Martigny-Châtelard Railway

Martigny-Châtelard Railway
Multiple unit BDeh 4/8 21 in Martigny, in the background standard gauge multiple unit 6 of the MO
Timetable field :	132
Route length:	18.36 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system :	850 V  =
Maximum slope :	Adhesion 70  ‰ rack 200  ‰
Rack system :	Strub
Martigny – Le Châtelard – Vallorcine
Legend 0.0 Martigny 467  m above sea level M. Connection to Lausanne , Brig and MO to Sembrancher - Orsières / Le Châble 1,145 Les Fumeaux 460  m above sea level M. 3,914 Vernayaz MC 457  m above sea level M. Depot and workshop Buvette (83 m) Bourgout (132 m) Charbons (419 m) 7.403 Salvan 934  m above sea level M. Marécottes (63 m) 8,814 Les Marécottes 1030  m above sea level M. 9.348 La Médettaz 1040  m above sea level M. Triège (153 m) 10,567 Le Trétien 1059  m above sea level M. Petit-Lachat (12 m) Grand-Lachat (580 m) 13.945 Finhaut 1224  m above sea level M. Revenez (49 m) Grosse-Larze (82 m) Balayé (180 m) Bébolaz (50 m) Châtelaret (143 m) 16.678 Le Châtelard VS 1226  m above sea level M. Connection to Parc d'Attractions du Châtelard Gallery couverte du Châtelard (17 m) 18,072 Le Châtelard-Frontière 1116  m above sea level M. Border station with France 18,363 36,615 State border between Switzerland and France Châtelard (143 m) 34.115 Vallorcine 1260  m Continuation as the Saint-Gervais – Vallorcine line

The Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn , abbreviated to MC , ( French : Chemin de fer Martigny-Châtelard) is a former railway company in the canton of Valais in Switzerland . In 2001 it merged with the Martigny-Orsières-Bahn (MO) to form the Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR), which operate the 18 km meter-gauge MC line from Martigny through the Vallée du Trient , via Vernayaz to the border station Le Châtelard- Frontière .

On the French side, the line continues via Vallorcine and Chamonix to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet , this continuing Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine line is operated by the French State Railways (SNCF).

The Transports de Martigny et Régions market their train service on the Martigny – Châtelard line of the former railway company of the same name under the name Mont Blanc Express .

history

HG 2/2 No. 1, construction locomotive for the Martigny-Châtelard Railway.

Share for CHF 50 in Compagnie du Chemin de fer de Martigny au Châtelard from February 1923

Current and historical rolling stock in the Vernayaz depot

Swiss and French train at the Châtelard-Frontière border station, 1986

After several route proposals, the government of the canton of Valais decided on today's route from Martigny via Vernayaz , Salvan , Finhaut and Les Marécottes to Le Châtelard .

The route can be divided into three sections, the 4.8 km long route on the plain from Martigny to Vernayaz, the rack and pinion section with a length of 2.4 km between Vernayaz and Salvan in the Trient Valley and the Salvan route along the rocky slopes to Finhaut and Le Châtelard, the border town to the French municipality of Vallorcine . The French section, the Saint-Gervais – Vallorcine line , continues from Vallorcine via Chamonix to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet .

As a local tram between Martigny-Gare, the city center and the industrial community of Martigny-Bourg was required in Martigny, the MC had to make a compromise for the old city center route, which it originally traveled together with the local tram: in the city area, a tram-compatible one had to be used overhead line to be driven, which was applied to the entire section between Martigny and Vernayaz. The rest of the route, on the other hand, was equipped with a side track, painted from above, which is compatible with the French section. The voltage was originally 750 V and was later increased to 850 V. The traction current was generated in the Lonza power station near Vernayaz , where two Rieter direct current generators were installed.

The rack section was equipped with a sleek rack that extends up to 138 mm above the upper edge of the rail (pitch circle at 123 mm above the SOK). That is much higher than with other rack railways. The reason lies in the Fellschen brake rail , which should allow the French side to safely negotiate gradients of up to 90 ‰. The gear wheels of the MC vehicles were so high that they did not touch the brake rail. To this day, their installation position has caused the car floor height to be greater than that of other gear-wheel vehicles. The platforms were relatively high from the start, in keeping with the French side and taking into account the power rail. In order to enable level entry into the new train compositions, the platforms will be raised from 55 to 65 cm above the top of the rails (the usual size for meter-gauge railways in Switzerland is 35 cm).

On June 10, 1902, the Compagnie du Chemin de fer de Martigny au Châtelard - ligne du Valais à Chamonix was founded. Construction work began on November 24 of the same year. Despite the complex construction of 46 larger viaducts and bridges and twelve tunnels, the route was opened on August 20, 1906 after only 4 years of construction.

