Tue 24 May 2011
Tue 24 May 2011
31/07/12 17:07
A full day on the line between Port Vendres and Cerbere. I started off on the coast just north of Cerbere, with the southbound Talgo, hauled by 7265 again. At this point I was wondering if the next loco hauled train I would see would be the northbound working in the evening. I was under the impression that all the local passengers would be units and wasn’t entirely sure that freights weren’t already using the new line via the Perthus tunnel under the Pyrenees.
It wasn’t long before a BB27000 went north with a couple of vans. At least there was some freight although, hopefully, most trains wouldn’t be so short. A Sybic on a long northbound intermodal half an hour later finally put paid to my fears. There was also an ECR presence with an EWS livery class 66 going south on a single van at lunchtime followed by a 186 on a very long northbound freight, part intermodal, part high capacity vans. During the afternoon a Sybic worked a southbound intermodal and an ECR 186 worked a long southbound consist very like the one seen going north earlier.
The prospects brightened up even more when 7291 appeared on the Avignon - Cerbere passenger followed by 7289 on the Avignon - Port Bou a couple of hours later. The loco off the first train didn’t wait for the return working but almost immediately went north light engine. A different loco came down light engine during the afternoon to work the second Avignon train back. The loco off the second southbound train went back on the first Avignon train in the afternoon. This pattern was repeated the following day. All the other passengers seen were units, either Z7300s or Z27500s.
After spending almost the whole day near Cerbere, with a break to stock up on food and water at lunchtime, I returned north to the Port Vendres area in the evening for the northbound Talgo.
It wasn’t long before a BB27000 went north with a couple of vans. At least there was some freight although, hopefully, most trains wouldn’t be so short. A Sybic on a long northbound intermodal half an hour later finally put paid to my fears. There was also an ECR presence with an EWS livery class 66 going south on a single van at lunchtime followed by a 186 on a very long northbound freight, part intermodal, part high capacity vans. During the afternoon a Sybic worked a southbound intermodal and an ECR 186 worked a long southbound consist very like the one seen going north earlier.
The prospects brightened up even more when 7291 appeared on the Avignon - Cerbere passenger followed by 7289 on the Avignon - Port Bou a couple of hours later. The loco off the first train didn’t wait for the return working but almost immediately went north light engine. A different loco came down light engine during the afternoon to work the second Avignon train back. The loco off the second southbound train went back on the first Avignon train in the afternoon. This pattern was repeated the following day. All the other passengers seen were units, either Z7300s or Z27500s.
After spending almost the whole day near Cerbere, with a break to stock up on food and water at lunchtime, I returned north to the Port Vendres area in the evening for the northbound Talgo.
N of Cerbere
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7265 | TLG463 | 07:27 Montpellier St. Roch - Cartagena | 09:17 |
| 27xxx | NB Vans | 09:51 | |
| 26122 | NB Intermodal | 10:24 | |
| 7291 | 76407 | 07:28 Avignon Centre - Cerbere | 11:01 |
| 7291 | NB Light Engine | 11:20 | |
| 66.243 (ECR) | SB Van | 12:25 | |
| 186.xxx (ECR) | NB Freight | 12:46 | |
| 7289 | 86989 | 09:15 Avignon Centre - Port Bou | 12:50 |
N of Cerbere
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72xx | SB Light Engine | 15:35 | |
| 7289 | 76428 | 15:41 Cerbere - Avignon Centre | 15:45 |
| 26xxx | SB Intermodal | 17:18 | |
| 72xx | 76434 | 17:18 Cerbere - Avignon Centre | 17:20 |
| 186.xxx (ECR) | SB Freight | 18:20 |
S of Port Vendres Ville
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72xx | TLG460 | 08:20 Lorca-Sutullena - Montpellier St. Roch | 19:15 |
