reckon that the BB67400 have just arrived from Paris, having pushed the stock into Nimes.  A close look at the coach shows 'Marseille St Charles' as the destination. 

[Fat Controller]

The two BB300 locos are in departmental service, hence the 'M' marking. Unfortunately, I can't remember what the 'M' stands for, but I'd suggest they've been retained either for carriage heating or catenary de-icing work.

'M' - 'Mouvements', the equivalent of 'Operating Department'; could be either train heating/ shore supply or de-icing.

[Focalplane]

Those BB 67400 series look good in your last photo, they have aged considerably since then. I understand they are parked at Nimes for emergencies and night time maintenance in the LGVs. I don't think they pull regular passenger services any more.

[JeffP]

Three views of an SNCF departmental railcar at Marseille St Charles.

Network rail: please note how nice it looks, neither just functional, or looking like a "runaway carriage".

 

TGV set at Marseille St Charles, my youngest son sitting patiently beside a lamp post to the left. By the end of the day he was out on his feet, we had left beziers at around 0620 heading east.

 

BB9630 at Miramas on the Avignon via Cavaillon shuttle.

 

BB9335 in the then new livery at Toulouse Matabieu station.

 

BB9208 in a very early livery, also at Toulouse.

 

Toulouse was/is the only place I have ever been approached by Railway Police and asked what I was doing. Once it became obvious I was no threat, they left with advice a) not to take video where others a re present and b) to confine myself to the ends of platforms out of the way.

 

 

[EddieB]

SNCF once had three of those departmental railcars, VT1, VT2 and VT3, which were introduced in 1990.  Unfortunately VT1 was destroyed by a fire caused by an overheat in its hydraulic system in 2005, VT3 suffering a similar fate the following year from a short circuit in its cabin climate control system.

 

Here's a shot of VT3 at the depot at Villeneuve St Georges (quite accessible, but not from VSG station) in January 2000.

 

[JeffP]

Yes, I've done VSG now, we camped quite close and I cycled over. It was a Sunday and they had no-one available to guide me, when I said I was English and had come specially as it was the biggest shed in France and famous, the foreman said, "If you get stopped by Railway Police, I haven't seen you...let me know when you leave...".

Thanks for the above photo. The difference in colour is noticeable: mine was taken in strong bright sunlight, yours looks to be overcast...and that's before you get onto film types.

 

Looks like the two we have photographed are  no longer around then..........

Regards, Jeff.

[EddieB]

Yes, I've done VSG now, we camped quite close and I cycled over. It was a Sunday and they had no-one available to guide me, when I said I was English and had come specially as it was the biggest shed in France and famous, the foreman said, "If you get stopped by Railway Police, I haven't seen you...let me know when you leave...".

Thanks for the above photo. The difference in colour is noticeable: mine was taken in strong bright sunlight, yours looks to be overcast...and that's before you get onto film types.

 

Looks like the two we have photographed are  no longer around then..........

Regards, Jeff.

The original was on Kodachrome, which I fear has scanned rather "warm" - I think your colours may be more accurate.

[JeffP]

Mine is scanned from a print, it will have been Kodak 200ASA colour print film. I couldn't always get 100ASA by then.

 

A trip to Tarbes to "do" the shed there resulted in me finding it closed, the only two occupants being this pair of BB4200 locos, the one nearest the camera is marked BB4340 in paint. the other carried no identification.

this was the second time this had happened to me:  a trip to Orleans les Aubrais saw me with one hour to "do" the shed, so I jogged there...only to find it closed with only one shunter there. Peeved? You might say so........

 

The two locos above probably worked the line over the Somport pass in the days before the viaduct was destroyed by a runaway pair.

 

Toulouse depot, and here is then new liveried BB7200, No. 7206.

 

Another view of the same loco.

 

The depot also contained CC6500 No 6561...by then, the CC6500's were becoming rare, I only ever had one for haulage.

 

Miaramas again, and BB8100 class No.8219 is parked round the turntable, probably withdrawn.

 

Not sure where this is, but BB8200 class No. 8129 is very much in working order as it passes with a freight.

 

Interesting that the last two shots are of locos in the same class, with two digits transposed........well, it tickled me anyway.

 

 

[Fat Controller]

SNCF once had three of those departmental railcars, VT1, VT2 and VT3, which were introduced in 1990.  Unfortunately VT1 was destroyed by a fire caused by an overheat in its hydraulic system in 2005, VT3 suffering a similar fate the following year from a short circuit in its cabin climate control system.

 

Here's a shot of VT3 at the depot at Villeneuve St Georges (quite accessible, but not from VSG station) in January 2000.

 

KB00015.jpg

These beasts were effectively a self-propelled version of the Mauzin track recording car, named after Andre Mauzin, former Chief Engineer of SNCF, who developed much of the instrumentation on board. The technology aboard was still analogue, relying on moving pens and rolls of paper, rather like a seismograph. The central bogie has the various collecting heads and accelerometers.  Some new bogie railcars, presumably with much-updated equipment, have appeared recently; one's being working around the Calais area.

The hauled Mauzins still carry out periodic inspections of both the Eurotunnel system and HS1, topped and tailed by a brace of Eurotunnel's 'Krupps'

[JeffP]

Miramas again, and BB63000 class No.63837 stands beside the turntable.

 

Another view of VT1 at Marseille st Charles, beside the distinctive signal box.

 

CC6500 class 6558 is still in the green Maurienne livery as it moves off the shed at Miramas. It has lost it's third rail pickups though.

 

BB67000 class, 76075 in deplorable external condition at Miramas.

 

Two CC6500 class locos at Miramas.

 

The closer is revealed as 6574

 

Nameplate of above loco.

 

A pair of BB66000 locos work a heavy freight through Miramas with 66215 leading.