© FD FACS-UNECTO
FOREWORDThe first problem that arises about preserved railways in France lies with the definition of a "touristic" railway. This word is ill-chosen to illustrate such a wide range of activities. Railways have always been more or less "touristic" from the very beginning. True, the first French line from St Etienne to Andrézieux was mainly built for industrial purposes, but the Paris to St Germain line which opened to the public in 1838 allowed Parisians to discover railway leisure trips on Sundays.
There are two sides to the concept of "touristic railways", which can best be translated by "preserved railways": the touristic side and the historical one. Most customers of preserved railways are tourists, but the number of lovers of technological history and old-time rolling stock should not be underestimated.
Thus, visiting a preserved line is either a way of discovering a scenic site or the rolling stock and buildings , or both when sightseeing and the love of railways can be pursued together; this last case bringing, of course, the best results. The concepts of the "historical railway" and of the "museum line" which have been so successful in many European countries should be developed in France on a much larger scale.
It is worth noticing that the proportion of enthusiasts has grown steadily while that of profit-making exploitation has been maintained over the past 40 years. There is therefore no contradiction between these conceptions of railway preservation. The way in which the Vivarais line is run aptly illustrates this complementarity.
The French railway preservation movement originated from old mountain railways. Amateurs started joining the FACS in the 60s when branch lines were being closed. Some enthusiasts tried to preserve lines while others developed the 60cm gauge as a second-best. A few lines were then re-opened to the public. A second wave of enthusiasts came in 1982 when the SNCF gave up other branch lines. Some SNCF railwaymen joined in although they'd been somewhat unconcerned about "little trains" before. As the SNCF only wanted to deal with local authorities, some "electoral" lines were opened more or less successfully. As preserved rolling stock may be allowed on SNCF lines on special occasions, these one-day historical or touristical trains also fall within the field of this study.
The situation in Belgium is not very diffrerent from the French one. Most enthusiasts have rallied round local or branch lines but one preserved railway company has very distinctive features: the Chemin de Fer des Trois Vallées runs three standard gauge lines and their museum and collection has no equivalent in France. The ASVI and MTUB Brussels are also unique. French people can only dream about running a preserved tramway on commercially-operated lines either in a permanent way like the MTUB or occasionally which is the case with ASVi.
1 ANCESTORS : MOUNTAIN RAILWAYSWe can say that the first mountain lines using the rack and pinion deviceto reach the summits were the first solely touristic railways. The world's pioneer was the Railway to the Moon built 1869 to reach the summit of mount Washington in New Hampshire. It is still run with steam engines. This kind of railway then spread to the Alps and the Pyrenées...
Some lines were already closed befoà Jean Claure 1957 like the Pierrefitte-Cauterêts line (1935 and 1949) -see CFRU N°253- and the Gérardmer-Retournemer-La Schlucht (1939) -see CFRU N°217. The ancestor of the Tramway du Puy de Dôme which hadn't been converted to electricity was closed in 1925.
All these railways were built before the Great War except the small 50cm gauge Artouste line which was built in 1924 and is still in operation. It wasn't a touristic line at first since it had been laid for the construction of the Artouste dam but it was opened to the public in 1932.
Other lines closed after 1957, among these the Superbagnères line in 1966 but its rolling stock was transferred to the La Rhûne line. Railway lines around Chamonix have survived, like the StGervais-Vallorcine, the Chemin de Fer du Montenvers and Tramway du Mont Blanc. Pyrenean lines like the famous Ligne de Cerdagne and the rack railway of La Rhûne are still being operated but it is to be noticed that only lines which switched from steam to electricity have survived... at least some of them have! The StGeorges de Commiers - La Mûre line was closed to passenger traffic in 1950 but for a few occasional touristic trains. It was successfully re-opened to tourists in 1978 and 1986 while coal transport stopped in 1988.
2 PIONEERS AND THE 60 CM TRACK"Amateurs" have often taken over local lines in touristic areas when passenger service was discontinued. I put the word "amateur" between brackets because most of them have acquired so much experience by running those lines that many of them are better qualified than professional railwaymen.
The success of the Ffestiniog railway in Wales was so outstanding that some French enthusiasts started lobbying local authorities in favour of similar ventures. A 2 km track using the 60 gauge was built at the Cap Ferret by a Dutch amateur and later by Jacques Milet -see 1957-1977 CFRU N°244- The first train ran on 13 july 1952.
