Mémoires du chemin de fer

Qui n’a pas le souvenir d’un voyage en train, d’un enfant émerveillé devant une locomotive ? C’est la vie de ces pionniers du chemin de fer qui est ici racontée. En découvrant ces images de locomotives à vapeur, ces « têtes brûlées », nous entrons dans un monde qui laisse encore aujourd’hui de nombreux souvenirs dans nos mémoires…

Unforgettable trips, train journeys, symbols of progress, of modernism, The railway has evolved and spanned almost two centuries in service to humankind. shaping the landscapes, freeing minds. At low or high speed, He visited all the cities, the villages. But whether it’s in the middle of the Palavas ponds or around a bend in the hill, we can discover the same imprint, that of the railway. And even if the train no longer passes through the small, converted station, Its echo still whistles along these forgotten paths, still marked by the weight of the dreams carried. At the dawn of the industrial age, at the beginning of the 19th century, The railway was born on the mine site to transport coal. from the extraction shafts to the nearest navigable waterway. Even fast, the railways, by traversing increasingly greater distances to transport goods, were going to open up privileged routes for travelers. Defying all surveillance, Some fare dodgers immediately adopted this solution by climbing over the high sides of the carriages. The step had been taken. The railway was no longer used solely for transporting goods. Becoming practical for travel, The lines were pushed a little further to bring the men closer together. Before being competitive, the relationship between the railway, The road and the water were naturally complementary. They even invented the stagecoach with interchangeable wheels to switch from road to rail. The car was lifted using a crane, once freed from her horses, will be removed. Its wheel assembly will easily detach and will then be replaced by another one adapted to the rail. This operation will take less than five minutes and will be seamless for travelers who will not have to dismount. Right away, the locomotive made its breathing lake sound. The immense machine began to move. We heard the creaking trembling of the iron. The lanterns passed to our left and to our right, swift as the torches carried by leprechauns on a witches’ sabbath. And while leaving a long trail of fire in our path, We drove towards Orléans. While railways may not initially appear capable of replacing older modes of transport, It quickly became apparent that this transition would be short-lived. In 1833, It still took 14 hours to travel from Paris to Rouen by stagecoach. and 10 hours from Rouen to Le Havre by boat. In 1853, by express train, Alexandre Dumas indicates that one puts 3 hours 30 minutes to get to Le Havre. On Thursday, August 24, 1837, To each his due, Queen Marie Amélie, happy to set an example, inaugurates the first line primarily intended for passenger transport, the Paris to Saint-Germain line. One notable absence, however, King Louis-Philippe, his person being too precious for France, did not receive authorization to endanger his life at more than 40 km/h. At the Europe pier, The most intrepid Parisians took their places in the convoy. It was proven, A thousand deaths awaited them from the cold and suffocation. Wasn’t he supposed to plunge into dreadful, icy, airless tunnels? Traveling through deep trenches? Following this conclusive demonstration, The locomotive bravely set off along the rutted roads, much to the fear of the people of the time. They saw it as a diabolical device that would kill birds and crush cows. which ones, as we know, On the contrary, they took great pleasure in this new show. Because those machines were beautiful. with their gleaming brass and varnished wooden bodices. Although comfort is relative and dependent on social class, thanks to the railway, exceptional journeys, daily wars, without ever ceasing to be wonderful. It was surprising that despite such speed, It was as easy to breathe as when walking slowly, and not feeling the movement. We were having fun trying to distinguish small animals, insects, or to recognize the traits of anise along the line. Some welcomed the thickened attitude, The country folk were astonished by the passing of this column of smoke and the long trail of horseless carriages. Even more serious ones declared the benefits of this invention incalculable. Steam traction was leaving its prehistory. All schoolchildren know that the first steam vehicle, the very famous Cunion steam carriage, was tested in Paris in 1770. But it was not until 1829 that the first locomotive worthy of the name appeared at the Rennell competition in England. Amidst some very ingenious and no less effective devices, Stephenson’s rocket would have gone unnoticed if it hadn’t brilliantly outpaced them. Simple, This machine owed its power to its fire-tube boiler. the first