In the first few years of operation, five pairs of trains ran between Martigny and Le Châtelard every day. For the 18-kilometer route, the trains once took around 90 minutes, now it is around 45 minutes. The maximum speed at that time was 7 km / h on the gear and 25 km / h on the adhesion section .

Between 1906 and 1909 eight BCFeh 4/4 railcars were purchased, which were designed for combined adhesion and gear operation. A total of eight control cars were also procured for these railcars; this was the first application of multiple control in Switzerland. However, the railcars could only be controlled from the control car on the adhesion sections. It was also noteworthy that in seven of the eight control cars half the car length was occupied by a baggage compartment and a mail compartment (especially since all railcars also had a baggage compartment) and therefore only 24 seats could be installed. Only the open car 21, which has been preserved to this day, had 48 seats. The electrical equipment came partly from CIEM in Geneva (cars 1–3) and partly from MFO in Oerlikon (cars 11–15).

In addition to the railcars, two HGe 2/2 push-pull locomotives were also purchased by 1907 , which were also designed for combined adhesion and gear operation. In 1908 two railcars of the type BCFe 2/4 with only adhesion drive were delivered, which were to be transported over the rack and pinion ramp by the sliding locomotives . The neighboring railways from Bex to Villars and from Aigle to Leysin as well as the Stansstad-Engelberg-Bahn were also familiar with such an operating concept. The continuous journey with mixed rack and adhesion railcars was much easier and also more economical, which is why the locomotives were sold to the Villars – Bretaye Railway in 1930.

The Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn maintained good contact with Compagnie Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (PLM), the original operator of the French section of the Mont Blanc Express, from the start. Already in the spring of 1906, two years before the opening, the MC was able to sign an operating contract for the cross-border section Le Châtelard - Vallorcine , on which the Martigny-Châtelard Railway operated until 1996. The track maintenance and the energy supply were taken over by the French side and since 1997 this section has been served by the SNCF.

On July 1, 1908, the French section between Argentière , Vallorcine and Le Châtelard was opened, whereby the planned direct connection from Martigny via Chamonix to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains was realized.

After the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) secured the water usage rights in the Vallon de Barberine for the purpose of generating electricity, the Chemin de fer Martigny-Châtelard was commissioned with the transport of materials. The construction site of the Barberine gravity dam was opened up by SBB in 1920 from Le Châtelard by means of a funicular and a subsequent transport line; the transports from Châtelard to the Rhône valley were handled by MC, which transported 23,023 tons of goods in the peak year of 1923.

At the end of 1929 the Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn separated from the tram operation in Martigny, which it transferred, including the two Ce 2/2 41 and 42 railcars, to the newly founded Société du Tramway de Martigny-Gare à Martigny-Bourg . From March 1, 1931, the Martigny-Châtelard Railway no longer ran through the city, but instead took a newly built route parallel to the SBB line to La Bâtiaz (and continued on the previous line to Vernayaz).

Until the 1930s, operations were limited to the summer months (end of May to end of October) due to the danger of avalanches in the Trient Valley. Year -round operation began in 1931/32 after a snow plow had been procured , and galleries were built to protect against avalanches. Shortly afterwards, the Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn realized winter sports trips with its own rolling stock to Montroc-le-Planet in France. At this point in time, PLM was not yet able to implement a winter-safe route to Argentière and Chamonix.

At the beginning of the 1930s, the Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn parted with numerous vehicles, such as the two HGe 2/2 locomotives and the steam locomotive . In return, the CFeh 4/4 railcars purchased by SBB for power plant construction were acquired. With the outbreak of the Second World War and the occupation of the important border region with France by the Swiss Army, the MC was able to record a significant increase in passenger traffic.

When the French PLM was nationalized in the 1950s and became part of the French State Railways, the Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn and the French State Railways took this as an opportunity to renew the rolling stock. The new vehicles from Swiss production met the French safety requirements and, thanks to the uniform Scharfenberg coupling, could be coupled with the French vehicles. The MC used the standardization to offer non-stop trains to Chamonix. In the summer of 1957, a new generation train ran continuously between Martigny and Chamonix for the first time, but in the next few years this direct connection was reduced to a Swiss control car , which was carried along with a French train in France. This emergency solution remained in place until 1991 regardless of the number of passengers.

In the 1970s, the Emosson reservoir was massively expanded with the new Emosson arch dam. The construction of the second dam brought the Martigny-Châtelard railway to a new high in freight traffic, in 1973 22,450 tons of goods were transported.

Due to the strong increase in traffic, the route was equipped with an automatic route block with light signals (French: block automatique lumineux ) in order to be able to increase the frequency and improve safety . This system is currently being completely renewed, work on it began in 2005.

With the construction of the road over the Col de la Forclaz , the Martigny-Châtelard Railway faced massive competition from road traffic. The number of passengers sank from 414,447 (1965) to 300,000 passengers per year, freight traffic steadily decreased to the point of insignificance.

