morvanfreight

It is first necessary to define "Morvan". To be precise, this name is given to the region of hills, forests and lakes to be found to the south and west of Avallon, within a circle drawn from Avallon - Arnay-le-Duc - Autun - Chatillon-en-Bazois - Corbigny - Avallon. It covers bits of the Yonne, Côte d'Or, Saône-et-Loire and Nièvre, all departments of Bourgogne Region.

The railway line from Avallon to Saulieu and Autun crosses the east side of the Morvan.

For the purposes of this page, the designation "Morvan" will be given to a larger area which will include the railway network with acces to and from the north, at Laroche-Migennes, and to the south at Cercy-la-Tour and at Etang-sur-Arroux.

The different products carried by rail in the Morvan are:

- wood (tree trunks)

- quarried stone for ballast

- cereals.

The loading points for wood ("gares-bois") that were active in 2007 in the Morvan were Avallon, La Roche-en-Brenil, Saulieu, Autun, Clamecy.

The loading points for stone ballast were at La Roche-en-Brenil and at Epiry and La Vauvelle.

Cereals silos with delivery by rail were to be found at Entrains, Chatel-Censoir, Cravant-Bazarnes and at Bonnard, near Laroche.

FLOWS OF FREIGHT TRAFFIC IN 2007

After August 26th 2006, the responsibility for operating freight trains in the Morvan was transferred from CFTA (Clamecy) and VFM (Autun) to Fertis, a low cost subsidiary of VFLI, which is a subsidiary of SNCF.

Fertis Morvan operates nine diesel locomotives.

The main traffic flows are as follows:

A daily train Autun - Saulieu - Autun - Etang - Montchanin.(mornings)

A daily train Laroche-Migennes - Cravant - Avallon - La Roche-en-Brenil and return.(mornings)

Occasional trains as required Cercy-la-Tour - Epiry

A daily train Laroche-Migennes - Cravant - Clamecy and return (mornings)

A daily train Laroche - Cravant - Chatel-Censoir - Clamecy - Corbigny and return (afternoon)

No freight trains run at the week-ends. The trains indicated above are regular, but that does not guarantee that they will run on any particular day, for many different reasons.

Services for the silos are irregular.

Here we see La-Roche-en-Brenil in April 2002. This site is a loading point for wood and stone from a nearby quarry. At that date, the yard had not been modernised and as can be seen contained a historic crane and no hard surface for the trucks bringing in the trunks from the Morvan forest.

The daily freight train started from Autun and picked up at Saulieu, La Roche and Avallon. The red BB diesel locomotive belongs to VFLI and was operated by staff employed by Voies Ferrées du Morvan (VFM), a subsidiary.

As explained above, since September 2006, Fertis( a subsidairy of VFLI) now operates the freight trains and products from La Roche and Avallon are taken northwards, while the logs from Saulieu and Autun are now taken southwards.

Three years later in July 2005, the yard at La-Roche-en-Brenil has been modernised, the crane has gone and a tarmac surface has been laid for the road trucks. The sidings have been renewed. Arc lights have been installed to facilitate winter working.

In June 2004, the afternoon freight from Avallon to Cravant-Bazarnes rumbles through Vermenton hauled by the two VFLI locomotives allocated to this line at the time. The three wagons have come from a super market dock at Avallon. Thanks to a correspondant for identifying this traffic.

April 2004. A train of ballast wagons from Epiry is brought into Clamecy station past the level crossing barrier, hauled by two CFTA BB 4800 locomotives.

For fifty years CFTA managed (for the account of SNCF) the southern Morvan lines around Clamecy to Entrains, Cercy la Tour, Chateau Chinon and to Arzembuoy. On the left is Clamecy depot. As explained above, in the name of rationalization, the contract with CFTA was not renewed in 2006, and Fertis have taken over. The ballast trains from Epiry no longer run through Clamecy to the north, but go south to Cercy-la-Tour.

Autun shed in 2002. On the right the class 20 diesels from England which CFTA used during the 1990's to operate freight trains on the Morvan lines. When VFM took over from CFTA between Etang and Cravant, they brought in the two red VFLI locos that can be seen on the turntable. The Class 20's were sold into private hands and were returned to the UK by road two years ago. On the left, a little locotractor.

Since September 2006 the wood traffic from Saulieu and Autun is sent southwards to Etang-sur-Arroux where the train reverses ( locos run around) and then it proceedes to Montchanin and onward destinations.

In April 2007, two VFLI locos operated by Fertis Morvan wait at Autun for the green light to depart to Etang.

In April 2007 at Laizy between Autun and Etang a train of wood from the Morvan forests. The leading locomotive displays the Fertis minimalist livery of a yellow nose, one of the few to do so.

April 2007. The silo at Bonnard near Laroche only has access to the down line towards Auxerre. For outgoing traffic therefore the train has to proceed a few kilometres to Appoigny where the loco can run around and run northwards via a crossover at the level crossing. Here we see the train accelerating away from Appoigny whose station building can be seen at the rear of the train.

And so we leave the freight trains of the Morvan with the hope that potential freight traffic will continue to grow with imaginative solutions to render their operation efficient and profitable for all, and to avoid transfer to the roads.

The renewal of 16 km of track between Auxerre and Cravant-Bazarnes in August 2007 together with signalling work is an encouraging development and sign of confidence in the future of rail in the Morvan.

My thanks to Patrick for his excellent photos to complete this page.