technical revolution of the steam locomotive, the invention of which was attributed to the Frenchman Mark Sugga. Everywhere, In France, in Europe, large demonstrations are being organized. Nothing is too good for the event. From Montpellier to Colmar, passing through Mulhouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Rouen, Curiosity is stronger than rumors. “Well, I’ll be darned!” Despite a few diehards, despite everything that has been written or said, The railway is intriguing. It attracts and makes you dream. Tomorrow, Paris will send its Parisians to the provinces, who will give him his provincials in exchange. The great upheaval is underway. The world is being swept up by modernity. speed, the discovery. Imagine the wonderful adventure. Formerly, when the sun rose generously on a Sunday, There were four predestined places, four favorite parks, where the Parisian bourgeois population came to frolic happily. It was Meudon, Saint-Cloud, Trianon and Versailles. Today, The countryside is no longer a pleasure. It’s a good deal. We no longer travel in groups of 4 or 5 in a small plane. 10 or 12 in a bus, 50 or 60 on a small steamboat. We’re leaving at 12 or 15 cents by train. No matter where you go, A railway will take you there. And the railway is the destruction of all pleasure. No more jingle bells, no more whippings, no more white horses, no more open-air cafes with singing all along the way, nothing left of what, of a road twice as long, in reality, it was a route that was half as short. We went to the countryside through the countryside. Today, We go to the countryside without knowing which way to go. And when evening comes, at a fixed time, We have to leave. They put your son in a train car. your wife in another, you on the imperial, And you are very fortunate if, upon arriving in Paris, You are reunited with your family. In addition to all these undeniable inconveniences, Supporters of railways cite this as their sole reason. We’re going so fast! In the middle of 19th century, The train was scary. We feared a thousand words. Tuberculosis and chest congestion due to speed. Retinal detachment due to the unusual movement of the landscape. And for reading on the train, if we didn’t want to go blind, It was strongly advised to take hygienic books. with a large and clear character and to treat one’s eyes daily with the soothing and calming water. A scientist in the 1850s is said to have calculated that the power of water is 1.5 meters per meter. that a man who travelled one hour a day by train and who regularly read during the journey would inevitably lose his sight in less than 6 to 8 months. Sunday is no longer a day of rest for our Parisian. He only gets out of one train car to get into another. Ever since he saw the ocean, He grows disgusted with his suburban earthly paradise. Saint-Germain, Versailles, Rambouillet, Fidon, Rouen, himself. is now nothing more than a station that is being burned down. It’s the sea, the sea, the sea ! And he never leaves it again. His traveler’s luggage indicates his intentions. Underwear, bathrobe, rubber slippers and a skullcap made of tammé taffes. It is in this device that he launches himself into the breast of Amphitrite. Railways, by multiplying the communication channels, have brought about a complete revolution in our customs. The whole of France will be able to travel for pleasure or business. Under the watchful eye of Napoleon III, France is becoming covered in railway lines. The length of the network increased from 38 km in 1830 to 17,430 km in 1870. In 40 years, Almost all the major lines are built and all the major cities are connected to Paris. The train is one of the major drivers of the industrial revolution. Each city, each village, Each village sees the construction of a train station as a source of profit. trade, Modernism at his doorstep. Castelnau-le-Lez, this town on the outskirts of Montpellier, located on the road to Nîmes, opened its station on January 9, 1845. the day of the inauguration of the Nîmes-Montpellier railway line. The Castelnau station was, from the very beginning, served by all trains connecting these two major southern cities. But unlike her twelve sisters, which marked the 30 km route, The Castelnau railway stop was not a success. Like all these emerging lines, They were created to reflect the grandeur of the era. What is now a mere hop, skip, and a jump was a revolution for the inhabitants. Very quickly, Two perfectly distinct interests emerge. On one hand, we have passengers who only travel the main sections of the line. And on the other hand, We have those who frequent the intermediate stations. The former want fast convoys, the others, on the contrary, require a large number of stops in order to best serve all rural populations. It is quite certain that anything done to satisfy the second will necessarily conflict with the first. The first battle of the rails