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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
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-
-
-
-
-
- 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
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-
-
-
-
-
- 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
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-
- CFD
autorail X-301 at Lingostière, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
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- CFD
autorail X-301 at Lingostière, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
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- CFD
autorail X-301 at Lingostière, 14th February 2007
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle
- Click to open larger image in new window
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-
- CP autorail
X301 at Nice-CP
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 14th February 2008
- Click to open larger image in new window
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-
- 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
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-
- Railcar
X-301 arriving at Lingostière
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
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-
- Railcar
X-301 arriving at Lingostière
- Photo:
© Ian Boyle, 17th February 2009
- Click to open larger image in new window
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-
-
-
- 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
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