My wife and I travel each year to Nice or other towns/cities in Provence and on the Cote d'Azur. Out of these regular Autumn visits has grown an interest in the extensive network of metre-gauge lines which all were lost by the late 1950s with the exception of the Nice to Digne line. I have been working on a series of blogs about the different lines. The post below is the first in a series about the Central Var line of Les Chemins de Fer du Sud de La France. ... https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/ligne-de-central-var-part-1
The second post in a series about the Central Var line in Provence: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/23/ligne-de-central-var-part-2-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-14
The next post relates to a tramway which connected with the Central Var line at Vence. The tramways which connected with the Metre-Gauge line were the same track gauge but had a significantly reduced loading gauge to allow use on the narrow roads of the time. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...d-cagne-sur-mer-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-17
The next length of the Central Var Line takes us from Vence to Le Pont de Loup, the iconic viaduct which for many people defines the line: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/ligne-de-central-var-part-3-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-18
This next post covers the length of the line from Le Pont de Loup to Grasse. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/ligne-de-central-var-part-4-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-19
A number of different railways met at Grasse. Two 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: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/11/2...s-sur-mer-part-1-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-20 The second half of my blog on the TAM tramway between Grasse and Cagnes-sur-Mer: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2017/11/2...s-sur-mer-part-2-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-21 There was also a Tramway between Grasse and Cannes. This next post covers that line .... https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/tramway-between-grasse-and-cannes-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-22 Grasse also benefitted from a funicular railway linking the town centre with the PLM railway station. This post provides details of the funicular and also of plans which have been made but not yet implemented(if they ever will be) for a new funicular. ..... https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/funicular-railway-in-grasse-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-23 And a PLM (SNCF) branch-line from Cannes to Grasse which is covered by this next post. This includes a link to a video of a cab-ride along the line: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/the-grasse-to-cannes-standard-gauge-line-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-24
The Central Bar Line continued from Grasse towards Meyrargues ....... This length runs from the station in Grasse to Peymeinade: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/ligne-de-central-var-part-5-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-25 This next length of the Central Var line runs from Peymeinade to Tanneron. After the invasion by allied forces in 1944 and the destruction by retreating German forces of a number of Viaducts, Tanneron became the eastern terminus of the Central Var line and remained so until full closure of the line early in 1950. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/03/ligne-de-central-var-part-6-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-26
The next length of the line starts at Tanneron and finishes at Seillans: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/03/ligne-de-central-var-part-7-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-27
Our survey of the Central Var Metre-Gauge Line continues with the length from Seillans to Claviers .... https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/04/ligne-de-central-var-part-8-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-28
The journey along the Central Var metre-gauge line continues from Claviers to Figanieres. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/ligne-de-central-var-part-9-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-29
In this next post we reach Draguignan which very quickly became the premier town on the Nice to Meyrargues line. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/ligne-de-central-var-part-10-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-30
Draguignan to Lorgues https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/08/ligne-de-central-var-part-11-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-31
The journey along the Central Var Metre-Gauge line between Nice and Meyrargues continues with the length from Lorgues to Sillans-la-Cascade: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/09/ligne-de-central-var-part-12-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-32
The next length of the Central Var line runs from Sillans-la-Cascade to Barjols: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/09/ligne-de-central-var-part-13-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-33
And now from Barjols to Rians https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/ligne-de-central-var-part-14-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-34
And from Rians to Meyrargues https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/ligne-de-central-var-part-15-chemin-de-fer-de-provence-35
This next couple of posts focus on the locomotives on the Central Var Line. I have just been pulling together the first which covers the Steam Locomotives on the line: https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/locomotives-and-rolling-stock-on-the-central-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-50
And the second which covers Diesel power on the Chemin de Fer du Sud Central Var Line in the years before closure in 1950. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2018/03/02/locomotives-and-rolling-stock-on-the-central-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-52 There us one further post about the Central Var Line which focusses on the rolling stock on the line.
The Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France Central Var Line ... the rolling stock (wagons and coaches) found on the line. https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.co...entral-var-line-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-54
I am working on completing a book about the Central Var line of Les Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France. About 75% of the way through the work now and reviewing my post of the length of the line to the West of Sillans-la-Cascade. I have realised that I omitted an important element of this section of the line - that It provided access to a number of mines. Two closest to the line were open-cast bauxite mines. Both were situated near Rognette which also appears not to feature in my original review of this length of the line. This revised post covers the section in question. .... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/08/19/ligne-de-central-var-part-13a-sillans-la-cascade-to-barjols-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-85