begins. A balance must be quickly found between the number of stops, of stations and the distance travelled. Economic constraints. In 224 days, only 1624 travellers were recorded. SO, The Castelnau station was disappearing. The space opens up, the landscape expands immeasurably. Much more than just a place, The train station becomes a mythical place where country folk gain access to a privilege previously reserved for city dwellers. the right to adventure. From October 4, 1883, Parisians discover the latest marvel of rail transport. the Orient Express. This extremely comfortable train offers its passengers a 3200 km journey as far as the Bosphorus, the gates of the Orient. Synonymous with luxury, of romance and intrigue, Everyone dreams of travelling on the train of kings. On the Orient Express, one could encounter, at random, in the corridors, diplomats, kings, Maharajas, Russian princes, film actresses, Secret agents and crimes, all in a novelistic style. But this story already foreshadows the borderless railway of tomorrow. And the various private railway companies that then divided the French landscape, from the East, of the State, from the North, the powerful Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean, will first have to merge. This is what was achieved in 1938 with the SNCF (French National Railway Company). the French National Railway Company. A showcase of everyday life, Some carriages are reserved for specific categories. like hunters, canoeists or single women. Thanks to the comfort of high-speed, luxury trains, the woman, the Parisian woman, can travel alone without fear, For fun. Women are increasingly fond of travel. In the 20th century, She knows how to travel. We see her frilly, moving around on the station platform, to quickly reach his compartment, or to a knowledgeable person in advance, She remembered her favorite spot. Distances no longer exist. The stay in the train carriage, often a veritable living room on wheels to the soft seat, charmingly decorated, Far from being a fatigue, becomes a distraction A pleasure. free from all worries. Faced with this renewed enthusiasm for the railway, Several various regulations relating to train service and passenger safety were published as early as 1854. Passengers are prohibited from entering the carriages without having purchased a ticket. and to be seated in a carriage of a different class than that indicated on the ticket. It is not permitted to enter or exit the cars except through the door facing the outside side of the railway line. It is forbidden to lean out of cars. Passengers should only exit the carriages at stations and when the train has come to a complete stop. Smoking is prohibited in cars and train stations. Car entry is prohibited to anyone who is drunk or dressed in a way that would soil their neighbors. To all individuals carrying loaded rifles or packages which, by their nature, Their size or odor could bother or inconvenience travelers. The ticket offices are closed five minutes before departure time. Whether a trip for necessity or a leisure trip, at low or high speed, economical or luxurious, solo or group travel, Independent or organized travel travel in any season The railway’s success is undeniable. From that moment on, The great adventure could only accelerate. THANKS. In the presence of such witnesses to progressive sects, Extol the power of the locomotive, Extol the virtues of steam power and railways, neat little ways of breaking up carcasses, ingenious secrets to kill us en masse and remove us to the inferno. The accidents were not… Unfortunately, not uncommon. At the slightest delay, An accident was feared. a derailment. These could have countless causes, delicate maneuvers, poor condition of the roads poor condition of the machines or simply bad weather. Snow and ice are responsible for many tragedies. To all these, let’s say, material causes are added an even greater number of human causes. the imprudence of a tramman in too much of a hurry, imprudence of passengers who do not hesitate to get off the moving train. Good point. The signals are closed. The signals? It’s not for me. The railway is the scene of several disasters, whose scale is striking, especially when you see the treatment they received from the illustrated newspapers of the time. A sudden brake failure, And there you have the symbol of progress that eludes men. The locomotive, reflecting its power, has no use for the end-of-track buffers, nor of the stone wall of the Montparnasse train station, crossing which the machine ended its journey in the street on a poor greengrocer. In a derailment like this, The machine is so robust that all you have to do is put it back on the rails and it starts up again. The construction of the road required considerable work. Embankment, trenches and also tunnels whose length exceeds 630 km. It was necessary to build 33,800 bridges. Among these