SNCF Saint Gervais to Vallorcine railway is a peculiar mountain touristic railway. It runs on 1000 mm track with 850 V DC from a third rail (originally 580V).
It was built 1901-1908 to run from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains via Le Fayet to Vallorcine at the Swiss border. It runs via the famous tourist destination
Chamonix. As an adhesion line it is quite steep, 9%.
From Vallorcine a metre gauge track with a cog wheel third rail technology descends down to the Swiss town of Martigny. This used to be the Swiss rail company
MC, Martigny-Châtelard railway, now a part of TMR, Transports Martigny et Régions SA. But today these two narrow gauge systems are interlinked, although the St. Gervais
to Vallorcine line needs the DC third rail and the MC line uses overhead catenary wires for electricity, but the newest two generations of trains used can handle
both technologies.
This is the Z800 train type. These trains are owned by the French SNCF but they were bought together with the Swiss MC/TMR. It is a metre gauge two wagon multiple
unit with both adhesion and cog wheel technology, capable of taking its current both from 850 V DC overhead line or from the 3rd rail of the SNCF French line.
These Z800 trains were delivered in 1997 by Vevey and ADtranz and they were designed in Switzerland. It's a 105 seats EMU with two wagons. Both wagons are motorised
and it has a power rating of 1000 kW and a top speed of 70 km/h.
Picture from Chamonix 24.1.2003 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Two Z800 trains stopping at the station of Chamonix.
Picture from Chamonix 24.1.2003 by Ilkka Siissalo.
In 2006 SNCF and TMR got even newer trains, now called Z850. They are no longer two but three coach multiple units. They were now built by Stadler.
The key reason for buying these new trains was that this allowed for a traffic frequency increase between Argentière and Vallorcine.
Picture from Chamonix 11.7.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A Z850 train is stopping at the station which has in the meantime also gotten a new name and is now called "Chamonix Mont Blanc".
Picture from Chamonix 11.7.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A schematic drawing by the side of a Z850 train illustrates the track profile of the line.
Picture from Chamonix 11.7.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A view from the Chamonix Mont Blanc station. Note how the electricity feeding third rail has to be missing from the site of a level crossing.
Picture from Chamonix 11.7.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Not much had changed 2019 to 2023. This is the Z850 no.0001 stopping at Chamonix in May 2023.
Picture from Chamonix 11.5.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.
For pictures of the Swiss Martigny to Châtelard railway, formerly operated by the railway company MC, Chemin de fer de Martigny–Châtelard and now by the TMR, Transports de Martigny et Régions, see our Swiss category of RegionAlps. The Martigny–Châtelard route uses partly the same trains as are shown above.
The Chemin du Fer du Montenvers is a narrow gauge touristic train which takes tourists up from Chamonix (at 102 m above sea level) to Montenvers, a place at 1913 metres over sea level over the glacier Mer de Glace where there's a majestic view of the large glacier Mer de Glace. It's rack railway line which uses the System Strub cog wheels. The railway is owned and operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc. The line is metre gauge and 5,1 kilometres long. It was taken in use in 1909. The line has been electrified since 1953 and it uses 11 kV 50 Hz from an overhead catenary. The maximum incline to climb is 22%. The railway has 6 electric railcars with trailer wagons and three diesel locomotives. In addtion to carrying passengers the railway has to take care also of the logistics of a cafeteria, a restaurant and a hotel high up in Montenvers.
This is one of the oldest electric railcars of the railway, no.46. As usual, it's here taking care of the logistics, bringing waste containers down from Montenvers.
Note how another old motorwagon, that one hauling tourists is following shortly after this train.
Picture from Chamonix 11.5.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The descending motorwagon no.46 with its garbage train is here passing through the station at Chamonix without stopping.
A large crowd of tourists is already waiting for the next train to take them up to Montenvers.
Picture from Chamonix 11.5.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The same motorwagon no.46 in bright sunlight in Chamonix.
Picture from Chamonix 25.1.2003 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A similar motor wagon no.45 with a modernised trailer wagon waiting for tourists.
Picture from Chamonix 14.10.2010 by Christophe Jacquet. Published under the Creative Commons share alike 3.0
license.
A modernised but old motor wagon no.42 with an equally modernised trailer wagon arriving from Montenvers and ready to take the next load of tourists up.
Picture from Chamonix 11.5.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.
This is the same train as shown above. Motor wagon 42 is here pushing the next load of tourists with the modernised trailer wagon no.52 first uphill.
Picture from Chamonix 11.5.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.
An old unmotorised trailer wagon and a cargo wagon are waiting for their next use in Chamonix. This old trailer wasn has been built by BelleClot in Grenoble.
Picture from Chamonix 25.1.2003 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The old unmotorised trailer wagon 62 acts today as a storage house, cafeteria and a place for breaks for crews that perform track repair duties.
Picture from Chamonix 11.5.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.
As mentioned already above, the Montenvers railway was electrified in 1953. Before that it was operated with steam locomotives. This one, no.6. was built in 1906
and it was used until 1954. It was able to push two small passenger coaches up to Montenvers at a speed of 8 km/h. For a long time it was kept as a monument in
front of the Mer de Glace station in Chamonix, but as can be seen, in 2003 it was already quite rusty.
Picture from Chamonix 25.1.2003 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Locomotive no.8 later replaced no.6 as the monument in front of the touristic station. No.8 was already a lot newer, it had been built in 1927. It was a so called
high pressure locomotive, which meant that it was by far more powerful and fast than its predecessors had been. This locomotive was used in regular traffic until 1954
and it was last used in 1979. It was sold to a private company in 1984, but after the previous monument loco no.6 had deteriorated so badly, the no. 8. was finally
brought back to Chamonix as a new monument in 2007.
Picture from Chamonix 11.7.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.
