Jessains – Sorcy railway line

Jessains-Sorcy
North end of the Brienne railway with an important level crossing
Route number (SNCF) :	015 000
Route length:	138 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	25 kV 50 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	9  ‰
Dual track :	formerly yes
Legend Paris – Mulhouse railway from Mulhouse 210.0 Jessains ( wedge station ) 170 m Paris – Mulhouse railway line to Paris Est 213.7 Canal d'amenée from Lac Amance Juvanzé 140 m 214.9 Aube Unienville 138 m 216.8 End of the route 217.7 Dienville 134 m Brienne-la-Vieille 128 m Troyes – Brienne-le-Château railway line from Troyes 223.2 Brienne-le-Château 124 m Siding Camp de Brienne-le-Château 229.8 Vallentigny-Maizières 122 m Vallentigny – Vitry-le-François railway line to Vitry-le-François ~ 233.3 Aube / Haute-Marne border 237.4 Longeville-sur-la-Laines 118 m Ceffondet 245.7 Montier-en-Der 130 m Voire Railway Montier-en-Der-Éclaron to Saint-Dizier 253.4 Voillecomte 159 m 259.3 Saint-Dizier – Doulevant-le-Château railway from Saint-Dizier 259.8 Wassy 172 m 259.3 Brousseval 169 m 261.8 Railway line Saint-Dizier – Doulevant-le-Château to Doulevant Blaise (75 m) 271.7 Sommancourt-Maizières 239 m Blesme-Haussignémont – Chaumont railway from Saint-Dizier 283.3 Joinville 188 m Railway line Blesme-Haussignémont – Chaumont to Chaumont 285.3 Marne Canal between Champagne and Burgundy 285.9 Suzannecourt Tunnel (640m) Rongeant 291.2 Poissons-Noncourt 240 m 293.1 Rongeant (52m) 297.0 Thonnance-les-Moulins 278 m Rongeant (87m) 300.1 Tunnel de l'Hazelle (480m) 301.7 Soulaincourt 318 m ~ 309.3 Haute-Marne / Meuse border 310.7 Luméville-Chassey 364 m Railway line Nançois-Tronville – Neufchâteau from / n. Neufchâteau 319.5 Gondrecourt-le-Château 306 m Railway line Nançois-Tronville – Neufchâteau from / n. Nançois-Tronv. 320.0 Ornain 322.6 Viaduc d'Abainville 325.6 Tunnel de Rosières (350 m) Rosières-en-Blois 331 + 1 Mauvages 336.5 Sauvoy 262 m 341.8 Void 248 m 342.4 Canal de la Marne au Rhin 343.5 Meuse (72 m) ~ 343.7 N 4 345.1 Saint-Martin-Sorcy 239 m ~ 346.5 Paris – Strasbourg railway from Paris-Est Canal de l'Est 348.1 302.2 Sorcy 241 m Railway line Paris – Strasbourg to Strasbourg

The Jessains – Sorcy railway line is now a largely fallow railway line in the south-west-north-east direction in France . It connected the two highways Paris – Mulhouse and Paris – Strasbourg .

In Brienne-le-Château , Joinville and Gondrecourt-le-Château , she touched other routes in north-south orientation, which also linked these two routes. Of the former 138.1 kilometers, just 12.6 km can be traveled in 2018, of which 6.6 km belong to another railway line. The mileage was done from Jessains from Paris via Troyes .

history

The creation of this southern route resulted from two different requirements. The part between Jessains and Montier-en-Der is the connection of the line that continued operationally to Éclaron-Braucourt-Sainte-Livière near Saint-Dizier . However, after its completion, this was run as an independent route, the Montier-en-Der à Éclaron line. The north-east adjoining part is of a military-strategic character in order to enable troop movements close to the front in the event of the occupation of the Meuse valley. The Chemin de fer de l'Est (CE) was obliged to do so by law.

