NEWS - The steam hauled service will once again operate on Sundays between May & Oct in 2012.
For full details click here.

The idea of a railway line which would link Nice, on the coast to Grenoble, high in the alps was first conceived in 1861 by Alphonse Beau de Rochas. The intended route was to be via the Var valley. In 1882 the military authority gave its consent for construction of the line to begin. The builders decided to adopt a metre gauge line, rather than standard gauge, which would help to navigate the routes very steep terrain. Narrow gauge instead of one metre forty permitted the use of much tighter curves and help lower construction costs.

1891 - First section of the line opened between Digne and Mézel.

1892 - Inauguration of the Nice - and Puget-Théniers section.

1911 - Nice to Digne fully operational from 3rd July.

The railway had a second line which branched off the Nice to Digne route at Colomars. This line ran west, passing through Vence, (from where the Grasse - Cannes tramway, the subject of a dreadful accident in 1913, ran down to the coast at Antibes/Cagnes), and onwards to Grasse and eventually Draguignan. It is this narrow gauge metre line that passed through the olive groves of The Domaine, just under the windows of the house, and which John and Winifred Fortescue nicknamed The Spuffle Train, because of its 'spuffling' progress along the mountainside.

The spectacular Pont du Loup viaduct which was blown up during WWII
 - some of the columns are still visible today

The line is known locally as The Pine Cone Train and there are a number of arguments as to how it got this name!

One suggestion is that it was because of the pine cones people brought back with them from town on a Sunday.

Another is that it was because the train travelled so slowly you could get off and collect pine cones and hop back on again without it leaving you behind.

Lastly, the name would come from a Christmas story saying a gatekeeper remained only with her sick child without firewood. The team of a night train made a stop to offer its coal to her. When the steam engine itself had suddenly lacked fuel, pinecones from the trees bordering the way fell directly into the tender, so the train could keep going on its way.

In the rare photograph below it is this line that can be seen entering the tunnel under Grasse, (now a road tunnel). The photographer's back is towards Draguignan and the view is looking towards Grasse and Vence. Much of the former route of this railway has been turned into a road and walkway and still passes the small side entrance to The Domaine at the bottom of a long flight of steps.

The line closed during World War II and did not re-open. The station at Draguignan still exists and is in excellent condition, as are some of the viaducts and bridges. The Nice - Digne section of the Chemins de Fer de Provence still operates daily with certain sections steam hauled during the summer months. It provides a spectacular ride through the mountains for visitors. In addition, the southern end of the line serves as an urban commuter route into Nice.

 

The steam train much as it would have looked in the Fortescue's time running in September 2011	The steam train runs on summer Sundays (May to October) September 2011
Early share certificate showing some lovely artwork	Map of the railways in the area in c1921

Click here to see a further selection of photo's

Click here to see a further selection of photo's

To learn more about the Chemins de Fer de Provence, visit these excellent web sites
where there are numerous photographs and a wealth of information.

Web Sites:
to visit the CDP official web site click here
to visit another site with excellent photo's of the CDP click here
to visit Group d'Etude pour le CDP click here - superb photo's and information