Train des pignes

The term Train des Pignes primarily signifies the four railways with metre gauge that once existed in the departments of Alpes-Maritimes (06), Var (83), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) and Bouches-du-Rhône (13) in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (PACA) région in southern France:
*Nice (06) - Meyrargues (13)
*Nice (06) - Digne-les-Bains (04)
*St.Raphaël (83) - Toulon (83)
*Cogolin (83) - St.Tropez (83)

Only the one between Nice and Digne is still in operation. Therefore, today most people when they use the term, unaware of the history, refer to the Nice-Dignes line only.

The St. Raphaël - Toulon and Cogolin - St. Tropez lines were also sometimes called Le Macaron.

History

Work to build these lines started in 1887 and the lines were opened in sections
*Nice — Meyrargues (convert|210|km|mi)
**Draguignan - Meyrargues (22 March 1889)
**Grasse - Draguignan (25 October 1890)
**Colomars - Grasse (7 June 1892)
**Nice — Colomars (2 June 1892)
*Nice — Dignes (convert|150|km|mi)
**Nice — Colomars (2 June 1892)
**Colomars - Puget-Théniers (8 August 1892)
**Puget-Théniers - St. André-les-Alpes (3 July 1911) (from 1892 to 1911 passengers were transferred by stagecoach, a trip that took 6.5 hours)
**St.André-les-Alpes — Digne-les-Bains (15 May 1892)
*St.Raphaël — Toulon (convert|103|km|mi)
**St.Raphaël — La Foux (19 September 1889)
**La Foux - Hyères (4 August 1890)
**Hyères — Toulon (21 August 1905)
*Cogolin — St.Tropez (convert|9|km|mi)
**Cogolin — St.Tropez (1 July 1894)

The Nice-Digne line is today operated daily with railcars, four trains per day.

Rolling stock

Former rolling stock

Railcars by Brissonneau & Lotz and Renault were used.cite web | url = http://www.trainprovence.com/pages/en/172/historique-du-materiel-roulant.html| publisher = Chemins de Fer de Provence| title = History of the rolling stock| accessdate = 2008-04-10]

Current rolling stock

The current rolling stock in use is:-

*X301 - X306 Railcars build by CFD. X301 - X304 entered into service in 1972, and X305 -X306 entered into service in 1977.
*X351 Railcar built by Soulé, with trailer XR351. Entered into service in 1984.
*XR1736 Railcar, renovated at the workshops at Lingostière in 2006.

New rolling stock is due to be introduced in 2008 which will have better facilities for disabled passengers.cite web | url = http://www.trainprovence.com/pages/en/267/informations-pratiques.html| publisher = Chemins de Fer de Provence| title = Practical information| accessdate = 2008-04-10]

team train

A group of voluntary rail enthusiasts in an association called "Groupe d'Etude pour les Chemins de fer de Provence" (GECP) operate a steam train (sometimes also called Train des Pignes) between Puget-Théniers and Annot on the Nice — Digne line every weekend from May to October, occasionally with an extended overnight trip to Digne-les-Bains.cite web | url = http://www.trainprovence.com/pages/en/233/le-train-vapeur.html| publisher = Chemins de Fer de Provence| title = Le Train Vapeur| accessdate = 2008-04-10fr]

References

External links

* [http://www.trainprovence.com Chemins de Fer de Provence] homepage.
* [http://www.gecp.asso.fr/ GECP] fr
* [http://www.gecp.asso.fr/tv/tvsommaire.html Gallery] of steam train photographs