Steam service on the remarkable Chemin de Fer de Provence
Scenic
steam railways in England
Chemins de
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France's scenic railways
Unlike the United Kingdom or the USA, France did not close down half or
more of her railway or railroad network in the nineteen-sixties and
seventies, at the start of the motorway age. As a result, modern France
still boasts a dense rail network, including a lot of rural branch
lines, some of them quite long, that would have been savagely axed many
years ago if France had had a Docteur Beeching.
Thanks to a network of minor and sometimes very scenic railway lines,
amateurs of rail tourism, or those equipped with a Eurail
or Interrail pass, or indeed any visitor, can visit
some of the parts of France that other means of transport do not reach.
Evidently, the most scenic rail routes are to be found in the
mountainous regions of France, which means the southern half. Below is
a list of some of the more interesting of these routes, including some
long-distance lines.
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Long
distance routes
The most interesting long-distance scenic rail routes in France are
those crossing the Massif Central mountains, in central
southern France.
 1. (Clermont-Ferrand) - Arvant -
St.Flour - Millau - Beziers :: the longest and perhaps
most unlikely of France's long-distance single-track lines, often
threatened with closure, is still open. There is one train a day in
each direction. This line is known as "la ligne des Causses" or "la ligne de l'Aubrac",
and it takes a day to travel the full length. The line is remarkable
insofar as it runs across the top of the plateaux of the Massif
Central, up to an altitude of 1100 metres, and is also electrified.
Highlights include the Viaduc de Garabit (photo right), one of the
masterpieces of Gustave Eiffel, spanning the gorge of the river
Truyère, and the descent into the deep valley of the Tarn. The line
actually runs underneath the modern Millau viaduct, on the A75
motorway; it also goes through Roquefort, home of the famous cheese.
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 2.
(Clermont-Ferrand) - Arvant - Langogne, Alès, Nimes : "La Ligne des
Cévennes" :the second long distance route acrossz the
Massif Central, busier than the Ligne des Causses, (about four trains
per day each way). This line is also more spectacular, as it runs
through the upper end of the Allier gorge (photo left), in a section
where no roads go, and drops down towards Nimes through the spectacular
Cevennes mountains, on a twisting line with dozens of tunnels and
impressive viaducts. Recently threatened with closure, this line has
just been reprieved, and major renovation is scheduled in 2009 and 2010.
Tip:
amateurs of rail-tourism may like to do
the round trip
from Clermont Ferrand or Arvant to Béziers (stay overnight), then TGV
from Beziers to Nimes, and return to point of departure by the Cevennes
route.
3. (Clermont-Ferrand) -
Arvant - Aurillac - Figeac - Toulouse : the
route is the same as route 1 above, as far as Neussargues, a
once-important railway junction in the middle of nowhere. From there,
it rises to almost 1100 m at the Lioran pass (col du Lioran), with its
station at the foot of the ski slopes, and in walking distance from the
cablecar. The line then follows the Cère valley to Aurillac, before
dropping down through chestnut forests to the town of Figeac, in the
Lot. After that, it twists along the steep sided Aveyron valley,
through a series of tunnels, past picturesque villages, before the
final stretch to Toulouse.
Circuit
1.
Clermont-Ferrand - St Georges d'Aurac - Le Puy - St Etienne - Thiers -
Clermont Ferrand. A branch line circuit taking in two 1000
metre summits, the remarkable city of Le Puy en Velay, and about 40
kilometres of the gorges of the river Loire.
The only private public-service
railway in France
Nice -
Digne-les-Bains This is the surviving part of
the once extensive Chemins
de Fer de Provence. It is a one-metre gauge private railway
(owned by Veolia), linking Nice, on the coast, with Digne les Bains, a
distance of 151 km. The route is operated by diesel railcar (not the
most comfortable), and runs through the spectacular scenery of the
mediterranean Alps. The single journey takes about 3 1/4 hours. In
summer, there is a steam service at weekends over a short section of
the line. Check the website.
Some
other routes:
Brittany: The Trieux estuary steam railway, between Paimpol and Pontrieux in the Côtes d'Armor.
Charentes: Train des Mouettes - the Seagull line - 21 Km from Saujon (between Royan and Saintes) to la Tremblade, along the valley of the Seudre. Steam on summer weekdays.
Languedoc: The Yellow Train of the Pyrenees - famous mountain train
running from Villefranche-Vernet les Bains, near Perpignan , to Latour
de Carol, at 1200 metres altitude, on the Spanish border, a distance of
63 km. The line winds up through the French Pyrenees, amid spectacular
scenery, to a summit at 1593m. The name derives from the colour of the
coaches, which are bright yellow; particularly popular with tourists
are the open coaches, offering spectacular viewing of the surrounding
mountains.
Train à
Vapeur des Cévennes (Languedoc)
The Cévennes steam line, a heritage line running between Anduze and St.
Jean du Gard, in the Cevennes hills of Languedoc. Steam trains daily
between 1st April and 31st August, and then five or six days
a week until November
Alps
Montenvers
railway - Mer de Glace railway. Metre gauge
rack-and-pinion railway running from the railway station at Chamonix,
to an altitude of 1913 metres, on the slopes of Mont Blanc.
Electric railway. Length; 5.1 kms.
Ardèche
(Rhone valley)
No services announced for 2010..... The Chemin de Fer du Vivarais is a delightful line winding up through
the hills of the Ardèche from Tournon, on the Rhône, to Lamastre, high
in the Cévennes. The line operated steam services in the summer season.
Sadly, there were no services in 2008 and 2009, there was still no information about a
possible relaunch in the coming season, but it seems that a solution
has been found, in conjunction with the local authorities, and that
services will resume at some point in the future. Though when is a different matter ....
Eastern
France: Jura and Vosges mountains.
1. Franche-Comté: (SNCF) Besançon - Morteau - Le Locle (Switzerland) - a line across the high
Doubs
2. Dole - Mouchard - Saint Claude - (SNCF) beautiful line across the Jura
mountains, with a spectacular drop down into the deep valley of St.
Claude.
3. Alsace: The Doller valley steam railway. 13.6 km from Cernay-Saint André to Sentheim, in the south eastern part of the Vosges mountains.
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