works, several of which are famous, We must at least mention the Garaby viaduct, due to the engineer Eiffel, the tower builder. The second achievement related to the railway, after having brought men closer together, This incredible takeover of territories was undoubtedly the most significant event. This desire for access everywhere necessitated the redesign of the landscapes. to create new pathways and master nature, to dominate her. And at 19th century, Everything seemed possible. Everything still needed to be done. And quickly. Mountains, rivers, narrow valleys, everything had become a pretext for the construction of works of art. But at what price? Bringing a train to the outskirts of his city required so many improvements that it took the stubbornness of certain men to convince politicians of its economic benefits. strategic and human aspects of the railway. To build a railway line, It’s simply about tackling a monumental task. If the road can continue, to bypass or climb over the obstacle, and accumulate hairpin turns in a blazing fire, steep descents and abrupt ascents, for the railway, Its profile needs to be as flat as possible. A great deal of ingenuity is needed in these very different landscapes and terrains to create the railway network. How much human effort is then required to satisfy the gargantuan appetite for development? Please note the weather forecast for the Mont-Archis direction. starting from where she is in 2. Be careful when closing the doors. Coltineurs, rippers, installers, The construction of a railway line requires a very large workforce. It’s a whole micro-society that gathers along the tracks. The whole of France saw its anthills of engineers and workers relocate, leveling the ground, throwing tracks over waterways, from the humblest stream to the great river promising treasure islands, a true rainbow of hope. What a job! A palace dedicated to progress or a simple hovel lost in the middle of nowhere, The main thing is that the train stop exists and that it is on time. Each station typically includes a main building for passengers, a shelter and two docks. A warehouse for goods needs to be added. An open quay, a drawbridge, a loading crane and sidings with turntables in the most important stations. The rest stops, they, are limited to a care home, attached to which is an annex serving as a waiting room and ticket distribution area. The Parisian may scoff at the rustic nature of the stop in the middle of the countryside, And the peasant marveled at the palace of modernism, It is with the same pride that the driver and the mechanic make their locomotive whistle when arriving at the station. Originally, The signaling was exclusively done by humans. Megaphone, Level crossing keeper, signalman or any other employee waved flags in front of the locomotive. But for everyone’s comfort and safety, for better visualization of the information, A series of large, remotely controlled pivoting panels and signals will eventually inform the mechanic. A red sign, A red light or a red flag is a stop signal. If an obstacle arises, The red panel pivots and positions itself facing the train. informing him of the mandatory stop. No discussion possible. The order he gives is imperative. The disc forces the mechanic to walk by sight. The yellow diamond, which is located approximately one kilometer before the square, is the warning signal of its presence. From the very beginning of railway operations, It was essential to regulate traffic on the railways. to control and direct it. There is no question of one train catching up with another and colliding with it. To protect them, The line was therefore divided into sections. Signage has been installed at each end of these sections of track, semaphores, and established a schedule that must be strictly adhered to in order to double security. Train number 1, Please arrive at Montereau station at 1:48 PM. route 1. Train number 1, Pass through La Roche-Migène station at 2:11 pm. King 1 advances one minute. One minute. So, throughout the journey, The passage of each train is signaled to the control center. In direct telephone contact with all the stations in the area for which he is responsible, The regulator establishes a minute-by-minute graph of the actual progress of the trains. In the event of an incident, It is the regulator who must immediately take all necessary safety measures. Telling time is not just a game, than a performance demanded of the mechanic and his driver. Émile Zola wrote in La Bête Humaine “And never before had the two men felt so closely the bond of brotherhood that united them on this running machine,” abandoned amidst all the perils where they found themselves most alone, More abandoned in the world than in a locked room with the aggravating circumstance, the overwhelming responsibility for the human lives they carried with them. The team that spends long hours on board. What kind of working conditions does a steam locomotive offer? Hindered by the long cylindrical body that always precedes it… The engineer has only a small space to observe the track and signals. Through the most intense prey and through the rain, He must remain standing. leaning over, while her partner, uncomfortably perched astride the machine and the air supply, relentlessly gulps tons of coal into his wrist. The smoke further complicates the team’s task by contaminating everything it touches in its path. We,
