Train à Vapeur des Cévennes 4/08/13
 SNCF 140-C-27 at Anduze
The Train à Vapeur des Cévennes, which runs for 14km through the Languedoc region of France between Anduze and Saint Jean-du-Gard, offers an interesting ride through some beautiful scenery. In this, the experience was not too different from that on British preserved railways, but in other ways it was quite different, being less about historical accuracy and authenticity, and more about making trains fun and educating visitors.
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Key Information
Locomotive:
SNCF 2-8-0 No: 140-C-27 Ticket Prices (return): Adults: €15.00 Children (4-12) €10.00 Dogs/bikes: €3.00 Length of line: 14km |
l'experience c'est très bonne!
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The Train à Vapeur des Cévennes provides an excellent experience for visitors, beginning before they even board the train; I was pleasantly surprised to be able to purchase an English language copy of the railway’s very informative guide book – I doubt a foreign visitor to a British preserved line could buy the guide book in their language! The passenger rolling stock also added to the experience, with the vehicles marshaled at the front and back of the train being ex-SNCF vans converted to carry passengers. The other carriages in the train were also interesting, two being clerestory roofed former mail vans with windows, but no glass, and another being a German built vehicle which carries special artwork on the side, added in 2009 for the 100th anniversary of the line’s construction, showing its route.
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One of the converted SNCF vans
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The start of a journey on the 11:30am from Anduze is particularly spectacular; first the train sets back to run through the station before plunging into a 833m long, very dark, tunnel. The darkness was only broken every so often by lights inside the tunnel which illuminated the swirling steam momentarily, making for an unforgettable experience. As you leave the darkness of the tunnel for the blazing French sun, you’re thinking ‘wow, this is pretty spectacular’, then you realise you’ve emerged onto the 104m long pont metalique which spans the Gardon river and the two rocky outcrops, Saint-Julien and Peyremale, that form the ‘Gate to the Cévennes’, and the first vista on the line has unfolded before you. The train rounds a curve and another vista unfurls. If any line proves that the guide book cliché of ‘new vistas unfolding around every corner’ has some truth in it, this is it! The rest of the line is pretty spectacular, with many viaducts, bridges and good views to be had. Saint Jean-du-Gard at the other end of the line is a lovely station with a good café and a shady picnic site. There was plenty of time to look around the town as the timetable included a lunch stop there of around 2 hours; the loco also went off for ‘lunch’ in the shed instead of running straight on to the other end of the train. A fantastic journey.
Well said...
One thing the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes does very well is explaining everything for the benefit of those with a passing interest in railways through informative, multi-lingual display boards. For example, one, near where the locomotive rests before departure from Anduze, explained about the amount of water the loco uses (about 100 litres a kilometer, apparently) and the need to oil the motion. Another, at Saint Jean-du-Gard was particularly good, on one side showing a series of maps depicting the growth of the French rail network between 1837 and 1875, a timeline spanning the period 1803-2000, labelled with key railway developments above it, and events specific to the line itself, and its locomotives. On the other side, the board had a cut away diagram of a steam engine, showing how it all worked. So, yes, the boards don’t exactly add any kind of period atmosphere, but it is this kind of basic overview in education of visitors which British preserved lines don’t particularly try and give which makes the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes a really first class attraction in educational terms, too. The management of the railway should also be commended for the cleanliness of the stations and facilities, particularly the display boards; all too often at other heritage sites such boards are put up and then left to attract dirt and grime until they are unreadable!
Another good aspect is what the railway describes as the ‘visite de la loco’ at Saint Jean-du-Gard for half an hour before departure where groups of visitors are invited up into the cab and given a short talk about the engine and what the controls do. Of course, I know something similar is available unofficially on British preserved lines, it’s good they have an advertised time for it. It was during this visit I discovered the loco for the day, SNCF 2-8-0 140-C-27, used about 150 litres of water a kilometer.
Another good aspect is what the railway describes as the ‘visite de la loco’ at Saint Jean-du-Gard for half an hour before departure where groups of visitors are invited up into the cab and given a short talk about the engine and what the controls do. Of course, I know something similar is available unofficially on British preserved lines, it’s good they have an advertised time for it. It was during this visit I discovered the loco for the day, SNCF 2-8-0 140-C-27, used about 150 litres of water a kilometer.
Motive Power
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SNCF 2-8-0 140-C-27 was built in 1917 by the North British company of Glasgow to haul heavy artillery trains in the First World War. It was used subsequently by SNCF and purchased by the International Express Steam Train Company (CITV) from them in 1975. It was restored and used extensively until 1991 when it was withdrawn. It returned to service in 2011. The loco appears to have gained some decidedly non-authentic graphics on the tender advertising the Cevennes region - good advertising space, 'though it might upset the purists!
Conclusions
Visiting the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes was an eye opening experience, to see the different approach compared to British heritage lines, and even another French line I visited two years ago, Les Train des Mouettes. Overall it offers a great day out, even for general interest visitors and the display boards and the fun of it all might help sow seeds for greater interest!
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