The rolling stock was modernized again in 1987, while the BDeh 4/4s from the years 1957 to 1964 were given contemporary furnishings and a coat of paint that drew attention to the Mont Blanc Express .

At the beginning of the 1990s, when the French State Railways also had to renew their more than 40-year-old rolling stock, an agreement was reached for the first time to jointly purchase railcars from Swiss production. In 1994 Vevey Technologies (previously Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey , ACMV) in Villeneuve ordered five articulated multiple units of the type BDeh 4/8 (SNCF series Z800), which were delivered to the Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn and the SNCF in 1997. The new vehicles enable trains from Martigny to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet to be connected. These trains have been operated jointly by the Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn and the French State Railways since 1997 under the product name “Mont-Blanc-Express”. The new vehicles enable a driving speed of 25 km / h in gear and 70 km / h in adhesion mode.

At the beginning of 2001, the Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard (MC) merged with the Chemin de fer Martigny-Orsières (MO) to form the Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR).

business

Le Châtelard-Frontière, summer 2001

Today the route has around 250,000 passengers a year. 1965 was the maximum with 414,447 passengers. Freight traffic is negligible these days.

The through trains run under the name "Mont-Blanc Express".

Rolling stock

BDeh 4/4 5 powered rail car with control car in Martigny, 1986

In use at Transports de Martigny et régions

The vehicles built from 1957 onwards were equipped with a Scharfenberg coupling in accordance with the subsequent French route . The central buffer with screw couplings underneath, abbreviated Zp1, used until then, is still available in some freight and company cars.

The TMR vehicles used across the border were the first Swiss narrow-gauge vehicles to receive twelve-digit TSI numbers .

Railcar and control car

BDt 68 control car in Martigny

• ABFeh 4/4, later BDeh 4/4 4 to 8 (1957, 1964) SWP / SAAS; 48 seats, 6 converted to Xemh 4/4 6

  TSI no .: 90 85 838 0007-7, 90 85 838 0008-5

  Associated control car ABFt, later BDt 63–68 (1957, 1964); 60 seats, 66 and 67 canceled in 2011

  TSI no .: 96 85 838 0063-4 and 96 85 838 0068-3

• BDeh 4/4 ^II 501 (1980); 44 seats

  TSI no .: 90 85 838 0501-9

  associated control cars Bt 601 and 602 (1980); 58 seats plus 42 standing places, 602 delivered as intermediate car B 701 and converted in 1982, demolished in 2011

  TSI no .: 96 85 838 0601-1

Multiple units

• BDeh 4/8 21–22 (numbers of the individual wagons: 821/822 and 823/824) (1997), as well as SNCF Z800 801/802, 803/804 and 805/806 (1997): joint order of 5 multiple units for continuous trains Trains Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet-Martigny of the Martigny-Châtelard Railway and SNCF near Vevey (mechanical parts), SLM (cogwheel parts) and Adtranz (electrical parts)

  TSI no .: 90 85 838 0821-1 and 90 85 838 0822-9

• Beh 4/8 71–72 (2011) built by Stadler Rail , correspond to the Z851 to 856 of the SNCF, but with additional gear drive

  TSI no .: 90 85 838 0871-6 and 90 85 838 0872-4

Service vehicles

• Xemh 4/4 6 (converted from BDeh 4/4 6 in 2008)
• Te 2/2 91 (1962) SWS / MFO, ex VBZ Xe 2/2 1907, similar car broken off 1906 2002
• Tm / XTm 2/2 204 (1982), in summer with working platform (Tm), in winter with snow thrower (XTm). Identical vehicles at SNCF (Saint-Gervais – Vallorcine) and the Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez-Bahn (NStCM).

Freight and company cars

• Gk 111, 112, 115, 116 (1907) SWS, 115 still equipped with Zp1
• X 113 (1907/78) SWS, still equipped with Zp1
• X 114 (1907/80) SWS
• Gk 121 (1907/36) SWS, still equipped with Zp1
• Rkp 141-142 (1970) SWP
• Kkm-u 153–154 (1908 / 87–88) SWS
• Ek 163 (1907) SWS, still equipped with Zp1
• Kbk 164 (1907) SWS, still equipped with Zp1
• Fd 165 (2011), ballast wagon
• X 301 (1975) assembly manager

Snow removal vehicles

• X 201 (1933)
• Xrote 202 (1942)
• X 203 (1983)
• Xrotm 2/2 204 = winter equipment of the Xm 204