André Ravery was another pioneer in 1956. He operated a home-made train hauled by a 020T Decauville engine in a pleasure park at Meaux (east of Paris). The line made profits but the park didn't and André Ravery joined the Cap Ferret group although steam wasn't used on the line.
As sugar-beet lines were closing down fast especially in the Aisne département near Coucy, amateurs stepped in. The FACS had preserved a 031 Decauville and a 040T DFBwhich were used at Meyzieu by Pierre Virot and Jean Arrivetz, amateurs from Lyons, after an unsuccessful attempt at preserving the Annemasse-Sixt line. The Meyzieu railway opened on 24 june 1962 but was short-lived because of growing urbanization in the Lyons suburbs. Operation stopped in 1970.
Pol Gala opened a line between StTrojan and Gatseau beach on the Ile d'Oléron in the 60s. It was to become the longest touristic railway with a 7km track, however the French forestry commission forbade the use of steam on this line as well as on the Cap Ferret's and we can understand their doing so although we may regret it.
Yet we were still a long way to the preservation of historical railways. The success of the sugar-beet line in Pithiviers (Loiret) and the 70 gauge Abreschwiller forest railway in Moselle were to open the road towards historical and touristic railways. After abortive attempts at restoring the Bourron-marlotte and Nemours lines, the AMTP (friends of the Pithiviers museum) which rose from FACS and AMTUIR managed to take over a 3.5Km stretch of track and the sheds of the Tramway Pithiviers Toury. This was the first French attempt at reviving an existing line. Carriages were built with parts from the Calvados local railways and the Royan tramway. The first museum of local railways was opened on 23 april 1966. The Bellébat station was opened in 1969 but a real station wasn't built until 1995 for the Loiret Tramway.
The preservation of part of the 80 km Abreschwiller forest line started as early as 1962, yet the Grand Soldat station was only opened in june 1968. Although the 70 gauge has seldom been used in France, very interesting rolling stock has been gathered there including a 020+020T Mallet engine.
A team that had "learnt the trade" at Pithiviers under the leadership of Pascal Schnakenbourg started the Froissy-Cappy-Dompierre railway in 1971. This line was built by the army on the Somme front during the Great War and was later used as a sugar-beet railway. Old time rolling stock dominates and the museum built there in 1996 adds to the historic side of this 7 km line, one of the finest in France.
A 50 gauge line was rebuilt on a former light railway 60 cm track by Jacques Daffis and the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn group of enthusiasts in 1975.
3 THE 60 CM TRACK: A STRONG ASSETThis type of track is easy to lay and so it was chosen by pioneers with more or less historic aims. It is also one of the only gauges that will allow a company to be "its own master" and own the trackbed as well. A very interesting feature indeed...
We must admit you can find anything for better or worse, especially as far as track maintenance is concerned! The ARVO was built in the Ouche Valley near Dijon on a former standard gauge track in 1978. The Petit Train de la Côte d'Or was operated from the other side of the same line in 1983. There are also many lines inside leisure parks in the Paris area, among these are the Parc des Chanteraines, Saint Eutrope, the Port aux Cerises at Draveil and the Tacot des Lacs at Bourron-Marlotte. Burgundy is the home of other 60 gauge railways beside the ARVO. Among these are the Petit Train de Massangis opened in 1983 and the Chemin de Fer des Combes au Creusot opened on 2 june 1990 with strong local political backing. Some lines were wealthy enough to afford a removal like the Chemin de Fer de Marcilly which was opened in 1977, was operated from 1981 to 1989 and later transferred to the Lac de Rillé.
Made confident by the success of the Vivarais railway, the former team of the Meyzieu railway started building a new 4Km line in 1989 near Montalieu (CFT du Haut Rhône) in a leisure park to house their original rolling stock built between 1892 and 1936.
This gauge is also used in leisure parks like the Mer de Sable or in some large gardens or estates. Most of the time, it is then closer to the image of a children's railway than to tourism or history.
Influenced by the world famous Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway -see CFRU N°238- some amateurs tried to set up a 31cm gauge railway near the Guerlédan lake on the track of the former Réseau Breton (Brittany railways). It ran in the summers of 1978-1979. The success of the Chemin de Fer d'Anse (Rhône) with 1/4 size models on a 38 gauge track is more heartening. They are even building a steam engine!
