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- Chemins
de Fer de Provence - CP
- Page
1A: Rolling Stock - Autorails
-
-
- This page
is one of a series devoted to postcards and photographs of the
Chemins de Fer de Provence (CP), which now runs between Nice
and Digne. This page shows CP rolling stock - the autorails.
Page 1B covers the diesel locos
and trailers. CP-Page
2 covers
the stations and CP publicity. CP- Page 3 shows larger images of timetables.
-
- The Compagnie
des Chemins de fer du Sud de la France (SF), built lines Nice-Digne
and Nice-Draguignan-Meyrargues, before becoming in 1925, more
modestly, the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de Provence (CP).
The Gare du Sud was the Nice terminus for these lines.
- Work on the
Gare du Sud began in 1890 and finished in 1892 by Prosper Bobin
for the Compagnie des Chemins de fer du Sud de la France. The
station front is rather monumental and impressive with a high
front, with two pavilions to the side. A tall trainshed covered
the tracks that went to Grasse and Puget-Théniers. Lines
to Digne and Annot opened in 1911. The rooftop was the pavillion
of Russia and Austria-Hungary of the 1889 Exposition Universelle
in Paris.
-
- After World
War II, the line to Meyrargues closed and almost took the entire
network with it. The Chemins de Fer de Provence closed the Gare
du Sud in December 1991 and moved its terminating services to
Nice CP. Ownership of the station building was transferred from
l'Etat Français to Nice Municipality. Amidst public outcry,
the station was almost dismantled but public demonstrations saved
it. Work has finally started on the site, although it appears
that only the facade will be retained in the new civic complex,
containing the town hall, library etc.
-
- Since their
delivery in 1984, the Soulé-Garnéro Twin-car Set has operated the main
morning service to Digne and its return. Other services use the
CFD autorails X-301-X-304 and the slightly later
X-305
& X-306,
all of which can be run in multiple (I have never seen more than
two operating together). Trailer XR-1331 is added to a single CFD car at peak periods.
-
- On my 2007
visit to the railway, two of the ex-Swiss coaches were being run in a
push-pull formation with one of the Brissonneau and Lotz diesels. This set has
not been in use during 2008 and 2009 visits. The Soulé-Garnéro
Twin-car Set
suffered a major fire on 25th June 2008 and has not operated
since. This has left the railway short of stock, and units X2003
and trailer XR105 from the CFC (Chemin de Fer Corses) arrived in December
2008 and January 2009 for use by the CP. X2003 is a CFD railcar similar to X-305 & X-306. It will be re-numbered
X-307 on the CP. CFC XR105 is a Garnero trailer of similar outline
to the railcar. The CP has also enquired elsewhere in France
and Europe for suitable stock, including displaced Verney vehicles
at Blanc-Argent, to tide the CP over until new vehicles on order
arrive.
-
-
- Sections on this Page
1A:-
- Autorails
- Billard
- Autorails
- Brissonneau-et-Lotz du Littoral
- Autorails
- CFD : X-301-X-304
- X-301 - X-302 - X-303 - X-304
- Autorails
- CFD: X-305 & X-306
- X-305 - X-306
- Autorails
- Renault Class ABH1
- Autorails
- Renault Class ABH5
- Autorails
- Soulé-Garnéro Twin-car Set
-
- Sections on Page 1B:-
- Autorails
- Trailers
- Diesel
Locomotives - Brissonneau and Lotz
- T62 - T66
- Diesel
Locomotive - Henschel BB1200
- Swiss
Coaches
-
- Sections on Page 2:-
- Preserved
Steam
- Publicity
- Publicity
- Postcards
- Stations
-
- Sections on Page 3:-
- Nice-Digne
Timetable - 2005
- Regional
Timetable - 2005
- Urban
Timetable - 2005
-
- Associated Pages:-
- CP Page
1A
- Rolling Stock - Autorails - this page!
- CP Page
1B
- Rolling Stock - Diesel Locos & Trailers
- CP Page
2
- Chemins de Fer de Provence Stations & Publicity
- CP
Page 3
- larger images of timetables
- Chemin
de Fer de la Corse - Corsican Narrow Gauge (CFC)
- Nice - Nice Header Page
- Nice Photo Diary - February 2009 - Trams, CP and ferries
- Nice
Trams - Page 1 - Route T1
- Nice
Trams - Page 2 - The Trams
- Simplon Postcards Home Page
-
- References:-
- Le Siecle
du Train des Pignes - Jose Banaudo - Les Editions du Cabri 1992 (Histoires
des Chemins de fer de Provence -1)
-
-
-
-
- Renault Autorails Class ABH1
- ZZ-1
to ZZ-6
-
- Six large
autorails by Renault of Class ABH1 were delivered in two batches,
ZZ-1 and ZZ-2 in 1935, followed by ZZ-3 to ZZ-6 in 1936. Of these,
only ZZ-2 and ZZ-6 remain, although not in general service. A
second series of Renault autorails, of Class ABH5, were delivered
in 1942 numbered ZZ-7 to ZZ-12. Only ZZ-10 of these remains in
existence, although no longer in general service. Similar, but
later Renault railcars of class ABH8 are still running on the
Chemin
de Fer de la Corse (CFC).
