Chateaudun is a town with a population of 14,500, situated in the region of the Beauce, 130km south west of Paris and 94km from Tours.
The station was opened in December 1865 on a railway line constructed from Paris to Tours via Vendôme by the Compagnie des Chemins de fer Paris - Orléans,( "PO"). The line was completed in 1867.
The line remains open today for TER traffic managed by the Centre region.
The timetable in 2006 is organised principally around services from Paris to Vendôme and these overlap with services from Tour to Voves. On Friday afternoons and Sunday afternoons there are several through services between Paris and Tours along this line. The trains are operated mainly with X 72500 and X 73500 diesel units.
The station at Chateaudun is a paradise of mechanical signals with a fine gantry to the south of the station and four carrés visible from the station.
The freight yard is however deserted and the large goods shed abandonned.
Finally, it has to be pointed out that the station has been infected with a severe case of green wire fencing !
My visit was in January 2006.
[ CHEMINS DE FER RURAUX DE FRANCE ]