4 METRIC GAUGE
Another gauge... and a new structure as well. The Vivarais railway closed down on 31 october 1968. This splendid local railway hadn't been modernized and had been run at a loss, yet it attracted the attention of the unlucky Meyzieu group who had set up a company, the CFTM which could try to save a "real" railway. The unsuccessful attempt at saving the Annemasse-Sixt line in 1960 had made them both cautious and well acquainted with the intricacies of administrative matters, however our friends from Lyons had to go through a lot of red tape before their plans to run the 33Km Tournon-Lamastre line were accepted. Traffic started on 14 june 1969 at the CFTM's own risks.
They met with immediate success and the CFTM could buy the line and buildings thanks to a 15-year loan with the help of the Ardèche local authorities and despite the limited funding capacity of the company. This is one of the very few cases in which a preservation company fully owns the tracks of a metric or standard gauge railway. As this line was down-graded, it could neither remain a general interest line nor be "private" since it crosses public roads. Shouldn't the Legislator have created a special status for "historical and touristical interest" lines?
Another 38Km section of the Vivarais line between Dunières and St-Agrève met with teething problems until 1995 when it came under control from Voies Ferrées du Velay operating varied rolling stock and engines owned by enthusiasts.
THE other name in metric gauge is, of course, the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme. The closing down of the Bains de Mer railway took place in two stages. The Noyelles-Le Crotoy section closed on 31 december 1969 and traffic was discontinued on Noyelle-Cayeux on 31 december 1972. The CFBS, a non lucrative preservation society was planned on 13 november 1969 and became effective on 13 march 1970. The first steam engine was restored and tried on 8 may 1971. The first train left Le Crotoy station on 4 july 1971 - Independence Day for the CFBS ! - Trains reached StValery and Cayeux in 1973. A comprehensive re-building of the tracks started in 1978 between Noyelles and Le Crotoy but the CFBS had little money to spare for the restoration of original carriages which were in an appalling condition, so the company bought Swiss carriages. The planning and development board of the Picardy coast helped funding the enlarging of the StValery-Canal depot and the restoration of the Somme carriages. This cost a lot of money. The SNCF sold the 4-rail section from Noyelles to StValery to the local council in october 1994 which conceded the line to the CFBS. Investments were carried on throughout the 90s with the re-building of the Noyelles terminal, the restoration of a 130 Corpet-Louvet Aisne and the spectacular coming of a 130 T from the USA. This contributed to givinga very dynamic image to a company that could have been expected to look cosily at the past.
Claude Wagner, our president and founder, built up another collection at Butry and Valmondois (Val d'Oise) from 1975 on. Here the touristic railway comes second to the museum of metric local lines. Very fine engines are preserved in working order and a short 60 gauge section was built but it was short-lived. A very fine shed was built to house the collection and the MTVS started building a metric line on the trackbed of the former Valmondois-Marines section. This was the first attempt at re-building a line but work stopped after the first 800 metres because of the hostility of town authorities and neighbours who objected to steam trains, be they historical or touristic! "War" started
The preservation movement also developed itself among new lines in the 1980s by offering help to an existing branch line. Jacques Chaussard and José Banaudo from the GECP brought new blood into the Chemins de Fer de Provence by organizing historical trains in parallel to the regular ones, the CFP company taking over the marketing side of these historical trains. A good example of cooperation for standard gauge railways... The company is carrying on despite administrative problems - Trains were forbidden in 1992- and the track was partially flooded and ripped off in the autumn of 1994.
The favourite gauge of builders was used for the first French 4 km historical tramway line between Marquette and Wambrechies near Lille. The tramcars from the Lille transport system or from Switzerland are part of a living museum.
The Blanc Argent railway has always been touristic and attracted enthusiasts. The SABA has been trying to run old age trains on this metric line answering SNCF norms since1993. Trains would run on the disused branch beyond Lucay-le-Mâle but no agreement has been reached so far. Couldn't the co-operation existing in Provence be applied in the Sologne, a few hours from Paris ?
Let's end this chapter with the exotic Ti Train de l'Ile de la Réunion which features a complete local railway and ran since 1989. The Paris administration was thought to be so far away that it was safe... Yet administrative closure came a short while ago. We hope this is only a temporary drawback.
