- Chemin de Fer de La Mure
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Chemin de Fer de La Mure 
A train on the upper viaduct at LoullaOverview Termini St.-Georges-de-Commiers
La Mure (Isère)Operation Opened 1888 Closed Still open Technical Line length 30 km Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) Electrification 2400 V DC Overhead line Highest elevation 925 m. The Chemin de Fer de La Mure (the Mure railway) is a tourist railway in the department Isère near the city of Grenoble, France. Following threats of closure in the mid-s1970s, the line was saved by an oil crisis, getting the chance of a further life to become one of the finest tourist railways in Europe with spectacular views over dams and lakes, and mountain scenery. It can be reached easily by road from Grenoble, or by trains on the SNCF line towards Gap.
On October 26, 2010, shortly before the end of the season, a landslide destroyed the Viaduc de la Clapisse and parts of a tunnel entrance.[1] On the railway website, the General Council of the Department of Isère expresses hope to re-open part of the line from La Mure for the 2011 season, but is unclear if and when service will be resumed.[2]
Train de la Mure) Legend
0km Gare de St.-Georges-de-Commiers (alt. 315 m.) 
0,8 Tunnel de Ravinson (383 m.) 
Tunnels et boucles de Notre Dame de Commiers 
4,8 Tunnel de Mollard (89 m.) 5,45 Tunnel de Pré-Béron (255 m.) 6,5 Tunnel de Commiers (129 m.) 
N.D. de Commiers (alt. 479 m.) 7,2 Tunnel de Besat (89 m.) 9,25 Tunnel de Pierre Villaire (89 m.) 9,8 Tunnel des Ripeaux (438 m.) 
10,9 11,3 Viaduc du Pivou 11,7 Tunnel de Sallanche I (153 m.) 11,95 Tunnel de Sallanche II (299 m.) 13,1 Tunnel de Serguignier (310 m.) 13,5 Viaduc de la Clapisse 13,5 Tunnel des Brondes (401 m.) 14,4 Viaduc de la Rivoire 14,4 Tunnel de Rivoire (50 m.) 14,7 Tunnel de Gravaison (85 m.) 15,65 Tunnel de Raux(30 m.) Station La Motte-les-Bains (alt 620 m.) 
17,0 Viaduc du Ravin de Vaulx (170 m.) 18,1 Viaduc de Loulla (85 m.) 18,95 Tunnel de la Tuilerie (136 m.) 19,6 Viaduc de Loulla (110 m.) 19,6 Tunnel du Loulla (36 m.) 
Notre Dame de Vaulx 
22,0 Tunnel de Combefolle (214 m.) 
Gare de La Motte d’Aveillans (alt. 867 m.) 23,9 Tunnel de la Festinière "Le Tunnel Mystérieux" (1071 m.) Point Culminant de la ligne (alt. 925 m.) Peychagnard-Crey (alt. 890 m.) Le Villeret (alt. 881 m.) 
30 Gare de La Mure d’Isére (alt. 882 m.) 
La Mure Ville 
Corps 
Saint-Georges de Commiers station
Contents
History
The line was built between 1882 and 1886, to link Saint-Georges-de-Commiers and La Mure through a mountainous region of the department of Isère.
The 30-kilometre (19 mi) long, metre gauge line runs from La Motte-d'Aveillans and La Mure to a connection with the main line of the PLM railway at Saint-Georges-de-Commiers. The line was almost closed in the mid-1970s and if the country hadn't been suffering an oil crisis the line would have met its end. Its life was extended by fifteen years, which proved to be its saviour. Unlike many other lines this became a tourist attraction which combines an area of industrial heritage with some of the finest scenery on any similar line on the continent.
The railway was electrified in 1903, using a symmetrical current power supply with two overhead lines at plus and minus 1200 volts direct current respectively. In 1950, this non-standard system was replaced with a conventional power supply with a single overhead line at 2400 volts direct current. The branch line between La Mure and Corps was opened in 1932 and closed for passenger traffic in 1952.
Coal traffic ceased in 1988, and most of the coal installations were demolished, the coal being transported by road. The Matheysine coalmines were finally closed on March 28, 1997. The SGLM found a new vocation in providing a tourist attraction and as a result, there remain all of the line's historical installations, the workshops, forge, joinery shop, etc. The network's departure and arrival stations were dependent on connections with the PLM railway's Grenoble - Veynes line. The necessary facilities together with the transhipment platform for the automatic transfer of the coal from the SGLM coal cars to the trains operated by PLM (which became SNCF in 1938) were built adjacent to the PLM station, today the station for the Chemin de fer de La Mure. The trains of the railway now run at the leisurely pace of up to 30km/h.
