|
Simplon - The Passenger Ship Website -
www.simplonpc.co.uk
Simplon Home - www.simplonpc.co.uk - Simplon facebook - Recent Updates - Search Simplon - Copyright Information - Contact Simplon This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation - There are no postcards for sale on this website |
||
|
NSt.CM Chemin de fer Nyon St.Cergue Morez All images link to larger copies which will open in a new window/tab |
||
|
This page shows postcards and images of the metre gauge Chemin
de fer Nyon St.Cergue Morez which runs from beneath the SBB
station at Nyon into the hills to St.Cergue and La Cure which is
on the border with France. The French section from La Cure to
Morez was closed in 1958, despite Morez remaining in the
railway's title.
This metre-gauge line was opened in three sections, the first from Nyon on the shores of Lake Geneva, to the Jura mountain resort village of Saint-Cergue on 12 July 1916, then to the French border at La Cure, opened on 18 August 1917. The third section, built by the French Company Chemins de fer électriques du Jura (CFEJ), taking the line over the border, was opened to the French town of Morez on 7 March 1921 giving a total length of 39 km. The line linked the Swiss railways main line from Geneva to Lausanne to that of the Chemin de Fer Paris, Lyon, Méditerranée (PLM - SNCF from 1938). Because of its steep gradients the line was electrified from the outset, originally at 2200V DC. The French section (12 km) from La Cure to Morez closed on 28 September 1958. Originally the line's terminus was in the street outside the SBB station in Nyon. It then ran along the road to pass below the SBB main line from Geneva to Lausanne. It then climbed steadily to the mountain resort of St. Cergue. From here it runs alongside the road through the Col de la Givrine, with a summit of 1232m above sea level, to the village of La Cure, nowadays the upper terminus. From here the line crossed the French border and ran alongside the road past the village of Les Rousses to Morez. The line then descended steeply to terminate in front of the PLM/SNCF station. Seven 2200V DC power cars were delivered between 1914-36, numbered 1-3, 5-6 and 10-11.They were built in both Switzerland (by SWS) and France, although all had BBC electrical equipment. They had various designations, but eventually all became classified ABDe4/4. At around 300kW, they were powerful enough to pull lengthy trains and the railway had a motley collection of 4-wheel and bogie carriages from a variety of sources, many with open balconies. Trailers B51-51 and B61-62 were built in 1918 and 1922 to match the railcars. More modern trailers B41-42 from 1949 were acquired from the Biel-Tauffelen-Ins (BTI) railway in 1980, and these were later modified to work with the current 1985 stock. The railway's unusual voltage meant that powered railcars could not be transferred from other metre gauge lines, and the original railcars staggered on into the 1980s. I could have seen them in 1984 but missed the opportunity and did not visit the railway until 2011. There had been suggestions that the line should be closed, but eventually is was modernised and converted to the Swiss standard 1500V DC, allowing standard new railcars to be delivered. These were Be4/4 201-205 built in 1985-86 (each with 40 seats), with single-ended driving trailers Bt301-305 from the same years (48 seats). Be4/4 211, with 24 seats but more baggage area, was added in 1991. Three railcars were transferred from other railways: 221 is ex-LEB 22 of 1936, and 231-232 are ex-CJ of 1953. 221 is used for works duties. Map of the NStCM  |
||