5 NON SNCF STANDARD GAUGEAlthough most local railways were built with sub-normal gauges, the first French local lines built around 1870 used the normal gauge. This was the case with the Mamers - St-Calais , the St-Quentin - Guise and others... These two lines were later converted to touristic service.
Running preserved trains on SNCF tracks was impossible in 1969, so associations had to use non-SNCF or local lines instead.
The first touristic standard gauge railways appear in 1969 on former local interest lines like Rosheim-Ottrot which was an industrial line leading to the StNabor quarries and Sabres-Marquèze-Labouheyre on a recently disused track in the Landes forest. The first, which was a family owned and run company closed down in 1990 and the last one stopped in 1981after the ABAC had been unjustly expelled from the line by the local country museum because no written contract or agreement had been signed. The ABAC half-heartedly tried to revive the Labouheyre to Mimizan line in 1982 while shuttles still ran on a 4Km track between Sabres and Marquèze.
The Guitres to Marcenais (Gironde) former SNCF line has been preserved since the summer of 1973 by the TTGM which runs the famous Palavas trains. The 241P9 has also been waiting to be rebuilt there for 20 years. A long delay for such a beautiful engine...
Next came the opening of several lines of about 15 Km in length with carriages coming from the big private companies and locomotives designed for industrial purposes... Almost the only types that could be found and preserved.
The Train à Vapeur de Touraine - it was called AJECTA Touraine at the time - opened on 30 june 1974 between Ligré and Richelieu in Indre et Loire. Then trains reached the SNCF Chinon station after an agreement had been reached on 17 june 1978. The TVT later organized traction trials near Loudun for the SNCF between 1985 and 1992. An article about this little known aspect of TVT is being written by the CFRU. The overhauling of the 141C100 allowed the TVT to go beyond its boundaries. The Chinon - Ligré-Rivière is now conceded to the TVT after the line was down-graded by the SNCF in december 1994 and taken over by the SIVOM (local authority) of Richelieu.
The ALEMF operated the Etival - Senones line in the Vosges between 1975 and 1985. This line was linked to the former SNCF Vigy-Hombourg one. Another association tried to save what couldn't been saved in 1986: the local authorities had stopped supporting the line.
On the Alsatian side of the Vosges, the Train Thur Doller Alsace opened on 19 june 1976 between Cernay and Sentheim, although they'd rather have exploited the upper section of the line. A large collection of rolling stock was privately owned by many -too many?- members. Dissenters set up the CFT du Rhin which started on 9 july 1983 on a non-SNCF Alsatian track.
The StRémy de Provence - Tarascon line which had strong touristic assets in Alphonse Daudet country was run by AJECTA-Provence between 1976 and 1981.
The Mamers-StCalais line in the Sarthe closed down in 1977 but buildings and rolling stock were kept in good repair, so the TRANSVAP organized the first trains in 1979. A very fine dépot was later rebuilt but a fire destroyed all historical machine tools last april. The Conseil Général of Sarthe which still owns the site will have the depot rebuilt in 1998.
The CFT du Vermandois started running railcars on the Régie des Transports de l'Aisne local line on 15 august 1979. Steam made its come back in 1981 under the leadership of members of the 60 gauge Froissy-Cappy railway who pursued the same passion on a larger scale at the Vermandois. The association broke new ground in 1981 when the RTA was taken over by the SNCF which signed an agreement in february 1982 by which the Vermandois became the first touristic company operating on a SNCF line.
The CFT du Bréda was operated from 1980 to 1989 on a local line at La Rochette (Savoie). Some of its members joined the CFT des Monts du Lyonnais at l'Arbesle when the line was closed.
Other more or less historical and touristical railways took over non-SNCF lines. The CFT du Hainaut ran on a coal mining line in the Nord département in 1990-1995. The PGV has been running trucks near the Pointe de Grave and Verdon since 1986 and the Petite Rosselle has been doing the same in a Lorraine colliery since 1992.
Other preserved railways will start on closed SNCF lines taken over by local councils like the Vigy-Hombourg railway run by members of the ALEMF -see the story of the Etival-Senones line above- since 1989. The CFT Blaise et Der has been running between StDizier and Wassy since october 1994. The Viaduc 07 line (Train Touristique de l'Ardèche Méridionale) opened in 1992 between Vogüe and Monfleury and the line was extended in 1996. A special mention for the CFT Pontarlier-Vallorbe whose members have already laid back 7 km of track on a 20 km line...