Rolling stock
Electric and Electro-Diesel Locomotives
No. Name Wheels Arr. Builders Details Date Built Notes. E1 La Drac Bo-Bo CGC/Thury 1903 E-loc withdrawn 1933, dismantled between 1940 and 1942 E2 L'Isere Bo-Bo CGC/Thury 1906-09 E-loc withdrawn 1933, dismantled between 1940 and 1942 E3 Taillefer Bo-Bo CGC/Thury 1906-09 E-loc withdrawn 1933, dismantled between 1940 and 1942 E4 Obiou Bo-Bo CGC/Thury 1906-09 E-loc withdrawn 1933, dismantled between 1940 and 1942 E5 Bo-Bo CGC/Thury 1906-09 E-loc withdrawn 1933, dismantled between 1940 and 1942 E6 Bo-Bo CGC/Thury 1903 Withdrawn 1933, since scrapped T6 Bo-Bo ANF/SAAS 1932 E-loc T7 Bo-Bo ANF/SAAS 1932 E-loc T8 Bo-Bo ANF/SAAS 1932 E-loc T9 Bo-Bo ANF/SAAS 1932 E-loc T10 Bo-Bo ANF/SAAS 1932 E-loc T2 Bo-Bo B+L/Ren. DE-loc, ex-VFD, Note 1 T4 Bo-Bo B+L/Ren. DE-loc, ex-VFD, In working order but not in use, Note 1 B Decauville Draisine, P.W.Dept., acquired in 1966, in regular use Suisse Locotracteur Note 1 : Part of a class of 10 electro-diesel locomotives, 2 are in service at the Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ), 1 at the Chemins de Fer de Provence (CP).
Locomotive T7 in La Mure
Locomotive T2 in La MureElectric railcars
No. Name Wheels Arr. Builders Details Date Built Notes. A1 CB/T-H 1927 Electric railcar, preserved, out of order A2 CB/T-H 1913 Electric railcar, scrapped A3 CB/T-H Electric railcar, preserved, out of order A4 CB/T-H Electric railcar, scrapped A5 CB/T-H Electric railcar, preserved, out of order A6 CB/T-H Electric railcar, scrapped A7 CB/T-H Electric railcar, scrapped A8 CB/T-H Electric railcar, scrapped 1 ABDe4/4 SWS/BBC 1916 Electric railcar, 400 hp, ex-NStCM, acquired in 1986-1992, In service 5 ABDe4/4 SWS/BBC 1916 Electric railcar, 400 hp, ex-NStCM, acquired in 1986-1992, Out of Service 10 ABDe4/4 SWS/BBC 1918 Electric railcar, 400 hp, ex-NStCM, acquired in 1986-1992, Out of Service 11 ABDe4/4 SWS/BBC 1918 Electric railcar, 400 hp, ex-NStCM, acquired in 1986-1992, In service 
Passenger carsPassenger cars
No. Name Wheels Arr. Builders Details Date Built Notes. ex-SGLM B3 ANF 1907 ex-Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez (NStCM), acquired in 1992 B5 ANF 1907 ex-Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez (NStCM), acquired in 1992 B23-24 2'2' SIG 1915 ex-Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez (NStCM), acquired in 1985 BC52 SWS 1918 ex-Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez (NStCM), acquired in 1985 B61-62 2'2' D+B 1922 ex-Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez (NStCM), acquired in 1985 ex-Rhätische Bahn (RhB) MOB49 2'2' ex-Chemin de fer Montreux Oberland-Bernois (MOB) ex-Chemin de fer Aigle-Sepey-Diablerets (ASD), acquired in 1990 B242 2'2' with balcony B244-245 2'2' with balcony, 74 seats 
A former coal wagon in the station at La Motte d'AveillansFreight cars
No. Name Wheels Arr. Builders Details Date Built Notes. 3 FL 1888-1906 10 Ton Coal-wagons, gondolas and side-door vans 3 CB 1908-1913 100x 15Ton Coal-wagons and side-door vans 3 CFMCF 1932 10 Ton Coal-wagons and side-door vans. In total there were 373 10 ton cars delivered in 1888-1906 and 1932. N10xx HBD 2 Richard 1961 23 m3, 21,4 ton, 72x coal-wagons and side-door vans, 20 wagons were sold to Madagascar and 5 to the Brig-Visp-Zermatt (BVZ). Abbreviations railroad companies':
- NStCM.....Chemin de Fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez
- VFD.......Voies Ferrees Dauphine
Abbreviations building companies':
- ANF.......Ateliers du nord de la france
- B+L.......Brissonneau and Lotz, Creil, France
- BBC.......Brown, Boveri & Cie
- CB........Chantiers de La Buire, Lyon, France
- CGC.......Compagnie General Construction, St. Denis, France
- CFMCF.....Compagnie Française de Matériel de Chemin de Fer, Maubeuge, France
- D+B.......Dyle et Bacalan
- FL........Compagnie de Fives-Lille, Givors, France
- Ren.......Renault
- Richard...Etablissements Richard, St. Denis de l'Hôtel (Loiret), France
- SIG.......Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland (now Alstom)
- SWS.......Schweizerische Wagons- und Aufzügefabrik AG, Schlieren ZH, Switzerland (closed)
- T-H.......Compagnie Franciase Thomson-Houston (Nowadays: Alstom)
- Thury.....Ateliers Rene Thury, Geneva.(Nowadays: S.A. Ateliers Secheron (SAAS))
References
- ^ "Le train de La Mure ne circule plus". Le Dauphiné Libéré. 2010-10-28. http://www.ledauphine.com/isere-sud/2010/10/27/le-train-de-la-mure-ne-circule-plus. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ^ "En direct de La Mure". Chemin de fer de la Mure. http://www.trainlamure.com/. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
External links
Categories:- Heritage railways in France
- Isère
- Metre gauge railways in France
- Railway lines in France
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