[ RURAL RAILWAYS IN FRANCE ][ CHEMINS DE FER RURAUX DE FRANCE ]

[ Ste Pazanne - Vendée ]

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All rights reserved /  J.G.Skinner  / 2005

Two fishing ports on the west coast of France; St Gilles Croix de Vie and Pornic.  The regional capital; Nantes.  The rail system links the regional capital to these two ports and a country junction at Ste Pazanne sends the TER trains off to the northern terminus at Pornic and the southern terminus by the port at St Gilles.

Yes, but Ste Pazanne is no ordinary junction.  Here we can still find a unique outpost of the French railway system with a fully mechanically signalled security apparatus as well as a level crossing with full width barriers lowered by hand crank.

In early August 2005, I visited this site to record the scene for posterity.  The busy holiday season included extra long trains of all kinds, as we shall see.

The level crossing gate keeper has lowered the barriers and the mid morning train from Nantes crosses into the station, triple EAD units, the destinations are to both branches and the front two units will leave first for St Gilles followed by the departure to Pornic of the single remaining unit.

Separation of the two train sets observed by the two young chefs de train and the driver of the Pornic bound train.

After 30 minutes in comes a TER from St Gilles bound for Nantes.  The composition of four green coaches hauled by the BB 67400 was specific to the August holiday period.

Departure for Nantes under the magnificent signal gantry.  August 2005.

A fascinating contrast between the historical infrastructure and the triple X 73500's.

[ Edited Jan 2008 ]

This station will be modernised in 2008-2009.

Colour light signals and an automatic level crossing.

The green carriages have now been retired.