# Metre-Gauge railways in Provence - the Central Var Line



## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

There was a very extensive network of secondary lines in France of which many were of metre-gauge. The line from Nice to Meyrargues was one of these. The route was over 200 kilometres in length and left the Nice to Digne Line at La Manda near Colomars. The link below takes you to the first of my blog posts on this line:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/ligne-de-central-var-part-1


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

Nice was at the heart of a network of metre-gauge railway lines which included a significant number of rural tramways/tramroads as well as more traditional railway lines - all of them metre-gauge. France had a significant series of secondary routes and routes of general interest with a track gauge of 1 metre. One of these routes is still in use - the Nice to Digne Line and is commercially viable. It has recently replaced older railway stock with modern DMUs. The websire Provence and Beyond (http://www.beyond.fr/travel/railpignes.html) talks of this metre-gauge line as follows:

"This 1-metre gauge railway runs between Nice and Digne-les-Bains, 151 km, and takes about three hours. The track follows rushing rivers and steep-sided mountain valleys, many not accessible by car, and the view is magnificent. The ride is an adventure. The stations are old, tiny and personal, with everything on a human level. The name Train des Pignes comes from the pinecones, once used for tinder to start the steam engines."

Steam trains can still be used on the line but the line is generally operated by very modern rolling stock. Please see the first attached image.

The lines I have been focussing on are no longer in use. The first of these is the Central Var line which leaves the Nice to Digne line not far from Nice itself and runs to Meyrargues a little north and east of Marseilles. It closed fully in 1950.

The route is shown on the second attached image.

The second post in the series takes us from Le Tunnel de Les Champignonnieres, Saint-Jeannet to Vence Station.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-2-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-14


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

Nice was at the heart of a network of metre-gauge railway lines which included a significant number of rural tramways/tramroads as well as more traditional railway lines - all of them metre-gauge. France had a significant series of secondary routes and routes of general interest with a track gauge of 1 metre. One of these routes is still in use - the Nice to Digne Line and is commercially viable. It has recently replaced older railway stock with modern DMUs. The websire Provence and Beyond (http://www.beyond.fr/travel/railpignes.html) talks of this metre-gauge line as follows:

"This 1-meter gauge railway runs between Nice and Digne-les-Bains, 151 km, and takes about three hours. The track follows rushing rivers and steep-sided mountain valleys, many not accessible by car, and the view is magnificent. The ride is an adventure. The stations are old, tiny and personal, with everything on a human level. The name Train des Pignes comes from the pinecones, once used for tinder to start the steam engines."

Steam trains can still be used on the line but the line is generally operated by very modern rolling stock.

[attachment=1]le-train-des-pignes-et.jpg[/attachment]

The lines I have been focussing on are no longer in use. The first of these is the Central Var line which leaves the Nice to Digne line not far from Nice itself and runs to Meyrargues a little north and east of Marseilles. It closed fully in 1950.

[attachment=0]lignes-cfsf1.gif[/attachment]

The second post in the series takes us from Le Tunnel de Les Champignonnieres, Saint-Jeannet to Vence Station.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-2-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-14


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Wonderful photos. Thanks for posting.


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

I am still getting the hang of posting on this site. I seem to have posted the previous post twice!

This next post covers a branch tramway that linked Vence to Cagnes-sur-Mer.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...d-cagne-sur-mer-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-17

These trams were run on metre gauge track but had a losing gauge little wider than the track.


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

This next post takes the railway line from Vence to Le Pont de Loup.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-3-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-18


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The next step on the journey from La Manda/Nice to Meyrargues along the Central Var line takes us from the emblematic Pont du Loup to Grasse.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ntral-var-part-4-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-19


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

Grasse was at one stage full of different rail transport. Two TAM tramways, one from Cagnes-sur-Mer and one from Cannes approached the town from the south. A PLM branchline also linked Grasse to Cannes. There was a funicular railway linking the PLM (SNCF) railway station to the town centre, and there was the Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France Central Var line crossing the town on its way between Nice and Meyrargues.

