Les Trains du Col de Tende

Part 1

The railway from Nice PLM Station to Tende and Cuneo was completed in 1928. It was long in the gestation and in construction. The story stretches back more than a century and a half. ‘Le Chemin de fer du Col de Tende’ is historically a significant local and international line. Its inverted Y-shaped layout and its crossing of international borders means that it is known by a number of different names:

- in Nice it is known as the Nice – Coni Line;

- generally in Italy it is officially Ferrovia Cuneo Ventimiglia

- in the Piedmont city of Cuneo’s economic/political circles, sitting at the top of the inverted ‘Y’, it is often referred to as the Cuneo – Nizza line in recognition of good relations with the community of Nice.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/07/22/the-railway-from-nice-to-tende-and-cuneo-part-1

 

Jogs many memories of trips along the line.
Thanks for taking the time to write this.

 

An aside from Les Trains du Col de Tende

Scotte Steam-powered Road Trains

I first came across the Scotte Steam-powered vehicles while following the story of Les Trains du Col de Tende...

Société des Chaudières et Voitures à Vapeur système Scotte was a French manufacturer of steam-powered trucks, tractors, and omnibuses in Paris from 1893 to circa. 1914. The company also built the Train Scotte, an early road train for passenger or freight transport.

I first encountered the Train Scotte when reading about the Cuneo-Ventimiglia-Nice international railway line in a book by Jose Banaudo, Michel Braun and Gerard de Santos; Les Trains du Col de Tende Volume 1: 1858-1928. [2] The partial opening of the that railway from Cuneo to Vievola in October 1900 left travellers heading for the Mediterranean in the middle of nowhere!

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/07/2...ered-road-vehicles-scotte-steam-road-vehicles

An experimental steam road train was trialled on the roads from Vievola to Ventimiglia. It was supplied by Société des Chaudières et Voitures à Vapeur système Scotte.