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Two case studies in Heritage and Valorization of Ancient Mountain Railways in France
Michel Cotte (University of Nantes)
PAPER (pdf)
Abstract:
The two examples I intend to present have similarities but also deep differences both for history, technology and tourism management. All together are coming from the early 20th Century and aimed to help local development by modern transportation railways. They share the metric gauge, a unique track and strong slopes. They also tried to bear local completion for the national network at normal gauge trough hills and mountains countries. However, others issues are different and sometime opposite. That bases possibilities of comparisons.
First one is the “Train Jaune” line in French Pyrenees close from the Spanish boundary. It reaches a summit level close from 1500 m and till today it remains the highest railway line in France. Civil engineering and technical choices were ambitious from the design times: innovative line design, exceptional bridges from great engineers (Séjourné, Gisclard), and a very interesting electrical powering solution by DC supplied by hydraulic power station from the early 20th C. It was a reference project for the Midi Co, one of the major companies in France at that time, and that started Pyrenees tourism for European bourgeoisie by modern railway and “Grand Hotel” of Fond Romeu, built by the same Midi Co. Till today and through a complex social history, Train Jaune remains a line managed by the famous French National Co: SNCF, and owner of the line is also a French National Co: RFF. It is now a major touristic line with important heritage values both for civil engineering and for rolling stock. Cultural landscapes of the railway in mountain context are exceptional. Touristic development projects are based upon involvement of Department (Pyrénées-Orientales) and Region Languedoc-Roussillon, trough the regional railway traffic program with SNCF. Tourism organization also involves a Regional Park centered on the railway line, for cultural and natural heritage preservation and management of the surroundings. It is ruled by Region Languedoc-Roussillon, with involvement of departmental representatives and local municipalities. Train Jaune is on the French tentative List for the UNESCO World Heritage.
Second one is the “Chemin de fer du Vivarais”. It looks like a typical local project, at the same historical period of the Third Republic, using steam power and narrow gauge. Builder and ruler of the line was the local Department (Ardèche) gathering an exceptional financial effort to promote modernity trough railway transportation among the sloppy and mountainous region of the Eastern Massif central. This departmental network made links from the Rhone Valley to the Plateau by around 130 km of tracks with two sections and a junction station at Le Cheylard. Such public line management could not run beyond the years of automotives, at the turn of the 60s. At that time, a deal was contracted with an association of ancient railway workers and engineers from the region loving steam egines and experts in their technical maintenance. Touristic development started there for a limited part of this local network (30 km), ruled by this not profitable organization. This long and prudent touristic development program had an interesting history till difficulties happened during the 2000s. In financial difficulties and facing crucial maintenance problems, the Association stopped its activities (2008-2009). Comeback of local municipalities and department is now gathering financial solutions for maintenance, and that prepares reorganization and restart for the tourism exploitation line by a private society under public contract. Heritage attributes are also very interesting for the rolling stock, one of the most important in France for metric gauge, and for natural landscapes of “Gorges du Doux”, the local river.
Short CV:
Michel COTTE is emeritus professor of History of Technology at the École polytechnique of the University of Nantes (France), where he was director of the Institut de l’Homme et de la Technologie.
His historical researches initially focused upon the introduction of the Industrial Revolution in France early 19th C, especially for civil engineering and transportation equipments and industries. He studied the concept of technology transfer and adaptation to new contexts that based sometime innovations. His PhD studied the major innovations of Marc Seguin during the 1820s for suspension bridges (cable by fine wires) and railways (line of mountain railways, tubular boiler). He studied the social context of rising for new professional categories like civil engineers and private contractors in French regional context, which based a critic of the classical model of the “state managed development” of industry in France. He pursued his researches by studying the circulation of technical ideas at large scale during 19th C as base of technical and industrial initiatives.
His teaching works for education of young engineers led him to have great interest in links between past and present technologies, especially for applying modern tools of engineering as design assisted by digital graphics to re-conception of machines of the past-times. It is now an important subject of joint-researches between mechanics, history of technology and digital sciences.
In parallel to his academic activities, he worked for the ICOMOS (International Council for Monuments and Sites) from the 1990s as expert for civil engineering heritage and hydraulic works in context of the World Heritage UNESCO Convention. He is currently advisor for the evaluation of applicant sites for the World Heritage List.
Among his publications:
· Le Canal du Midi, « Merveille de l’Europe », Paris, Belin-Herscher, 2003.
· De l’espionnage industriel à la veille technologique, essai sur la circulation des idées techniques durant la révolution industrielle, Belfort - Besançon, UTBM - PU de Franche-Comté, 2005.
· Le choix de la révolution industrielle, les entreprises de Marc Seguin et de ses frères (1815-1835), Rennes, PUR Fondation Carnot, 2007.
· Documents pour l’histoire des techniques : La numérisation du patrimoine technique, éditeur du n° 18, Paris CNAM, 2ème semestre 2009.
· Heritage Sites of Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy in the context of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, ICOMOS & IAU Thematic Study, dir. avec Clive Ruggles, Paris, ICOMOS & IAU, e-edition 2010, paper edition 2011.
http://www.astronomicalheritage.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=31