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Chemins de Fer de Provence
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.
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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.
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1918 postcard showing the CDP line
entering the tunnel under Grasse - the over bridge with two stone
abutments in the bottom right hand corner is still there and can be seen
in the small pictures of the route
looking West & East further down the page
The same location in 2006 - tunnel
portal clearly visible but for road use now
The same location in 2008
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West Portal 2006
Route looking West after
leaving the tunnel
Site of Grasse Station 2008 |
East Portal 2008
Same location looking East
Site of Grasse Station 2008 |
The line crossed Le Ravin du
Rossignol on this girder bridge which now carries the road
An early postcard view of Grasse taken from the
eastern end of the bridge
In use as an important road bridge in 2007
Another view of the road bridge in 2008 |
| Sir John would
lean out of his study window to watch the little 'spuffle-train'
pass near their garden and call out to Winifred '....just one
peasant in it today Sweetheart ' From 'Sunset House'. |
The steam train much as it would
have looked in the Fortescue's time running in June 2007 |
The steam train runs on summer Sundays from Puget-Theniers to Annot
and for 2008 will operate between Sun 11th May and Sun 19th October
Timetabe
Early share certificate showing some lovely
artwork |
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Map of the railways in the area in
c1921
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The modern CDP station in Nice |
The train departs Nice for Digne -
approx 3hrs away! |
The magnificent original Nice CDP
terminus - derelict for many years but about to be restored at last |
Up in the mountains at Entrevaux |
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To learn more about the Chemins de Fer de Provence,
visit these two 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
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Pictures - P.Riley | 
