Tramways in Provence/Cote d'Azur

[rogerfarnworth]

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

I first looked at this tramway in 2013. It was only a short blog recognising the existence of the line in the valley.

https://rogerfarnworth.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/chemins-de-fer-de-provence-8-tramway-in-the-tinee-valley

This line was 26.5 Km long and connected villages in the Tinée valley to Nice to Digne line. Like other lines of the Tramways Alpes Maritimes (TAM), the electric current was single phase. The civil engineering works (bridges, tunnels) were executed by the Department.

The line was built in 1911 and operation started on 1st April 1912. Landslides affected the operation of the line in the early months. The original opening was delayed from January to April because of landslides and on 2nd April a further landslide affected several hundred metres of track and destroyed power lines.

The line ceased operations in 1931.

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post covers 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

The line from Le Pont de Gueydan north to Guillaumes followed the valley of the River Var and ran through the Gorges de Daluis.

Marc Andre Dubout, writing in French, says that the line was probably the moist daring of secondary line construction work with very steep gradients, numerous tunnels, two remarkable bridges. He comments that it is the most impressive tramway from a tourist perspective with 'unique viewpoints and singular landscapes'.

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

[rogerfarnworth]

I have been reading a book written in French about the tramways of Nice and the Cote d'Azur written by Jose Banaudo. Sadly the book is only available in French. I have to use an internet based translation package to understand the book as my French is very limited.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/08/28/tnl-tramways-during-the-first-world-war-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-80

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post reflects on the conditions on the tramway network in Nice in the years after the war:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2018/12/28/tnl-tramways-recovery-after-the-first-world-war-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-83

[rogerfarnworth]

It was not long before the tramways around Nice began an inexorable decline. The early 1930s saw the loss of many of the tram routes outside the city of Nice. Buses were the new thing as far as public transport was concerned. The car became gradually more important.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/04/09/the-tnl-tram-network-the-beginning-of-the-decline-1927-1934-chemins-de-fer-de-provence-84

[rogerfarnworth]

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

[Cajonpassfan]

Wow, what a story! Fascinating history. Thank you for posting!
Otto K.

[rogerfarnworth]

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

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