Former rolling stock of the Martigny-Châtelard Railway

• ABFeh 4/4 originally BCFe4 1–3 (1906/07) SLM / SWS / CIEM, 1966, 57 and 56 discarded, canceled
• ABFeh 4/4 originally BCFe4 11–14 (1906/08) SLM / SWS / MFO, discarded in 1956/57 and 2003, canceled
• ABFeh 4/4 15 (1909) SLM / SWS / MFO, ex BCFeh, delivered to Train Nostalgique du Trient
• BDe 4/4, originally BCFe4 21-22 (1908) SWS / CIEM, 1957 and 1990 canceled
• BDeh, originally CFeh 4/4 31 and 32 (1921) SLM / SWS / MFO, converted to BCFeh in 1935, delivered to Train Nostalgique du Trient
• Bt 51 (1906) SWS / SAAS, number 21 until 1908, delivered to Train Nostalgique du Trient in 1997
• BDZt, originally CFZ4 61–62 and BCFZ4 71–72 (1906) SWS / SLM / CIEM, 1948, 66 and 57 canceled
• ADZt, originally BCFZ4 73–74 (1908) and BFZ4 75 (1909) SWS / SLM / CIEM / MFO, 73 canceled in 1966, 74–75 in 1995 given to Chemin der fer de la Mure, then Train Nostalgique du Trient
• X 166 (1907/2000) SWS. Flat car with crane, delivered to Train Nostalgique du Trient
• Be 2/2 1017 and 1019 (1929) SWS / MFO, ex VBZ 1017 and 1019, 1017 1980 canceled, 1019 handed over to Tram-Museum Zürich (TMZ)

Historic vehicle park of the Train Nostalgique du Trient (TNT) association

• Railcar BCFeh 4/4 15 (1909) SLM / SWS / MFO
• Railcar BCFeh 4/4 32 (1921) SLM / SWS / MFO
• Control car Bt 21 le Pavillon (1906), former number 51
• Control cars BFZt 74 and 75 (1908.09)
• Flat car number 166 (1907)

route

Technical specifications

Between Finhaut and Châtelard VS

• Profile: flat course from Martigny to Vernayaz (height: 457.35 m), then rack section to Salvan (height: 933.85 m). Another incline in adhesion operation to Finhaut (height: 1224.05 m), then a slight incline to Châtelard-Frontière (1115.74 m).
• Electrified 850 V DC (originally 750 V),
• Originally, the entire route from Vernayaz to Le Chatelard was equipped with a side busbar, for practical reasons: if trees fell on the rails during storms or snow, the voltage only had to be briefly switched off so that the trees could be cleared; the railway systems remained largely intact. In the case of overhead lines, this must first be painstakingly reinstalled. Due to the new federal safety regulations issued in the 1980s, the entire line was to be converted to overhead lines (no live lines close to the ground), but this would have meant lowering the track in the tunnel with rack section in the lowest section between Vernayaz and Salvan, as the tunnel profile does not offer space for an overhead line. Since this section is not very accessible for pedestrians (rock faces), it was temporarily waived for cost reasons. The same applies to the tunnels between Le Trétien and Le Châtelard.
  • The first expansion step with overhead line was from Salvan via Les Marécottes to Le Trétien (1990–1991).
  • Second expansion step on the short stretch from Le Châtelard VS to Le Châtelard-Frontière (1994–1996).
  • In the preliminary final expansion step, the station areas Le Trétien, Finhaut and Le Châtelard will be completely converted.
• Strub type rack between Vernayaz and Salvan . On this 1914 m long section the gradient is a maximum of 200 ‰.
• Engineering structures:
  • 5 viaducts, including viaduc du Triège and viaduc des Torrents .
  • numerous avalanche galleries
  • 9 tunnels , the longest being the grand tunnel de Lachat with a length of 579.52 m .
• Operation: since the 1970s, route block with daylight signals. The management and the workshop are located in Vernayaz .

swell

Jean Metz, José Banaudo, Matthias Huber, Les Trains du Mont-Blanc. Second volume: Le Chemin de fer Martigny-Châtelard, Le Tramway de Martigny. Les Editions du Cabri, Breil-sur-Roya, 1998, ISBN 2-908816-62-8

Web links

Commons : Martigny-Châtelard line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• TMR: Mont-Blanc Express

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hans G. Wägli: Swiss rail network and Swiss rail profile CH + , in a slipcase. AS Verlag , Zurich, 2010, ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9 , page 63
2. ^ H. Rikli-Kehlstadt: High-speed direct current generators for rail operations . In: Schweizerische Bauzeitung . tape 44 , no. 3 , 1904, pp. 25–28 , doi : 10.5169 / seals-24754 ( e-periodica.ch [accessed April 13, 2019]).
3. ↑ From ACMV to "Vevey" Technologies , in: Schweizer Eisenbahn-Revue 11/1993, page 475
4. ↑ Federal Office for the Commercial Register - Central Company Index ( Memento of the original from January 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on March 1, 2013) 
5. ↑ www.trainostalgique-trient.ch (accessed on January 19, 2013)