[ RURAL RAILWAYS IN FRANCE ][ CHEMINS DE FER RURAUX DE FRANCE ]
[ Brétigny - Vendôme, Eure-et-Loir ]
Before the Age of the Railway, one of the main routes to the west, from Paris, by horse drawn carriage, was via Chartres and then along the valley of the Loir river through Chateadun and Vendôme to Tours.
However the first railway line from Paris to Tours was built via Orléans thus isolating the agricultural communities of the Beauce, who had to wait thirty years before finally being connected by rail on 29th December 1865.
On that date, the new line from Brétigny to Vendôme was opened, and the region could be reached by rail from Paris.
In August 1867, the line was completed from Vendôme to Tours and made double track from Brétigny to Tours.
The war with Prussia in 1870/71 caused damage to three new bridges during the retreat from Paris.
Thereafter, the line saw much activity with a peak between 1919 and 1934, when it was used as an alternate route for expresses to the west and south-west of France.
The electrification of Paris - Orléans - Tours ended the regular use of the line for long distance traffic.
The line was singled in 1953.
In April 1966, La Vie du Rail magazine devoted the whole of issue 1042 to the centenary of this line in December 1965.
We learn from this magazine that in 1965, in the district of Châteaudun, some 340 000 tons of cereals were transported by rail (about 50% of the traffic) and about 110 000 tons of fertilizer were brought in by rail.
In the same year 108 000 passengers boarded trains along the line, there were ten services a day between Chateaudun and Tours by autorail.
In 2006, freight traffic has practically disappeared, on this line, transferred to road transport.  The remains of past activity can be seen in the abandonned freight sheds at Chateaudun, Vendôme, Cloyes, Bonneval and empty sidings.
All of the passenger services are now provided by modern diesel railcars (X 72500, X 73500).  On Monday mornings, Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings, there is a through service from Tours to Paris, otherwise the passenger services are operated between Chateaudun - Paris, and between Tours - Vendôme - Chateaudun.
Bonneval silo.  The line crosses the fertile plains of the Beauce, before descending the valley of the Loir.
Fifteen minutes after leaving Dourdan, we reach Auneau, then Voves (intersection with a freight only line from Chartres to Orléans, then Bonneval, Châteaudun(terminus of most trains from Paris), Cloyes-sur-le-Loir, St-Hilaire-La Gravelle (closed), Fréteval-Morée, Pézou, Vendôme.
A pleasant feature of the line today is the quality of the stations, all of which have been renovated by Centre Region.  However not all the stations remain open.  St Hilaire station has been converted to offices.  Frétaval-Morée is a dentist surgery.  At Pézou the station building has transformed into low cost studios for rent.
All the stations were originally built by Compagnie des Chemins de fer de Paris à Orléans ("P.O.").  Bonneval corresponds to a 3rd class station according to P.O. classification.
Arrival at Bonneval of the 08.24 TER from Paris-Austerlitz operated by an X 72500.
The railway line  crossing the Loir river at Bonneval
The site of Chateaudun station is described and pictured on this page
Cloyes-sur-le-Loir.  The station building ("P.O. 3rd class" ) is used as an annexe to the town hall, passengers wait under a small blue shelter on the right, in this view.
The former goods shed at Cloyes-sur-le-Loir
The 11.58 service from Chateaudun to Tours passes St Hilaire along this rural line.
The newly rebuilt station building at Pézou, converted into small low cost apartments.  On the right, the standard Centre Region rail site identification sign board.
Pézou was a P.O. 4th class station.
The 12.31 Tours - Voves TER pauses at Pézou in July 2006.
P.O. 2nd class station at Vendôme with characteristic clock face, and two wings on either side of the main building.  We are 178 km from Paris via Brétigny.
Vast sidings, all empty, bear witness to the past importance of this rail junction.
Now, on the edge of the town, there is a TGV station, where a high speed train will whisk you up to the capital in 48 minutes.  The Friday afternoon X TER railcar from this town centre station to Paris-Austerlitz will take 2hrs 13 mins, about 15 mins quicker than the same journey in 1975.  Back in 1867 the journey to Paris took over 5 hours by the, then new, railway line which we are visiting, now, 140 years later.
A sleepy atmosphere at Vendôme station on a Friday afternoon in July.  But, in fact, one of the busiest periods of the week with ten trains scheduled between 13.00 and 19.00.
A view of Vendôme station with travellors awaiting the 13.33 Fridays only TER service from Tours to Paris Austerlitz.
And here it is, the first of several Friday afternoon services from Tours up this rural line, in July 2006.   Track repairs and maintenance now underway show that this railway continues to satisfy a need, some 171 years after the first application to construct the line was filed.
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all rights reserved|tous droits réservés | J.G.Skinner | 2006
[ Published  2006 ]
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