This next post covers the first part of the story of the TAM tramway between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Grasse:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...s-sur-mer-part-1-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-20


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The second half of my blog on the TAM tramway between Grasse and Cagnes-sur-Mer:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...s-sur-mer-part-2-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-21


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

There was also a Tramway between Grasse and Cannes. This next post covers that line ....

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...rasse-and-cannes-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-22


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The next post in the series about the Central Var line in Provence. The post covers the PLM branch line between Cannes and Grasse.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ndard-gauge-line-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-24


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The Central Var line of Les Chemins de Fer du Sud de La France continues....... This length runs from the station in Grasse to Peymeinade:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ntral-var-part-5-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-25


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

This next length of the Central Var line runs from Peymeinade to Tanneron. After the invasion by allied forces in 1944 and the destruction by retreating German forces of a number of Viaducts, Tanneron became the eastern terminus of the Central Var line and renmained so until full closure of the line early in 1950.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ntral-var-part-6-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-26


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The next length of the line starts at Tanneron and finishes at Seillans:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ntral-var-part-7-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-27


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

Our survey of the Central Var Metre-Gauge Line continues with the length from Seillans to Claviers ....

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ntral-var-part-8-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-28


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The journey along the Central Var metre-gauge line continues from Claviers to Figanieres.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...ntral-var-part-9-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-29


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

In this next post we reach Draguignan which very quickly became the premier town on the Nice to Meyrargues line.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-10-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-30


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

We travel on from Draguignan to Lorgues

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-11-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-31


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The journey along the Central Var Metre-Gauge line between Nice and Meyrargues continues with the length from Lorgues to Sillans-la-Cascade:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-12-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-32


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

The next length of the Central Var line runs from Sillans-la-Cascade to Barjols:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-13-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-33


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

And now from Barjols to Rians

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-14-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-34


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

And from Rians to Meyrargues

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...tral-var-part-15-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-35

This post has got us to the end of the line. Three more posts will follow which focus on the locomotives and rolling stock on the line.


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

This bius the first of a short series of posts about the Locomotives and rolling stock on the line from Nice to Meyrargues. It covers the steam traction on the line:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-50


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

And the second which covers Diesel power on the Chemin de Fer du Sud Central Var Line in the years before closure in 1950.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-52


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

And finally, this post on the Chemin de Fer du Sud de la France Central Var Line covers the rolling stock (wagons and coaches) which were found on the line.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-54


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

Hello,

I am pondering converting my blog into an online book. This might prove of interest to some people. I have taken this a little further and produced the first few chapters of the book I am imagining. They are at the moment missing a contents page and and editorial page but I'd appreciate comments on whether the book might be worth publishing on line and whether you think it should be free or charged for?

If you are interested, please follow this link via my blog:

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/an-ebook-on-les-chemins-de-fer-du-sud-de-la-france/

Best wishes

Roger


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

In November 2018, my wife and I visited a number of the perched villages in the area around Fayence. As a result, I have updated one or two posts on my blog which relate to parts of the Central Var metre-gauge line. The changes to the post below relate to a visit to the perched village of Tanneron which sits high in the hills above the line. The village is a staggering 11 kilometres from the old station which bore its name.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/03/ligne-de-central-var-part-6-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-26


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

On the same journey on 15th November 2018, Jo and I were also fortunate enough to follow the line of the D94 linking Tanneron to the site of its station, and then to travel along the D562 and the Avenue de Narbonne before visiting the village of Montauroux The result of these visits has been some minor additions to the post below, particularly some photographs.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/12/03/ligne-de-central-var-part-7-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-27


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

A PostScript on the Central Var Line which covers a short walk along the line close to Seillans Station ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/11/2...-near-seillans-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-28a


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## rogerfarnworth (Mar 28, 2018)

I am working on completing a book about the Central Var line of Les Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France. About 75% of the way through the work now and reviewing my post of the length of the line to the West of Sillans-la-Cascade.

I have realised that I omitted an important element of this section of the line - that It provided access to a number of mines. Two closest to the line were open-cast bauxite mines. Both were situated near Rognette which also appears not to feature in my original review of this length of the line.

This revised post covers the section in question. ....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/08/1...cade-to-barjols-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-85


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