L'isle sur Sorgue
It really struck me on my recnt trip to France just how much railway routes can get 'sidelined' in the same way as roads do and end up as local links or even just dead ends when the new 'six-laner' goes through.
Not far from our cottage was this station at L'isle sur Sorgue in the Vaucluse We'd been there a couple of days when I realised that actually this was no branch line but the original PLM main line from Paris to Marseilles. But no longer do expresses thunder down this stretch of track south of Avignon. Once you could have seen the cream of the Chapelon steam locomotive fleet racing around this bend, or the heavy SNCF co-co electrics on the 'Blue Train' but that's history now.
Like most of the original PLM route the fast trains now run on the new TGV tracks - here several miles south towards Avignon. L'isle sur Sorgue still has a fine old Paris-Lyon-Mediterraine station building but the only train you will catch from here now is a 'local'
posted by Iain @ 1:24 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Welcome back Iain.
This is a nice little sideline about a once famous mainline in
France.Nice station photograph too.
If You can find the time....
I have added many things to My blog site during Your absense. I
recently posted some rather "Vintage" looking black and white photos I had taken on the
Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania, as well as the annual
arrival of the Ringling Brother's and Barnum & Bailey Circus train to Chicago last Wednsday.
It's great to have You back.
Thank You.
Eddie.
http://eddiesrailroad.blogspot.com
Nice story, but if - as I believe - you mean the station known as L'Isle-Fontaine de Vaucluse, sadly incorrect. This was never the PLM main line, nor did the Blue Train thunder down it except whenever it was diverted. The PLM (and later SNCF) had two lines south from Lyon to L'Estaque outside Marseille. The main line,used predominantly by passenger trains, ran down the left bank of the Rhone to Avignon, thence via Arles, Miramas and Rognac to Marseille. Another line, used mainly by freight, followed the right bank, crossing the Rhone to enter Avignon from the south, thence curving east and south-east to run via L'Isle-Fontaine de V and Cavaillon to Miramas (same station), thence via Martigues and the Cote Bleue to rejoin the main line at L'Estaque. Throughout PLM and SNCF days this second route never had more than a 'thin' passenger service, of around 6 trains/day, both before and after opening of the TGV-Med.Hence the rather run-down appearance of the station you photographed is not the result of the creation of the high-speed line. Sorry to spoil your story.
Hi Bert
Thanks for the info - yes my knowledge of the PLM around Provence is very hazy. So this mst be the same line that uns on the other bank of the Rhone up around Tournon I guess?
Hope that you enjoy reading here anyway!
Post a Comment
<< Home