Southern part

Since the turn of the year 1875/76 there has been a dispute with the CE railway company in the National Assembly when it comes to choosing the route. The construction was estimated at 5 million francs. At first the contract was accepted by both sides, but the generals saw themselves at a disadvantage and wanted to achieve improvements "for the benefit of the general public". In a meeting on April 13, 1877, the original plan to make Brienne-le-Château the starting point of the route was discarded in favor of a direct route or a better connection to Troyes. So the decision was made for Jessains, which was already on an existing, high-performance railway line. One of the reasons for Jessains was the small additional effort of only 22.5 kilometers and only a 5.5 km detour compared to the original plan via Piney. The faster construction work on this route was also taken into account. The line was opened on April 10, 1887. The alternative route, the Troyes – Brienne-le-Château line , was reflected in the Frecyinet plan of July 1879, was also built and opened in 1886.

After 1886 this southern section quickly lost its importance and was mainly used for connections between Brienne and Bar-sur-Aube , but was discontinued for passenger transport in 1938 after the Minister of Transport had publicly requested this in 1932. The bridge between Dienville and Jessains was destroyed in June 1940 and has been manifested by the Canal d'amenée since 1952 , which finally interrupted the rail link. However, there was still freight traffic for a mill between Dienville and Brienne until 1988. The route is still officially open, but it does not seem to be used in the foreseeable future.

The section between Brienne and Vallentigny-Maizières, which is an integral part of today's route between Troyes and Vitry-le-François and was also used from Troyes to Saint-Dizier in the past, is still open to freight traffic.

Strategic path

The concession for this section was granted to the CE on November 20, 1883, and the public interest was declared on December 23, 1885. The aim was to be able to easily move troops between Nancy and Orleans in the event of a surprise mobilization. The Franco-German War was only a few years ago. It went into full service on June 1, 1892.

That it was of exclusively strategic importance can also be seen from the fact that it does not touch any major cities between Brienne and the end of the route at Sorcy. It received a great reception shortly after its opening from Marie François Sadi Carnot , the then President of the Third Republic . He used this route on June 7th on his way back from Toul , where he had visited Lorraine and met a brother of the Russian tsar there.

Thonnance 2007, looking towards Neufchâteau.

This strategic part, which was built on two tracks from the start, was immediately used according to its function. The state remained the owner of the route, but transferred the operation and management of the CE. After its completion, it was equipped with additional facilities in numerous places, for example with ramps on the open road to allow the cavalry to get on or off at the same level. The supply of water was an important concern in order to be able to supply people, cattle and machines with it. Numerous water pipes, tanks, canals and reservoirs were installed accordingly. There were also transitions to the waterway network such as a 350 m quay in Wassy .

During the First World War, the line was able to prove itself by being used as intended. It proved to be an important support on the Western Front , through which a large part of the supply, but also the transport of the wounded could be handled. Gondrecourt was later a training camp for the 1st Infantry Division . The Americans also had a workshop in Abainville (BK 322,3) along the route.

In 1938 passenger traffic on this line was stopped, and one of the two tracks was removed in 1942/43. In 1953 the last freight train drove the entire route. As early as mid-November 1954, the first sections were devised. The last eight kilometers between Joinville and Poissons were made in 1990. Today there is no longer a piece of track, some roads have been laid over it, such as the N 67 near Joinville, or houses have been built like in Void-Vacon between the Canal de la Marne au Rhin and the N 4 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Alfred Picard: Les chemins de fer français: étude historique sur la constitution et le régime du réseau. Paris, 1884, p. 606
2. ↑ Bulletin des lois de la République française , No. 14216, Paris 1884, pp. 345-352
3. ↑ Reports and délibérations / Département de l'Aube, Conseil général . Conseil général de l'Aube, Troyes Aug. 1877, pages 8-14
4. ^ ^{A b} Bulletin des lois de la République française , No. 14216, Paris 1884, pp. 1301-1303
5. ^ Bulletin des lois de la République française . Paris, Jan. 1879, p. 354
6. ↑ Edgar Zevort: Histoire de la Third Republic. La présidence de Carnot. Paris, 1896-1901, Volume 4, Page 177
7. ↑ Le Voyage de Nancy . La Croix , June 9, 1892, page 1
8. ↑ André Schontz et al .: Le chemin de fer de Lorraine , Woippy 1999, ISBN 978-2876924147 , page 76