Rail-net Euro Tour 2005 - France

Rail-net Euro Tour 2005
France - Day 1

Monday, 22nd August, 2005

So the nice French people want to add a new high speed railway line [Ligne à Grande Vitesse] to their network. This one will run from Paris in the west to Strasbourg in the east.

On this map it is the dotted line

With EWS supplying 'surplus' locos to the construction companies of Fertis, Seco and TSO the work has convinced many a British Enthusiast that a trip abroad is well worth while.

There is an excellent French language webiste - LGV - EST about the construction. So, with no idea where to find the work sites it was just a case of driving around and seeing what we could turn up.

	After visiting the yard a St Hillaire we headed east to see what we could find after a bit of Zig zagging through the French country side we arrived in the *Les Trois Domaines* area.
		58007 on a track train at a rather murky Les Trois Domaines

		A general view of the LGV track bed, looking west, you can see here the level ballast bed can be seen on to which the new rail ballast will be laid

		A general view of the LGV track bed, looking east, you can see here the level ballast bed can be seen on to which the new rail ballast will be laid
	As Les Trois Domaines was the limit of the track laying at the time we snaked our way back westwards following the line as closely as the roads would allow. We next managed to find...
		A SNCF Co-Co heads up a track recovery train

		Quite a monster up close, the train was picking up building 'debris' from the line and loading it for disposal elsewhere
	It didn't take long to find the queue of trains waiting to return to the Ocquerre base.
		Quite a collection of on track plant basking in the summer sun

		EWS owned and in Fertis colours 56118 and 051 head up a double top and tailed ballast working
	*Ocquerre*
		Returning to the base at Ocquerre 56118 and 051 roll down the bank towards the construction base

		The German 212s return to Ocquerre

		What a friendly bunch of drivers

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