Historic Metre-Gauge Tramways in Provence

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous & Oddities' started by Roger Farnworth, Mar 31, 2018.

  1. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    In our many trips to Nice and Les Alpes Maritimes, my wife and I have seen a significant amount of engineering works, bridges, viaducts and tunnels all on lines which were neither part of the PLM network of standard gauge railways, nor part of the general metre-gauge network. It turns out that there were a significant numbe of line operated by tow main tramway companies in Provence, Tramways de les Alpes Maritime (TAM) and tramways de Nice et du Littoral (TNL).

    These tramways ran on metre-gauge tracks but had a loading gauge not much wider than the track-gauge. In many places they ran alongside roads or withing the highway itself, but often they deviated away from the highway or their own formation.

    The one which first drew our attention was the Sospel to Menton Tramway which was operated by the TNL. This is the story:

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/the-sospel-to-menton-tramway-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-51
     
    steve likes this.
  2. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    There were two different tram networks in the Nice area. The TAM network (Tramways of the Alpes-Maritimes) is part of the Railway of the South of France. The other network was the Tramway Company of Nice and Littoral (NL). This post covers the history of the entire TNL network. The other posts will cover specific lines on the TAM and TNL networks.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...nd-the-littoral-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-53.
     
  3. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
  4. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 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
     
  5. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2023
  6. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
  7. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    I have recently completed a two part story of the Nice to Levens Tramway which was rub by the TNL. These are the links to that story .........

    The TNL built a line from Nice to Levens, it extended the urban line that went from Nice to Saint-André-de-la-Roche. The first post covers the length from Nice to Tourrette-Levens.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...de-provence-54

    The second post covers the length of the tramway from Tourrette-Levens to Levens. It requires some imagination and also demands careful reading as the first part relates to the probable route of the tramway if other factors (such as cost) did not become important. .....

    As part of the blog, I have used modellers license ... the freedom to use our imagination.

    The first half of the blog follows the tramway that might have been built via Aspremont and Saint-Blaise to Levens. It was certainly planned.

    The second half of the blog focuses on the current route along the M19.

    I hope you like it!

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com...de-provence-56
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2018
  8. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    I have already posted this elsewhere, but for the sake of completeness, this post was written when thinking about the coastal line leaving Toulon for Saint-Raphael.

    It relevance here is that it focusses on the tramway system in Toulon. A further post about Toulon will be required at some stage to complete the story of the whole network.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...oulon-and-hyeres-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-38
     
  9. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
  10. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    Reading a book in French by Jose Banuado, I have discovered more about the Sospel to Menton tramway.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/06/08/the-menton-to-sospel-tramway-revisited-again-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-61


    This post builds on previous ones, particularly ...

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/the-sospel-to-menton-tramway-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-51
     
  11. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    It is a while since I posted about the tramways in Nice. I have been concentrating on a series of posts about the metre-gauge lines in Kenya and Uganda. That series of posts is now complete and I can focus once again on the South of France metre-gauge tramways and railways.

    The TNL grew in size in the years before the first world war but had great difficulty in getting new lines authorised and built

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/06/the-network-of-the-tramways-of-nice-and-the-littoral-tnl-at-its-height-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-62


     
  12. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    This post covers a short-lived tramway which left the Nice to Digne line of the Chemin de Fer de Provence at Plan du Var. It travelled up the Valley of the River Vesubie as far as St. Martin Vesubie. The line lasted no more than 20 years but was effective in opening up the valley of the Vesubie to tourism and vastly aided the agrarian economy. The post below has also been included in the story of the Nice to Digne metre-gauge main line.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/tam-tramway-from-plan-du-var-to-st-martin-vesubie-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-64


     
  13. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    This post covers another short-lived tramway which provided a service up the valley of l'Esteron from Pont Charles Albert over the River Var to Roquesteron, a distance of more than 20 kilometres.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/16/tam-tramway-in-the-valley-of-the-river-esteron-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-66


     
  14. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    Another of the branch tramways left the Nice to Digne line close to La Mescla Station and travelled up the valley of La Tinee.

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/18/tam-tramway-from-la-mescla-to-saint-sauveur-sur-tinee-revisited-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-67




    The available imagery from the time of the tramway is limited in extent and is supplemented by images from later dates.
     
  15. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    New territory for me. The now removed TAM tramway from Pont de Gueydan to Guillaumes up Les Gorges de Daluis .....

    https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/07/25/tam-tramway-from-le-pont-de-gueydan-to-guillaumes-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-69


    One of the bridges on this route has the distinction of being one of the earliest reinforced concrete arch structures in France.
     
  16. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
  17. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
  18. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
  19. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    Further decline in the urban tramway network in Nice occurred from the late 1920s into the 1930s. Buses became politically more acceptable than the trams. ... This post continues my reflections based on a translation of the work of Jose Banaudo from French into English. ...

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/10/14/the-tnl-tram-network-the-changes-in-the-urban-network-1929-1934-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-86


     
    jakesdad13 likes this.
  20. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    267
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2018
    I have been exploring the history of the Metre-gauge Tramways in Nice through reading a french-language book about their history. To do so, I have had to use translation software as my French has not improved beyond O-level standard!

    This is the next post in the series: .....

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/08/12/the-tnl-tram-network-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-87

    It covers the period from 1935 to the liberation by allied forces in 1944.
     

Share This Page