who are… sensitive to the living poetry that the locomotive fears, We sometimes think that she imposes on her servants a task as arduous as that of the miner. And the atmosphere that could prevail in a steam locomotive shelter like this one, when crossing a tunnel, had filled with smoke. He made sure to bring a real sponge with them, which he would wet, and he would breathe through the wet sponge to filter… coal dust, the smoke and cool the air. This gives an idea of the working conditions of those times. The role of the stoker was to produce the steam and that of the engineer was to use it. Therefore, we needed to find two men in this driving team who got along well, who like each other and know their machines well. It was only under those conditions that they got the most out of their locomotive. The steam locomotive remained an extravagant consumer of coal. So much so that in 1938, One train out of twelve was a coal train. The driver is responsible for going and supplying his air supply. The complexion of air, It is the second part of the locomotive which allows water and coal to be carried along. So coal is good, but like any fuel, There is a residue. And this residue in our country, coal, It’s slag. And this slag, It had to be torn out. In any case, as soon as the machine stopped, The mechanic would get out of his locomotive and walk around its entire mechanism. With the small hammer, He was conducting surveys, had the burette, it filled all the places where oil could be applied, where there were moving parts. We will never see the men leaning on the tent. On the docks, along the cars, Sometimes a strange pattern could be observed. men armed with a sledgehammer, which they struck against the wheels of the train. In response to the children’s questions, The railway workers recounted that these men, called the visitors, were looking for a wheel on a train. They had repaired a wooden wagon in a workshop, and a worker had made a mistake; he had put a wooden wheel on it instead of an iron one. The wagon, with its wooden wheel, had gone off into the countryside; no one knew where it was anymore, and ever since, people had been hammering on the wheels to… to find the wooden one. In reality, They were not looking for the wooden wheel. It was to check if the wheels were cracked. or if the wheel tire had not rotated or moved. They worked with sound. to the noise. They were kicking the bandage. If it produced a clear sound, The reason is that the bandage was tight on the wheel canvas. and that everything was fine. But if it produced a dull sound, It was because the bandage was loose. At that moment, There was a risk that he would come off the wheel. and obviously a risk of derailment. A glance at the schedule of construction sites on the track. Nothing new, still this slowdown to 30 over 600 meters at kilometer 468. And so the cycle continues. Thousands of similar teams travel along the double-track lines of France on their locomotives. Simple maneuvering machine heavy freight train engine, 800 peaceful passenger trains on each of the two. The mechanic and the driver are on duty in all weathers and all too often through all kinds of dangers. Mechanics and drivers continue to perform their duties nonetheless, conscious and proud of their profession as men. A fine example of the spirit of these types, two men, just one thought, duty. Until 1938, up to the avenue of American machines, as we might say, R’s these locomotives belonged to, were entrusted to a mechanic and a driver. They were the owners of their locomotives. No one else was supposed to, let’s say,
touch it. When one of the men was sick, the machine remained at the depot. We only knew about steam power when we were kids. But on the other hand, we were in close contact with these men. And those men, They loved their job. And they were able to pass on their expertise to us. We were still the generation where there was a transition from steam to electricity. And the way they worked, They instilled it in us a little. We, We were trying to do exactly what they were doing with steam traction. We,
