Alan Sewell visits Cellulose de Pin…
How many of us stumble over some railway interest on holiday by accident? I’m sure it’s an experience many of us have had, perhaps if we’re lucky grabbing a quick photograph, or even luckier, seeing a train…
But blog regular Alan has taken it one stage further and actively sought our industrial railway systems when travelling. In today’s visit we cross the channel to France and a visit to a familiar industry with unfamiliar trains. Whilst I have a passing familiarity to some of the larger European locomotives of the SNCF (or DB) and more extensive interest in the narrow gauge, these smaller diesels and the sidings they haunt are alien to me, I hope you’ll join me in learning more through some of Alan’s travels!
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| Cellulose du Pin, 19th August 1994, Alan Sewell photo. |
Usine de Facture Facture
Gironde
FRANCE
Gauge: Standard
Date of Visit: 19 August 1994
Paper mill served by extensive sidings of the Bordeaux-Bayonne mainline. Track commences on south side of Facture station crossing D3 road before curving south. This was originally the line of Reseau des Landes de Gironde from Facture to Hostens which formerly served the mill
Within the mill area there is a substantial weighbridge and further sidings curve away westwards from these tracks to serve paper loading areas. The tracks continue southwest before splitting again. The main track crosses a minor road to serve the pulpwood unloading area and beyond this is a small yard which contained an interesting string of internal user pulp wood wagons.
The other track continued in the mil property under the chip conveyor before crossing the road on a 3-track level crossing ot access the pulpwood yard.
By the weighbridge, a yellow and red Moyse 4wDE ( probably 1431 1978 Type BN34E ) was shunting bogie SNCF wagons, most labelled as leased or allocated to Cellulose de Pin. The train had a crew of three (driver plus two shunters) and the locomotive appeared a little underpowered when moving a full train.
In the same area but parked on an overgrown spur was another 4w DE Moyse possibly 1344 1975 -TypeBN40E 260D.
The plant wagons included ex-R des Landes de Gironde short & long wheel base four-wheel stock; plus typical US built bogie flatcars, from around 1910- 1920, with arch-bar trucks and truss-rod underframe; and modern ex SNCF flat cars with high ends.
Locomotive Roster to July 1994:
0-4-0t Fives Lille 4436 1926 (Scrapped)
4wDE Moyse 103 1951 Type 32TDE
4wDE Moyse 1431 1978 Type BN34E
4wDE Moyse 1344 1975 Type BN40E 260D
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| Cellulose de Pin system map, August 1994. Drawn by Alan Sewell. |
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| Moyse 4wDE (probably 1431 1978 Type BN34E), Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Moyse 4wDE (probably 1431 1978 Type BN34E), Alan Sewell photo. |
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| 4w DE Moyse possibly 1344 1975 -TypeBN40E 260D. Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Moyse 4wDE (probably 1431 1978 Type BN34E), Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Alan Sewell photo. |
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| Alan Sewell photo. |
Thank you once again to Alan for allowing me to publish these and for sharing these with us all. There is now quite an extensive ‘back catalog’ of Alan’s visits on the blog and you can find them using the ‘Alan Sewell’ label. Until next time, more soon…
Hi James
ReplyDeleteGlad you could use the photos and hope they may help with your modelling. Look forward to seeing what you plan.
I have tried when holidaying, to seek out what appears to be any interesting industrial railroads. Of course you don't know how interesting they will be, or an even if they are still working or access can gained, until you get there. I guess that is part of the fun for me ( if not for my wife and sometimes friends and family who get dragged along!!)
Having said that railroads would very seldom be the reason for taking a holiday anywhere but might just help in making a decision on a destination.
Best regards
Alan
Thanks both to Alan and to you James for sharing this. This prototype provides a fantastic concept/blueprint for a small or cameo shunting layout grounded in actual practice. The operational aspects of the place are so clear, logical, and full of interesting variety. It would be easy to thoughtfully derive a prototypical layout whose traffic flow is solidly rooted in what actually happens there. While difficult (impossible) to capture the full facility in a small space in its entirety, adhering to the shunting trackage design's intensions while considering overall traffic flow would allow for thoughtful compression into a a cameo or linked cameos exciting to look at, interesting for the crew to operate and will keep a bystander's interest.
ReplyDeleteI note that the paper plant remains today but it is vastly expanded. Yet, despite the destruction of much of the surrounding area from that expansion, a surprising amount of the trackage in Alan's map remains and can be seen on the Google map satellite images. It appears rail servicing hasn't decreased nor the use of trackage as seen by Alan in 1994. The place appears to be now called Smurfit Kappa Cellulose du Pin.
DeleteThanks Dave for your words and thoughts on the mill and the possibilities for a layout. I am sure James would be better than I in translating those ideas .
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned expansion of the mill. I too looked at the Google Earth maps and those on Smurfit Kappa's web site. Actually although it is probable there has been some redevelopment or remodelling of the mill the footprint appears very much as it was in 1994. What is different is that the handling of pulp wood appears to have been "modernised" - however not improved from a modellers perspective. The tracks in the wood yard look lifted and I guess therefore all those interesting "internal-user" are now scrapped. A shame!!
Best regards
Alan
Interesting, Alan. I'd taken that idea of expansion based on comparing the satellite image versus your map. Clearly I was wrong! It is a massive operation.
DeleteHi Dave
ReplyDeleteComparing the latest Google Earth, yes there has been a bit of expansion at the western end of the mill but most appears very similar to my admittedly sketch plan. As you said it is a huge site. It was in 1994 and still is. Just a pity about the pulp wood handling in todays operation
Alan
Thank you Alan - for sharing these reports with me, and allowing me to publish them. Thank you Dave for getting involved too - and I love the fact that these prototypes encourage us to look beyond our sphere of knowledge and discover new railway systems.
ReplyDelete