Among the latest are the Chemin de Fer de la Vallée d'Eure which started operating a railcar and diesel-hauled trains at Pacy sur Eure in April 1997. The CFT du Haut Quercy between Martel and StDenis (Lot) and the Train Touristique Etretat - Pays de Caux between Etretat and Les Loges have both chosen trucks to operate their trains. 1997 also saw the first trains on the CF de Haute Auvergne thanks to the know-how of people from the CFT du Minervois.
6 TRAINS ON S.N.C.F. LINESNo "amateur" trains were allowed on SNCF tracks before 1981. With the new socialist government the then minister of transport Charles Fiterman asked the SNCF in 1982 to study the handing over to local authorities of closed lines or sections that were only open to goods traffic so that they could be used by preservation companies for touristic purposes under technical supervision by the SNCF. This was by no means going to be a free gift to associations, and leases being rather high, only a happy few with sound financial backing ultimately made it. The heavier the freight traffic is, the better maintained the track is and the lower costs are , so many companies which started services on lines closed to goods traffic were not able to meet maintenance costs and were not bought over by local authorities when final closedown came.
The first touristic railway on a SNCF goods line was the CFT Vermandois we have already mentioned. The agreement between the railway and the SNCF was signed in february 1982 and this structure got stronger support when two local authorities joined it in 1989.
The Train à Vapeur des Cévennes also works under a three-sided agreement. The first train ran on 3 june 1982 on a line that had been closed since1970 with rolling stock from the Mamers-StCalais. The CITEV, a great name in special event trains on SNCF lines, took over in 1986 with professionalism and met with success. The line was disused by SNCF in november 1969 and has been bought by the StJean du Gard town council for exploitation by CITEV.
The odyssey of the 030 Fives-Lille steam engine is worth telling. It had been overhauled by the TRANSVAP near Le Mans and came to St Jean du Gard in 1982. It left for Solre le Château in 1986 because the Conseil Général du Nord was planning a touristical railway. Since the idea was abandoned, the 030 left for Ducey (Manche) in 1990 ousting out the promoters of the CF de la Sélune who found some refuge on another SNCF goods line at Alençon-Pré en Pail (Mayenne) which they exploited between 1992 and 1996. Meanwhile the career of the 030 at StHilaire du Harcouët in Normandy ended in financial disaster and the ill-fated engine spent a season at Vigy-Hombourg (Moselle). We meet her again for the 150th birthday of the Paris RER B line in 1994. She will remain near Paris for some time before being bought by the TTGM at Guitres in 1997. Let's hope it's the end of the journey!
It is to be noted that since he lease or sale of a line by the SNCF is expensive, many company only run railcars or diesels -often shunters- The touristic and sometimes political side has often dominated the historical side but many interesting railway sites have been preserved that way that would have been lost otherwise.
Among pioneers are the Autorail Touristique du Minervois between Narbonne and Bise which opened in 1983 and a short-lived attempt on Hyères-Pamiers in august 1982 by members of the former CFT des Alpilles. Other agreements were signed in a kind of euphoria but only a few managed to survive. These survivors include the Amagne-Challerange (CFT des Ardennes) which opened in 1988 and Stenay-Mouzon in 1991. The Elbeuf-Petit Couronne ran from 1991 to 1996, the team then left for Les Ifs-Etretat whare an attempt had been made with trucks. The valley of the Lot had its railcar service in 1993 run by Quercy Rail between Cahors and Cajarc. The CFT de l'Arbesle is a special case. It has been running since 1989 and was re-opened to regular passenger traffic between Saint Bel and l'Arbresle in september 1991. Traffic must, of course, comply with special rules.
The Mortagne - Les Herbiers line in Vendée started in 1985 with very strong local political backingin association to the show at the Puy du Fou. The CFT de Vendée has been run since 1993 in a more conventional way. The line was bought in 1996 when it closed to freight.
Two lines have been revived by railwaymen. The Boulogne-Desvres (Pas de Calais) ran very occasional services and traffic ceased in 1993. The Vendôme-Troo line (Loir et Cher) has been operating since 1992.
Lines of this type still attract companies. The Sézanne-Esternay branch is exploited by the CFTA on weekdays and the CFT de la Forêt de Traconne has been running touristic railcars at weekends since 1995. The same situation applies to Pontaurail from Honfleur to Pont Audemer in Normandy and a StOmer-Lumbres service might start this year.