we did it on electric vehicles. That is to say, to get into a machine, clean it, clean the windows, to be in a truly personalized space. And believe me, We were quite proud to be doing pretty much the same as them. to resemble them. Sovereign, throughout the period between 1860 and 1950, Steam-powered attractions have created a genuine mythology in the collective imagination. From the human beast on his Pacific 241, immortalized by Jean Gabin, to the anonymous driver, They all participated in this enchanting memory. Their enthusiasm matched their faith in progress. And all these small daily hardships were part of the adventure. It was a time when the little train seemed to belong to the users. The morning, He was taking the schoolchildren towards the city, The farmers and their chickens heading towards the market. the workers towards the factory, and in the evening, He brought everyone home. Work trains like the one for the “brillerons” that took them to the shipyard every day, or pleasure trains like the little train from Palavas that brought them to the town, the family and then the Parisians on the shores of the Mediterranean. Each one had their moment of glory. A one-minute stop in even the smallest village, And it was already the rush to the west, adventure, World conquest for young and old. It’s a whole era, a way of life today characteristic of the 20th century which has developed, transformed and who has… went with the steam. Can we still imagine these stops in the middle of the city? without a dock, without barriers, without protection? Can we still consider clinging on wherever we can? to board or alight before the train stops, to cross the tracks at any time, Even if
if the train isn’t there? Did you know that at the very beginning of the railway, They even had a man on foot precede the train, who while running, waved a bell and a flag during the day and a lantern at night to cross them in an urban area? Also remember the stationmaster who was running alongside the train. He was out of breath and kept shouting the same words as best he could. Let’s go, pressons, car, Attention at the start! Because people needed to be pressured at that time. And no automatic door. pre-mechanical cuts, who doesn’t care about the latecomer, of the invisible. the helplessness of men’s problems, It was a time when we lived at a different pace. And who remembers the barker? The barker, He was someone who was chosen for his powerful voice. At the end of the day, It simply replaced today’s sound system. His function was therefore, when passenger trains stopped at stations, to go all the way up the train and bark. Montpellier! Montpellier! Buffet stop, office at the end of the platform. In a not-so-distant past, There were no toilets on the trains. SO, People took advantage of the sufficiently long breaks to simply go to the toilet. But what’s going on? We’re not opening? That’s unbelievable. What are you waiting for? But the passage of the railcar from Paris, Sir. I’ve been waiting for several minutes now. I could have stopped by in the meantime. Maybe, but a few minutes’ wait, Not better than an accident. Two trains traveling in opposite directions may cross paths near the level crossing. Motorists, Don’t be impatient. These rules are essential to ensure your safety. And the gatekeeper enforces them. Dawn breaks on new adventures and the beautiful, peaceful 3000 horsepower cars that traveled at 120 km/h have long since entered the legend of the 20th century. In 1955, Two French electric locomotives break the world rail speed record on the Landes line. Speed 331 km/h, world record. On February 26, 1981, The TGV reaches a speed of 380 km/h. Ten years later, in 1990, with Operation Sardine, A TGV train has reached record speed. at 515.3 km/h and covered the distance from Calais to Marseille in just 3h30. Modernity, comfort, speed, Everything has changed for greater security. of efficiency, and who would complain about that? Et pericoloso sporghesi, do not lean out of the window, It is forbidden to lean out of the window. With speed, It’s the boredom of the journey that they’re trying to make us forget. Take the train now, It’s a bit like taking the motorway. the routine. Fortunately, Today, Now more than ever, we have a choice to move around or travel. And that’s it, an invaluable particle of freedom that we still possess. I was lucky, My father was a steam engine mechanic. There,
let’s say, I come from a family, Therefore, I am, how do you say, son,
grandson, great-grandson of a railway worker. And even more, My daughter and son-in-law are also railway workers. So you see, I believe, It’s like Asterix, once we’ve fallen into it, we brought it out again, What. Today, The steam engine has completely disappeared in Europe. except for tourist reasons. In France, The last steam locomotive operated in commercial service in 1973. That was yesterday. Attention, attention. 1, 911 on platform 17. Express delivery to Le Mans, Angers, Nantes, Savenay, The Cross of Méan, Saint-Nazaire, Pornichet, From Pomme d’Ibus to Croisille. Departure at 2:40 PM, platform 17. In the car, please. Close the doors. Attention at the start. It’s almost time. Other convoys are forming and will depart in turn.