Paris
- Day One & 'Le Train Capitale'
Monday May 26 2003
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Our first of two full days in Paris dawned bright, sunny and hot.
The view over Paris Gare l'Est from room 110 of the Mercure hotel. The weather was clearly fantastic and stayed this way for most of the trip ! May 26 2003
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The first 'target' for the day was the Eiffel Tower. A metro and RER ride from Paris Est took us to Bir Hakeim station just a short walk from the Tower.
Click here or on the image to the left for a map of the Paris Metro and RER system. |
Very near to the Eiffel Tower one of the many metro lines in Paris (line 6 from Charles de Gaulle Étoile to Nation) crosses the River Seine on this ornate bridge, Pont de Bir Hakeim. On the lower deck on the bridge is a road. May 26 2003
The Eiffel Tower was erected between 1887 & 1889 as a temporary attraction and still going strong ! Through the bottom of the tower, and across the other side of the River Seine, the Palais de Chaillot, otherwise referred to as the Trocadéro, can just be seen. May 26 2003
From the Eiffel Tower we walked across the river past the Palais de Chaillot to reach Trocadéro Metro station for the short trip to Charles de Gaulle Étoile. This put us in position for the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Élysées.
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Another
one of the best known attractions in Paris in the Arc de Triomphe. It
was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and finally finished in 1836. May
26 2003 |
Walking down the Champs Élysées towards Place de la Concorde took us past many expensive looking shops and cafes. We didn't stop at any of them ! It was very noticeable how in this part of Paris the traffic was much worse than elsewhere.
The Avenue des Champs Élysées and the typically heavy traffic. May 26 2003 © Brian Bane
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The 1987 built replica of French pioneer locomotive 'Marc Seguin', named after her designer, on display at 'Le Train Capitale'. The original locomotive was built in 1829 using the then revolutionary fire tube boiler that became the standard for steam locomotives the world over. Frenchman Seguin patented the fire tube boiler on December 20 1827, however use of it was royalty free. May 26 2003
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Another
view of this interesting 1987 built replica of locomotive 'Marc Seguin'.
May 26 2003 |
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On
loan from the French National Railway Museum in Mulhouse was this historic
locomotive No.33 'St. Pierre'. Built in 1844 this is the oldest locomotive
in the French National collection. May 26 2003 |
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Also
on loan from the French National Railway Museum in Mulhouse was No.80
of the Paris-Strasbourg Railway. I believe this is the only 'Crampton'
type loco preserved. This 1852 built 4-2-0 loco has the 7'8" driving
wheels positioned behind the firebox. May 26 2003 |
An interesting inclusion in the exhibition was this wagon typical of the type used during the Second World War to move undesirable people (in the eye's of the Nazi authorities) to the various camps they set up. May 26 2003 © Brian Bane
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An
interesting, and unexpected exhibit, was this locomotive 0-6-0t 030TA628.
Built for the Ouest railway in 1874 the loco was retired in 1950. It is
normally found on display in the French National Railway Museum. May 26
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030TA628
from the rear. May 26 2003 |
This 1961 built electric locomotive BB-12125 was withdrawn from service in 1999 having run 4193917 km (2605979 miles.) May 26 2003
This preserved 'Picasso' Autorail X4039 is a mainline approved vehicle.To read more on this Autorail (in French) visit the owners' website at http://x4039.free.fr. May 26 2003
