Train des Pignes to Le Fugeret Spring Festival

The 2016 season for Train des Pignes à Vapeur started on May 8 this year, as previous years with a journey extended to Le Fugeret and its village Spring Festival.

Train des Merveilles - Retro 2016 - Train of Marvels

Train des Merveilles - Retro - arrives in Breil-sur-Roya

This year's Train des Merveilles - Retro, the railway journey with ATTCV railcar Caravelle X 4567 between Toulon and Tende took place on Saturday 14th May.

Brignoles Train Festival 2016

The Brignoles station's yard was the central point for the ATTCV 15 year anniversary celebrations on Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th April 2016.

The yard was used to exhibit a part of the association's set of railway vehicles collected since its creation in 1994: railcars, trailers, locomotives, passenger carriages, goods wagons, MoW vehicles ...

In addition to these rail vehicles a few road vehicles belonging to the other associations were also on display.

Please enjoy viewing some photos from the exhibition.

Caravelle Inaugurates Line Extension Project Brignoles - Saint-Maximin

The former Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume station will become the western terminal of the Carnoules - Brignoles - Saint-Maximin tourist line

The non-profit heritage railway association ATTCV, created by a group of voluntaries in 1994, started on August 19, 2001, a tourist passenger service between Carnoules and Brignoles on the Carnoules - Gardanne railway line, using its only railcar at the time, the Picasso. Since then the association has maintained a railcar service from April to November every year. And has drastically increased its collection of railway vehicles.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of this inauguration train, the ATTCV arranged during two days - Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th April - an event in and around Brignoles station.

Five minutes at Villars-sur-Var station

It's a calm, sunny Sunday in early April in Villars-sur-Var. Spring is arriving.
It's really calm. Not a single person in view. The restaurant is closed.
The sound of an approaching railcar increases ...

Train du Centre Var - ATTCV starts 2016 traffic season in spring colours

X 2204 enters a Carnoules-les-Platanes station filled with flowers

Sunday April 3 is the first day this year 2016 with regular tourist traffic between Carnoules-les-Platanes and Brignoles. Railcar X 2204 in its original colours was selected for this introductory journey, leaving Carnoules-les-Platanes with passengers at 15.00. Some photos below from the journey.

Train des Pignes (GECP) - Timetable 2016

Circulation of steam trains in 2016 between Puget-Théniers and Annot will take place on the following dates

Train du Centre Var (ATTCV) - Timetable 2016

The timetable for circulations of ATTCV railcars in 2016 between Carnoules and Brignoles is the following

Picasso's faulty engine removed

A team of ATTCV members undertook last Friday of January the task of removing the faulty engine from the association's railcar Picasso X 3976, as a first step in the engine's replacement. The replacement engine has already been acquired and is on site.

La Portuguese moving with steam

The GECP Mallet steam locomotive E 211 moving with a good fire in the firebox will under suitable weather conditions create very nice clouds of mostly steam but also some smoke. The post presents photos from various locations, during a regular passenger trip from Puget-Théniers to Annot.

ATTCV gets another DU 65 speeder

The new speeder DU 65 in front of the previously received and railcar Caravelle X 4567

The Association has recently received one more MoW/speeder/draisine type DU 65 of railway vehicle. It is placed in the ATTCV depot in Besse-sur-Issole but not (yet) in trafficable state.

The previously received DU 65 was baptized "Camps-la-Source" and is by the Association often used for transport of small groups of passengers, on short distances. Remains to be seen how/for what this speeder will be used.

ATTCV Acquires Heritage Railway Mail Car

One of the two remaining French railway mail cars ("mobile post office"), type PA (Poste Atelier) (OCEM PAtf 50 87 00 17 073-3), has recently been received by the ATTCV association.

The car was manufactured in 1933 for the Alsace-Lorraine railway network, and was during its last years of operation used for mail services between Nice and Ventimiglia (in Italy). Retired in the early 80s, it was taken over by a local private collector, who last year sold it to the Association. It now forms part of the ATTCV collection of rail vehicles at the depot in Besse-sur-Issole.

The car contains two compartments, one used for storage/transport of mail, the other for mail sorting.

The following photos show the car's interior and its on-board electric generator.

Train des Pignes - Start of 2015 Season

In a morning sun, the Train des Pignes steam train is reversing into Puget-Théniers station for its first regular train service this year.

View some train photos from this warm and nice day!

ATTCV Railway Depot in Colours

A visit in early May to ATTCV's Besse-sur-Issole railway depot allows interesting, colourful views.

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Red faces museum in Tourves

Musée des Gueules Rouges - Tourves

Why present this museum in a heritage railway blog?

Train Festival in Brignoles in April

DU 65 and X-2204

A Tourist Train Festival will be held on Sat-Sun 25-26 April 2015 at Brignoles station, in connection with the 86th Brignoles Fair (86e Foire de Brignoles), an annual agricultural fair.

In addition to ATTCV, which will present a subset of its collection of rail vehicles, other railway heritage associations in Provence will participate with stands. The railroad museum in Savigliano in Italy will also be represented.

Train du Centre Var (ATTCV) - Timetable 2015

The ATTCV railcar trains between Carnoules-les-Platanes and Brignoles will during 2015 run from April 12 until October 25 on the following times and dates

Train des Pignes (GECP) - Timetable 2015

The Train des Pignes steam train will in 2015 welcome passengers from Sunday 3 May to 7 November on the following dates and timetables:

ATTCV General Assembly 2015 in Brignoles

ATTCV - Association Train Touristique du Centre Var

ATTCV held its annual General Assembly meeting in Brignoles, on a gray and rainy Saturday February 14, 2015.

The meeting was held in the party hall (Salle des fêtes) of the communal building Hôpital Saint Jean at Rue de l'Hôpital (Hospital Road). This building, with its now modern interior, has a history going back to the 12th century and is therefore declared as a historical monument. It was first erected as a "hospital for poor women", but was destroyed during 14th century wars. Rebuilt in 1548, now as a "hospital for poor men".  It was in the mid 1750-s used as a military hospital and in the remainder of the same century as a home for abandoned children. It was also for some period a relay for pilgrims to Saint Jacques de Compostela. The decorated entrance from 1547 is still the main entrance from Rue de l'Hôpital, but the entrance to the party hall is held in a modern style.

Train des Pignes Steam Train Winter Activities

GECP depot in Puget-Théniers 

The Train des Pignes steam train runs annually from mid-May to end of October. By voluntary enthusiasts. But they don't work only during the summer. There are activities going on every week in the association's depot in Puget-Théniers.

Steam and diesel engines and some carriages are stored in the depot building, the engine shed/workshop and the carriages shed. But the association has collected more vehicles that can be stored in these sheds. These are stored outdoors, on or off tracks.