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French Shunting Yard
Main	Steam	Diesel	DMUs	Electric	EMUs	TGVs	Trams	CiteDuTrain
France	Steam	Diesel	DMUs	Electric	EMUs	TGVs	Trams	CdT

Number of Images on this Page = 20

French Railways

There is a romance about French railways, je ne sais quois. Whether it is the romance of the country, the people, the language ... Chemin de Fer and Society Nationale de Chemin de Fer have a Gallic ethos to them that reeks just as much of Les Gaulois as the Marseilles docklands.

I think part of that atmosphere was expressed to me by a friend who had studied, photographed and taped french railways for years, when he pointed out that the French never went for the General Motors diesel propoganda line, prefering to stay steam for many years until they had extensively electrified, in their own inimitiable style, and then, la piece de resistance , the TGV.

Never ones to follow fashion, but always leading it, the French have, in my view at least, set the engineering standards, firstly with the Chapelon revolutions in steam, then with the Alstom high speed trains, and more recently with the latest in software technology, automatically verified signalling software.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 92426 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 16 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1708 Description : Another gallic railway station on a different scale at Lyons. Now converted to offices and apartments!

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 61085 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 16 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1712 Description : Tram tracks under construction outside the Gare Part de Dieu at Lyons

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 61781 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 16 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1726 Description : The St Jean-Fourviere Funiculaire at Lyons

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 92956 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 16 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1727 Description : The St Jean-Fourviere Funiculaire at Lyons. View leaving gare bas.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 232281 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 20 Aug 2004, catalogued 28 Sep 2005 Photographer : Chris Avram Medium : email digital image, image location IMG_3604 Description : An interesting view of Gare Montparnasse, Paris, taken from the Tour Montparnasse

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 213509 bytes, 600x800 pixels Date : 20 Aug 2004, catalogued 28 Sep 2005 Photographer : Chris Avram Medium : email digital image, image location IMG_3605 Description : An interesting view of Gare Montparnasse, Paris

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 72718 bytes, pixels Date : Jan 1986 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : Kodachrome, slide number 14016 Description : A view of Paris from the train coming into Gare du Nord

Locomotifs a vapeur

Very little `in steam' here, but that should be fixed in the near future. The French did steam so well, and were regarded as the pinnacle of steam development in the post WW2 period. They kept steam on until electrification had largely been completed, mainly because they had amply reserves of steam coal, but very little in the way of oil. Consequently, french steam locomotives are an art form in themselves, very much in the Gallic tradition.

Multiple Unit Passenger Trains

As Stewart Hughes says in one of his captions: ``If that isn't the sexiest railcar you've ever seen, I don't know what is!'' A few sexy railcars.

Locomotifs Electrique

Try as I might, I have not been able to unearth much information about the classes of locos presented here. If readers can send me details on the loco types, I'd be happy to add those details to these pages.

TGVs

I knew about TGVs before ever getting to see or ride in one. But that still did not prepare me for the experience. They are just fantastic! So smooth, you hardly realise what speed you are doing, until you try to take photos through the window. You cannot even get the camera to your eye before the scene has flashed past. This must be the coolest transport ride on the planet.

Miscellany

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 76590 bytes, 600x800 pixels Date : 28 Jun 2004, catalogued 11 Oct 2004 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_14440 Description : I love this gadget! A "brise glace" or "ice breaker" wagon "pour tunnels" stationed at Langeac. A set of serrated steeel blades are arranged around the frame on the wagon so that they scrape the tunnel profile, removing any ice formations before they grow to a size where they might do damage to passing trains.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 112885 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 23 Jun 2003, catalogued 16 Oct 2004 Photographer : Stewart Hughes Medium : email digital image, image location 100-0079_ Toulouse shed Description : Stewart writes: Toulouse shed is very interesting. Centre picture you can see a conventional turntable. Behind that is a platform that runs left and right to access the individual sheds - the little yellow shunter is sitting on it. I can't see the catenerary but I think the diesel shunter is needed to pull the electric locos in and out of the shed and onto the turntable. Interesting.

Voies Ferrees du Velay

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 106894 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 09 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1663 Description : While travelling through the Auvergne, we chanced upon this narrow gauge railway at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. As you can see, the weather was not all that kind to us!

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 114413 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 09 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1664 Description : I'm not quite sure how they used this turntable ...

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 102671 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 09 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1665 Description : Another view of the narrow gauge yard at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 95304 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 09 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1668 Description : While I was taking photos at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a toot in the distance indicated a train approaching. We waited patiently as the rain got worse, and we rewarded with this view of diesel loco N62 entering the yard from the north.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 104785 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 09 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1671 Description : While I was taking photos at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a toot in the distance indicated a train approaching. We waited patiently as the rain got worse, and we rewarded with this view of diesel loco N62 entering the yard from the north.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 105057 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 10 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1674 Description : A closer view of diesel loco N62 entering the yard from the north.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 93067 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 10 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1676 Description : A side view of narrow gauge diesel N62 at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 64766 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 10 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1679 Description : Another station on the Velay line: Tence

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 85031 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 10 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1680 Description : Another station on the Velay line: Tence. A closer view of the railmotor stationed there.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 87965 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 10 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1681 Description : Another station on the Velay line: Tence. A closer view of the railmotor stationed there.

Image : dir=europe/france/ page=index 68903 bytes, 800x600 pixels Date : 16 Jul 2002, catalogued 16 Aug 2003 Photographer : John Hurst Medium : digital camera (Canon S40), image location IMG_1682 Description : The delightfully gallic railway station at Tence

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