The line from Carnoules to Gardanne north of Marseille was opened on November 29, 1880. On September 30, 2010, the ATTCV celebrated this anniversary with a journey along the whole line. A second purpose of this journey was to explore the conditions for an extension of the tourist train service Carnoules - Brignoles to also include the towns of Tourves and St.Maximin, west of Brignoles.
The video gives some snapshots from the journey filmed by a couple of enthusiasts "chasing" he Caravelle railcar all the way from Carnoules to Brignoles.
The celebration train, suitably entitled "Sainte Baume Express", started from Carnoules-les-Platanes where most of the passengers boarded. The first part of the journey took the passengers along the part of the Carnoules-Gardanne since more than 10 years used for the tourist train Carnoules - Brignoles. After a stop in Brignoles and the passage of the track border for the tourist line the more interesting part of the journey started. For the railcar, Caravelle X-4567, it was also an inauguration trip - it was the very first time the railcar operated on the Brignoles - Gardanne part of the line.
The line beyound Brignoles has for years been used only for occasional military train exercises (transport of heavy military equipment, such as tanks and other armoured vehicles). The trees and bushes along the line had not since long been sufficiently trimmed, something that the passengers were visually and audibly painfully were made aware of. Not only was it dangerous to lean out the of the windows, standing even close to an open window (it was a warm day!) was strongly discouraged.
Another first impression was that the street/road crossings had from a security point of view degraded - city planners obviously had expected the line to be only very exceptionally used. And car drivers had difficulty in understanding that a 60+ tons rail vehicle is something you have to care for, even if it moves at low speed.
Other main impressions from the trip to Gardanne, which took about five hours, was that people along the line demonstrated their appreciation of the arrival of the railcar. Groups of the people were standing at the stations, at road crossings, on the doorsteps of their homes, etc. cheering and waving. So did also vineyard workers, school children with their teachers, lorry drivers, ... - and the many train spotters and photo takers along the line.
More about the celebration train, including slideshows, can be found on railtrain.org.
