Baie de Somme - Fete de la Vapeur 27/28 April

The triennial Fete de la Vapeur at the CFBS is just over a month away.

It's only 90 mins from Calais, operates over three branches (mixed, standard, metre gauge) plus a dockside branch-ette with rides, has various visiting locos including one from the K&ESR, a Paris electric Metro, railcars, various randoms and mainline services calling at Noyelles, plus the vast operating home fleet. This year one station also has a 600mm running line set up too.

I was surprised in recent years the lack of British voices there - it's so close to the south and London. You can just about do it in a day with Le Shuttle if you're in the SE. If you can hack the long day, then stick around to the superb cavalcade of all stock heading home to Saint Valery along the estuary on the Sunday evening.

My shots from three years ago. Try something different - this is a chance to see some continental railway heritage (with a bit of British chucked in for good measure) at a very affordable price and not a million miles from home. There are lots of hotels a few miles inland at Amiens and Abbeville.

Every station has great locally-sourced food and drink, plus sideshows of various types (miniature railways and model railways were in abundance last time).

Official site: CFBS - Fête de la Vapeur
My pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timmydunn/sets/72157614969367852/

 

Paid a quick visit to Le Crotoy last July when caravanning in France. Nice little system and well worth the trip.

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Just dug up the thread on the 2009 event (four years ago, not three as I'd thought) - and lots of positive comments.
http://railways.national-preservati...8231-fete-de-vapeur-2009-baie-de-somme-2.html

Before the 2013 event starts there seems to be a special Enthusiast event on the Friday with:

Standard Gauge
Sprague metro and vintage TN4B Paris bus at Saint-Valery Port station
The Sprague metro and the X-2403 railcar will run between Saint-Valery Port and Noyelles
Ex-SNCF locomotive 150-P-13 will be double-headed by 0-4-0 "Marcia" and 0-6-0 "Bébert"

Metre Gauge
Great parade of all metre gauge steam locomotives on the Saint-Valery gradient (this is a very steep grade up a long straight bank - v impressive)
A train comprising no fewer than 10 steam locomotives will run, with photo-stops and the crews posing by their engines

See you there.

 

Yes, this is a must do for me. 2009 gala was superb; so much going on that I physically couldn't keep up with it! Easy to get to from southern England, but good to see how the French do things - vive la difference!

Even better if the X-2403 railcar and the 150-P-13 are still there on Sunday - can only get the one day off.

John

 

It's a great day went in 2009, but did not go to far away from Noyelles this year i'd like to get out a bit and take some pictures, doe any one know of any good spots to head to?

 

There were a lot of photters at the top of the branch incline heading towards out of St Valery to Cayeux. The incline is surrounded by an avenue of trees and the locos have to work hard; it's very attractive. Also there's the raised embankment surrounding the bay, which gives some good wide views. If you can stick around for the procession at the end of workings on the Sunday, do.

 

Thanks for that sadly we are going over for the day Saturday next time i think i'll try to stay for the two days, i'll give them spots a go :thumb:

Ian White

P.S are you going ?

 

We'll be all over - four of us are staying for the two days with a car, but to be honest photography comes after riding the trains, exploring the far corners and eating the food!

 

The "Off" Programme on Friday 26 April looks interesting for photographers. I am told accommodation in the area starts to get booked up as soon as Fete dates are announced!

 

I received my copy of the "Guide du Spotter" for the event by post today. Not bad given the fact that I ordered it three days ago in the evening! It looks like two fully packed days with the first train movement on 8:15 and the last finishing at 21:00 and some interesting movements on the Friday. It look as if "Marcia" of the KESR will haul a cold 2-10-0 along the line on Friday!

 

That was an epic event. Spectacular - so much going on - we rode the balconies up and down the branches and think I managed to see everything that moved. Now even a bit sunburnt from yesterday afternoon. Well worth travelling down for.
My pics here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timmydunn/sets/72157633374565170/

The filters aren't to everyone's taste, but I'm particularly pleased with the Frot 0-4-0 pair pic coming over the plain at Cayeux, which I snapped having hopped out of the car to watch it pass by.