-
-
- ZZ-22
(ex-ZZ-2) at Nice in August 2000
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- ZZ-22
(ex-ZZ-2) at Nice in August 2000
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- ZZ-22
(ex-ZZ-2) at Nice in August 2000
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- ZZ-6
stored in the disused metre Gauge station at Digne, in February
2003
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- ZZ-6
stored in the disused metre Gauge station at Digne, in February
2003
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- ZZ-6
stored in the disused metre Gauge station at Digne, in February
2003
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- ZZ-6
stored in the disused metre Gauge station at Digne, in February
2003.
- Photo:
© Ian Boyl
-
-
- ZZ-6
in the snow at Nice, 22nd February 2005
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- ZZ-6
in the snow at Nice, 22nd February 2005
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- ZZ-6
at Nice, 15th February 2006
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
-
-
-
- Renault Autorails Class ABH5
- ZZ-7
to ZZ-12
-
- A second
series of Renault autorails, of Class ABH5, were delivered in
1942 numbered ZZ-7 to ZZ-12. Only ZZ-10 of these remains in existence,
although no longer in general service. Similar, but later Renault
railcars of class ABH8 are still running on the Chemin
de Fer de la Corse (CFC).
-
-
- F.A.C.S.
postcard 507 of a Renault ABH5 autorail, with original window
design
-
-
-
-
-
- Billard Autorails
- 211,
212, 223, 224
-
- Four Billard
autorails were transferred from the C.F.D du Vivarais to the
CP in 1968. 211 and 212 were single unit railcars of design A150D,
originally delivered in 1939. 223 and 224 were twin units of
design A150D2, also delivered in 1939. It is hoped that 223 will
be restored by G.E.C.P. The Billards were used mainly on quiet
lunchtime and evening services, with the main services being
run by the larger Renaults ZZ-1 to ZZ-12.
-
-
- J.Chaussard
postcard of Billard autorail 211 or 212 on a PW train at Villars
- A
more modern CFD autorails is visible in the background.
-
-
-
-
-
- Brissonneau-et-Lotz Autorails du Littoral
-
- These Brissonneau-et-Lotz
autorails ran on the coastal section of the Chemins de Fer de
Provence which ran from Toulon to St Tropez and St Raphael, and
which was not connected to the Alpine lines out of Nice. Ten
twin-car sets were built in 1935, numbered ZM-1+ZR-1 to ZM-10+ZR-10.
A further six sets were delivered in 1938, of which four became
ZM-11+ZR-11 to ZM-14+ZR-14, and two replaced units in the earlier
series destroyed by fire. I believe that one set was delivered
by SNCF to Draguinan on the Alpine system in 1940, but was returned
to St Raphael without being unloaded. There were plans in 1948
to move two to four sets to replace the steam locos on the remaining
sections of the Nice-Meyrargues line (which had been badly damaged
in the war). Instead, the whole line was abandonned and the coastal
railcars were sold for use on the metre gauge lines of northern
Spain. One set is preserved in the excellent narrow gauge museum
at Gijon, as shown below. Another set ZM-8+ZR-4 returned from
Spain to the Chemin de Fer du Vivarais.
-
-
- Brisonneau-et-Lotz
autorail at Gijon Narrow Gauge Museum
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Brisonneau-et-Lotz
autorail at Gijon Narrow Gauge Museum
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Brisonneau-et-Lotz
autorail at Gijon Narrow Gauge Museum
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
-
-
-
- CFD Autorails
- X-301
to X-304
-
- The first
series of CFD autorails were built in 1971/72. They were originally
numbered SY-01 to SY-04 and carried the names, Côte
d'Azur, Alpes de Haute Provence, Ville de Nice and Ville
de Digne. Two further cars to a slightly modified design,
numbered SY-5 and SY-06, were delivered in 1977. All can run
in multiple with each other. They were renumbered X-301 to X-306
in 1984.
-
-
- X-301
-
- CFD
autorail X-301 at Nice, in February 2003
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- CFD
autorail X-301 at Nice, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Cab
of CFD autorail X-301 at Nice, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- CFD
autorail X-301 at Lingostière, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- CFD
autorail X-301 at Lingostière, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- CFD
autorail X-301 at Lingostière, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- CP
autorail X301 at Nice-CP
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 14th February 2008
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- CP
autorail X301 at Nice-CP
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 14th February 2008
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Railcar
X-301 arriving at Lingostière
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Railcar
X-301 arriving at Lingostière
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Railcar
X-301 arriving at Lingostière
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
-
-
-
- X-302
-
- CFD
autorail X-302 at Thorame-Haute, in February 2003
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- CFD
autorail X-302 at Thorame-Haute, in February 2003
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
-
-
- Railcar
X-302 arriving at Nice
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Railcar
X-302 at Nice
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
-
-
- Railcar
X-302 at Nice
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
