Stopped more than 60 years ago, there are still a few old people full of nostalgia to tell a few more anecdotes about the life of the little train known as Lacaune. It was also the theme chosen by the association for the Protection of the Sacradel Country of Roquecourbe, to present a film last week which recounted the life of the wriggler and the older people who knew it and also used it at a time when the The car took up less space in our daily lives.
For almost an hour we found the steam locomotives, which smoked so much that they covered the travelers in the wagons with black soot as they passed through the tunnels. We discovered the Gare du Midi, the starting point of the line in Castres, then that of Albinque where the train sometimes had to gain momentum to pass through the Saint-Jean district. Then came the first tunnels and the descent towards the first station at Roquecourbe, after the bridge over the Agout.
Beyond, the train continued its journey along the valley towards the Lacazalié stopover with the ferryman in a boat who took travelers from the other bank across the river. There was also water refueling for the locomotive on the route before arriving at the junction towards Brassac or Vabre and Lacaune. The journey continued along the Agout or Gijou valleys depending on the travelers’ destination. Then came Lacaze, Viane, Lacaune and beyond Murat-sur-Vèbre where the railway workers turned the machine around on a manual turntable to head back to Castres.
The train stopped 60 years ago
It took a lot of hands to build this line, partially inaugurated in 1905. It was then considerable progress to be able to make the journey at 30 km/h and around 2 hours when it took more than double that with carts. The train will be used to transport food during the war; families from the city taking advantage of the supplies available in the mountains.
It will then be replaced by a railcar for more than ten years before its total disappearance at the end of 1962 and leaving only memories.
2024-02-22 04:36:15
#Roquecourbe #rich #history #Train #film