A lot of British voices and cars, though strangely most of the photogaphers I overheard (mostly grumpy ones complaining about lighting and other people enjoying themselves by 'thoughtlessly' wandering into their very oh-so-special shot) were British too. I wish they'd lighten up and remember that these events aren't for photographers. They're for everyone, and if they can't get their special shot then that's the skill of photography and living for the moment. Meh!

 

Wonderful event. Where else in the world could you ride one way on a metre gauge steam hauled train and return on a standard gauge Paris Metro electric train?

 

An excellent event. Four of us spent Saturday and Sunday there and had mostly fine weather. A great line up of locos. The timetable was rather ambitious and inevitably trains started to run late, as they do in UK galas. The St. Valery bank was too much for some of the smaller locos and the diesel banker was kept busy!

A pity there was no main line steam special, as in previous years. Pacific 231K8 is rumoured to be almost ready to return to service.

 

I second that. It is very hard to choose the absolute highlight of the highlights. I think for me those were the two rides in the "Anjou" first class four wheel coach on the Sunday, from Cayeux to St. Valery and back. The ride on the metro train must be second. It was a very surreal experience to ride a vintage Paris metro train on a non-electrified dual gauge railway on the Channel Coast! (One car is a generator car which does not carry passengers, in case anyone wonders!) The temporary 60 cm Decauville line in Cayeux was also just unbelieveable. Where else would the authorities close a road for some railway track to be put down for a weekend? Surely the tramway fraternity must now add that line to their statistics: Cayeux Steam Tram, opened 27 April 2013, closed 28 April 2013. And we also rode the Paris bus.

In general, I found photography rather relaxing. There were some excellent photo locations where the two of us were almost on our own. Certainly the last trains and empty stock movements from Noyelles to St. Valery on the dam crossing the marches gave brilliant photos in the evening sunshine on the Sunday.

Noticeable was the very relaxed atmosphere at the event. I am sure some UK H&S people would have had several fits over the weekend with lots of report forms being filled in, but here it all worked out fine without incident. People running all over the place as a train approaches the station with low platforms? Have some people with whistles and loud voices and some careful drivers and it all worked!

The public definitely liked the event. Trains and platforms were packed almost right from the first trains onwards.

There were some glitches, though, but hardly anthing which was within the control of the CFBS. The weather on the Friday for the cavalcade was atrocious with a heavy downpour at the time of the parade. Okay, the timetable slipped back on both days but that also gave some connections and photographic opportunities which might not have been possible otherwise. There were a few failures which hit the service, starting with a hot box on coach 10504 on the very first train to Le Crotoy on the Saturday. RB332 failed on the Sunday at Cayeux and the mixed train apparently was cancelled for one Cayeux - St. Valery and return journey on the Sunday. I missed the K&ESR loco "Marcia" on the Sunday as well and I am not sure if the "new" blue CM101 made an appearance on the service trains it was scheduled for. But to me those were minor inconveniences. Much more potential for desaster had the fact that I had left my CF card reader at home. Fortunately the Carrefour supermarket in St. Valery stocked a suitable connection cable!

I uploaded two videos of the Friday on Youtube:



with some pictures to follow somewhere eventually.

Well done, CFBS!

Christoph

 

A video with scenes from the 'Festival Off' on the Friday of the event. Video from the rest of the weekend to follow;

 

I recall travelling behind the sprightly little Corpet "Aisne 1" some years ago over the mixed gauge section. It was intriguing to find her fitted with a Flaman speed recorder but when we set off I could see why! Her fleetness of foot went along with what seemed a rock steady ride.
PH

 

My final instalment from the Gala with scenes from the two days;

 

An excellent compilation. Couldn't make this year's event so roll on the next one.

 

Thanks very much, their galas seem to keep on getting better, a shame that there were no mainline steam visitors this time but hopefully there will be some next time.

 

Let's hope that it won't be four years to wait for the next one - definitely a must do! So many highlights, but the ex PO Correze Mallet and the evening ride from St Valery to Noyelles standing on the balcony immediately behind the red ex CFD de l'Aisne 2-6-0T.

Everyone seemed to be having a fun time; it felt as though the main purpose was to have a day at the seaside. And a welcome escape from overbearing British elfansafety neurosis - I don't think any fatal accidents occurred.