Metre-Gauge Railways in Provence

[RogerFarnworth]

On Sunday 18th November, Jo and I travelled from St. Raphael via the Sunday Market in Le Muy to Hyeres. We enjoyed an hour or so on the spit of land extending out from Hyeres towards Iles d'Hyeres and we had lunch next to La Tour Fondue. We spent the rest of the day following Le Macaron from Hyeres to Sainte-Maxime. Nothing I saw on the journey caused me concern about the text of the series of blog posts I have written about the route and that I have already provided links to on this thread. I was able to take a few pictures while on the journey, although there was little time to stop if the full journey was to be completed in daylight! I will post a link to the photographs in due course. On the journey we were also able to make two detours. The first, to Les Bormettes and the site of the old torpedo factory at what is now known as Miramar. The second to St. Tropez.

The relevant links to my blog are:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/30...de-provence-41

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/29...de-provence-42

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08...de-provence-41

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08...de-provence-44

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08...de-provence-45

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08...de-provence-46

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/08...de-provence-47

[RogerFarnworth]

This link contains, among other things, pictures taken on 18th November 2018 on and around the line of Le Macaron:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/18...de-provence-81

It was a bright but blowy day on the Mediterranean Coast!

[RogerFarnworth]

One final PostScript on Le Macaron from our holiday in St. Raphael ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/19...e-provence-81a

[RogerFarnworth]

This time, a PostScript on the Central Var Line which covers a short walk along the line close to Seillans Station ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/20...e-provence-28a

[RogerFarnworth]

In order to complete this series of posts on the Metre Gauge Railways of the Cote d'Azur and Var in Provence I have been working on a series of posts about the locomotives and rolling stock on the Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line. I have just posted the first of these:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/11...de-provence-79

This post focusses on the Steam locomotives used on the line between Nice and Digne-le-Bains. It is unlikely to be comprehensive and I'd be grateful of any contributions by others which will add to my knowledge. I am hampered particularly by not having access to the seminal work on the network by Jose Banaudo, "Le Siecle du Train des Pignes." [25] The text of this book is in french and as it is out of print a good copy will cost well over 50 euros. If anyone has access to this book and is prepared to add to the text of the blog, please feel free to do so, or email me direct and I will update the post.

I would be particularly interested in details of locomotives which ran on the Nice to Digne Line throughout its life and which are nor properly covered within the text below.

As part of studies on the two other main-lines which made up the network of the Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France - the Central Var line and Le Macaron - we covered a lot of ground investigating early traction and steam power on the lines of the whole network and provided as much information as possible about rolling stock on the system.

The relevant posts are:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/02/23...de-provence-50

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/02...de-provence-52

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/07...de-provence-54

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/26...de-provence-49

These posts are as comprehensive as possible for the era of operation of those lines and cover the period up to their closure after the Second World War. However, they are focussed on the two lines which closed. It make sense, therefore to review those posts in the light of a focus on the Nice to Digne Line. This blog sets out to do just that. I need also to acknowledge the support I have received in collating this information from 242TE66.

[RogerFarnworth]

This next post on the locomotives and rolling stock on the Nice to Digne line focusses on the diesel locomotives in use on the line at different times during its development - shunters, locotracteurs, draisines, etc.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/29...de-provence-82

The next post will consider the various railcars (autorails) in use on the line.

[RogerFarnworth]

The Central Var line again. ...

I am working on completing a book about the Central Var line of Les Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France. About 75% of the way through the work now and reviewing my post of the length of the line to the West of Sillans-la-Cascade.

I have realised that I omitted an important element of this section of the line - that It provided access to a number of mines. Two closest to the line were open-cast bauxite mines. Both were situated near Rognette which also appears not to feature in my original review of this length of the line.

This revised post covers the section in question. ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/08/19...de-provence-85

[RogerFarnworth]

The historic Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line has been in the news in France over the past few months. In February 2019 there was a collapse of the tunnel at Moriez while strengthening work was taking place. In November 2019 the already closed line suffered some further damage as a result of bad weather. The linked post covers the latest news about repairs on the line. .....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/09...intenance-work