Les Chemins de Fer et Tramways de Provence - la Ligne Nice a Digne (voie-metrique)

[rogerfarnworth]

This is the final post covering the length of the Nice to Digne line. I hope to cover the motive power and rolling stock on the line in one or more additional posts.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/2...-mezel-to-digne-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-78

Traffic on the metre-gauge line is hampered by that fact that the standard-gauge connection to Digne has been cut. There has been talk of a possible metre-gauge line extension to meet the SNCF mainline at Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban, however, this is probably beyond the resources of the Chemins de Fer de Provence.

In looking for plans of the Station Site at Digne les Bains, I noticed reference to a 'Project de Tram Train Digne Manosque'. It can bee seen on Openstreetmap as a dotted line which runs from Digne to Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban.

The project is intended to use the old standard-gauge formation and its line into Château-Arnoux Saint-Auban. The project now has a website:

http://transport-provence-alpes.centerblog.net/12-projet-multimodal-digne-sisteron-manosque.

Is the scheme feasible? There are some questions about this which appear in the comments on the website.

How likely is this scheme, does anyone know?

 

[rogerfarnworth]

In order to complete this series of posts on the Metre Gauge Railways of the Cote d'Azur and Var in Provence I have been working on a series of posts about the locomotives and rolling stock on the Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line. I have just posted the first of these:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/1...ing-stock-steam-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-79

This post focusses on the Steam locomotives used on the line between Nice and Digne-le-Bains. It is unlikely to be comprehensive and I'd be grateful of any contributions by others which will add to my knowledge. I am hampered particularly by not having access to the seminal work on the network by Jose Banaudo, "Le Siecle du Train des Pignes." [25] The text of this book is in french and as it is out of print a good copy will cost well over 50 euros. If anyone has access to this book and is prepared to add to the text of the blog, please feel free to do so, or email me direct and I will update the post.

I would be particularly interested in details of locomotives which ran on the Nice to Digne Line throughout its life and which are nor properly covered within the text below.

As part of studies on the two other main-lines which made up the network of the Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France - the Central Var line and Le Macaron - we covered a lot of ground investigating early traction and steam power on the lines of the whole network and provided as much information as possible about rolling stock on the system.

The relevant posts are:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/02/2...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-50

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/0...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-52

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/03/0...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-54

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/01/2...nd-rolling-stock-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-49

These posts are as comprehensive as possible for the era of operation of those lines and cover the period up to their closure after the Second World War. However, they are focussed on the two lines which closed. It make sense, therefore to review those posts in the light of a focus on the Nice to Digne Line. This blog sets out to do just that. I need also to acknowledge the support I have received in collating this information from 242TE66.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post on the locomotives and rolling stock on the Nice to Digne line focusses on the diesel locomotives in use on the line at different times during its development - shunters, locotracteurs, draisines, etc.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/2...diesel-traction-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-82

The next post will consider the various railcars (autorails) in use on the line.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

The Nice to Digne-les-Bains Line has been in the news in France over the past 12 months. In February 2019 there was a collapse of the tunnel at Moriez while strengthening work was taking place. In November 2019 the already closed line suffered some further damage as a result of bad weather. The linked post covers the latest news about repairs on the line. It is predominantly translated from a French article into English .....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/09/les-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-an-update-on-maintenance-work