Among lines closed to all traffic, the most expensive ones to run, are Saujon-La Tremblade (CFT de la Seudre) which opened in 1982 and featured steam trains under two successive management teams and two others which opened before 1990: Carterêt-Port Bail and Carentan-Baupte (CFT du Cotentin). The latter was closed in 1994 because of a road scheme. The Charny-Toucy line in Yonne opened in 1988 and had to close down in 1992 owing to poor track maintenance despite an attempt at transporting waste. The track was bought in the autumn of 1997 and the AATY looks forward to re-opening it.
The most ambitious project, at least in the beginning, was the which started in 1992 and scheduled daily trains as early in season as the month of february. Traffic was discontinued in 1996 when the local authorities withdrew their backing. The same misadventure had already happened to the scenic 37 km track between Louvigny and Thury -Harcourt on the Caen-Flers line although a limited company and a preservation society had built up financial support for their move. A new association might soon start trains at the other end of that same Caen-Flers line.
The very special case of AGRIVAP hasn't been mentioned yet. The association rose from the Museum of of agricultural steam machines in Ambert (Auvergne) and runs a goods and touristic line closed to SNCF freight trains between Ambert, Courpière and La Chaise Dieu. This status which challenged the monopoly of SNCF led to a court decision by the Conseil d'Etat by which the SNCF acknowledged the AGRIVAP for "haulage help ". A somewhat far-fetched ruling! Steam locomotives have joined railcars in 1995 and the famous panoramic railcar of the AGRIVAP has often been seen far from its home line in most parts of France.
7 SPECIAL TRAINS WITH AMATEUR-OWNED ROLLING STOCK.Before 1981, special trains - mainly organized by the FACS - could only be composed with SNCF engines and carriages. This was no problem in the age of steam, but by 1980 only the 230 G 353 remained in operation, which was rather monotonous for the potential customer... Gifted amateurs, not only FACS members, had preserved engines in working order. The 141 R 568 owned by André Presle was the first non-SNCF engine heading a special FACS train between Gray and Vesoul on 29 november 1981. This was the outcome of over a year of talks with the legal division of SNCF since a meeting between the 141 R 568 and the 140 C 27 had had to be cancelled in Mulhouse on 4 october. April 1982 saw the great gathering of these two engines and the 141 R 420 in Gray. Unforgettable vision of three engines full steam ahead! Many other engines have been refurbished and have run on SNCF lines since that time. Among these are the following :
The SNCF also owns and operates the 141 R 1126 and 141 TB 424 with the help of associations to which these engines are lent.
A few electric locomotives should be added tothe list:
Diesel locomotives are seldom seen heading special trains. The Train à Vapeur de Touraine rents diesels to works companies (CC 65000 and A1A A1A 62000). Some C 61000 haul touristic trains on CFT Vermandois and CFT Vendée.
The rolling stock must meet such high standards that it is a heavy financial strain on associations. But it is very rewarding to look at a dream train preserved by the AJECTA and travel in it. New strict legislation has put an end to local and regional discrepancies about the use of steam fares. this necessary "new deal" is not without negative consequences for railway operators so a joint workgroup SNCF-FACS-UNECTO is trying to set up rules that would conciliate the necessary safety measures with the historical dimension of preserved railways.
Railcar operation have also been initiated by Autorails de Bourgogne - Franche Comté, the AGRIVAP and the Tours du Cantal. The ABFC has made a speciality of trains on lines closed to passenger traffic for the pleasure of amateurs.
ConclusionThe law instituting the Réseau Ferré de France were published in the Journal Officiel on 5 may 1997. According to article N°20 of this law, RFF will be in charge of tracks which are not used by the SNCF. This could mean easier access to these lines by associations in the spirit of the 1982 law. We hope this will be the case.
The last years have also seen the coming of railbikes, often as a cheaper substitute to the running of real trains. Railbikes do not contribute to the preservation of the railway world but are a good way of discovering a region and a line.
What future for preserved railways, then?
People are getting more and more individualistic and selfish so we may wonder about the future of French associations. The pioneers of preservation are getting old and have not always transmitted their passion and knowledge to younger people that could take over. Preserved rolling stock is often fragile and regulations of all kinds do not make things easier. Tour operators and transport companies are getting more and more interested in the purely touristic side of railways, so we know great changes will take place in the next 40 years, but we don't know which...
Bibliography