nomisd Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Today I went to Callac (on the erstwhile Reseau Breton Guingamp-Carhaix line). For a line with very little happening on it, Callac yard (all two roads of it) often has interesting stuff stabled there. Today was no exception. There is what appears to be a workers mess train stabled there. There is obviously some major work going on, which is odd as the line was closed completely a couple of years ago for a major relaying. I didn't have a camera with me so the following were taken on an iPhone. There are five converted (and highly "decorated") passenger carriages stabled. Four of them are coupled together   From the entrance to the yard, they are individually     this one actually had someone in it cooking and   About 20 metres beyond this was this carriage stabled on its own   All of them were attached by cable to this wagon mounted generator   which was couple on one side to this van   and the other side to these two    Beyond the carriages towards the road was this which appears to be an office   Parked in the station was this track machine   Does anyone know the origin of the carriages?   Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Of the group of four, the ones at each end look to be OECM types. The LH centre ribbed one is a DEV Inox 26m luggage car, the RH middle one a UIC type, I assume UIC(Y). The one on its own is a DEV AO A8 23m. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kintbury jon Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Picture 3 is a UIC coach that was used on intercity workings before the Corail coaches were built. They then tended to fine work on secondary workings until withdrawn. Picture 4 is a DEV coach with stainless steel finish. Similar uses to the UIC but built earlier. Can't comment on the others but certainly an interesting set of photos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 The track machine is one used for spot replacement of sleepers; I saw one being demonstrated at that exhibition where they laid track on the Champs Elysées a few years ago. Was that the only machine present? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomisd Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 The track machine is one used for spot replacement of sleepers; I saw one being demonstrated at that exhibition where they laid track on the Champs Elysées a few years ago. Was that the only machine present?  Yes, it was the only one. If it wasn't raining quite so persistently I would go out on my bike to find out what they are doing because it looks like its quite major to need that much accommodation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomisd Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016  The track machine is one used for spot replacement of sleepers; I saw one being demonstrated at that exhibition where they laid track on the Champs Elys  I think when this was posted originally, before the software update, you asked if there were any other track machines there - the answer is no but I would assume that there are some. If the weather isn't too bad at the weekend, I will try and go and investigate some more Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeharvey22 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I found a DEV AO coach being used as a mess coach back in the 1990s in the then PTT livery. Cannot find the series of photos I took at the time but I do have a photo of the N gauge model I made based on the Lima N coach. Shown here with a couple of other DEV conversions. Â Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted February 20, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 20, 2016 Surely that's not PTT but SNCF's own telecoms dept. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeharvey22 Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Surely that's not PTT but SNCF's own telecoms dept. If I find my original photo I'll identify the full details printed on the sides. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeharvey22 Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 I found the photos taken at Montpellier on 29 August 1993, and they show the mess vehicles marked FRANCE TELECOM at one end and "logo" France Telecom at the other. I have included some photos of the DEV Ex-B9 and a UIC Y ex A7D. On the same day I also found the catenary greasing wagon along the coast.  Montpellier General View of ex-A7D UIC Type Y and ex-B9 DEV AO   DEV in two tone blue   DEV with France Telecom logo    Other end of DEV with FRANCE TELECOM marking     Ex-A7D from corridor side     Ex A7D from compartment side     Taken along the coast later the same day was the catenary lubricator   Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Perhaps this is some form of French 'Project Mercury', with the Telecoms company taking advantage of SNCF cable routeings; the colours are quite similar as well. Just hope they don't have recurrences of SNCf's rat problem, highlighted in a BEA-TT report last week (Â http://www.bea-tt.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/denguin-r216.html ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Surely that's not PTT but SNCF's own telecoms dept. I'm pretty sure that France Telecomm make or made fairly extensive use of the railway network as cable routes so it would be logical for them to have their own mess coaches etc. for their staff. I'd guess that they were used during major recabling projects and would have saved them having to set up base camps using portakabin type buildigns brought in by road. France's railways are not so intensively used as ours so it would be far easier to path such a train than here where carriages are often moved by truck. I'm sure I've seen photos of works trains on the long closed Petite Ceinture being used for maintenance of the telecomm cables that run along parts of it.  Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.