Trains at Tournon and Thence to Viviers ~ October 10, 2019

Trains at Tournon and Thence to Viviers ~ October 10, 2019

Another early morning - breakfast, followed by an 8:30 a.m. departure for a walk around the town of Tournon followed by a for the shore excursion - the Tournon Steam Train.

Our guide, Ghislain

On the left, a statue in honor of Marc Seguin, born in Tournon.  He was an inventor and engineer best known for inventing the wire-cable suspension bridge and the multi-tubular steam-engine boiler.

As is true just about everywhere we have gone, flowers adorn the villages.  Ghislain said that Tournon takes pride in its floral displays and that one day a week public works employees are engaged in ensuring that the flowers are well cared for.

The castle (which is now a museum) sits on a rock overlooking the town and the river.  On the right-hand side of the castle courtyard is the old castle Saint-Just, built in the 10th century.  the northwest wing was build in the 14th century and has been used as Tournon's magistrate's court since the beginning of the 19th century.  A third building dating from the 1500s has Renaissance influences and now is home to a museum featuring the history of Tournon and some art exhibitions.

Tournon is a charming town with narrow streets, an amazing castle, and many small, typically French shops.

Before we knew it we had boarded our bus and were on our way to the Train de L'Ardeche!

The photos above don't really do justice to the magnificent scenery we experienced as we rode the Chemin de fer du Vivarais - often called Le Mastrou or Train de l'Ardèche.  This tourist railway in the Ardèche region of the South of France is a narrow-gauge line that is 33 kilometers (about 20.5 miles) long.  Today the line runs between Tournon, in the Rhône Valley, and Lamastre in the Doux valley. When originally built, the line ran a further 12 miles to Le Cheylard.  The line opened on July 12, 1891 and closed on October 31, 1968.  The next year a group of volunteers opened the line up as a tourist line.  Funding is never easy for these operations, and lacking money to repair the steam locomotives, the line suspended service in 2008.  The operation reopened in 2013.  

Our engine, number 403, was built in 1903 and was specially designed for the line.  They are from French-Swiss inventor Anatole Mallet's design and have an articulated frame that allows them to fit in the tight curves of the metric gauge line.

When we arrived in Lamastre, we got off the train and watched them turn the engine on the turntable (hand operated) before reboarding for the trip back to Tournon.  Jeff rode on the platform of our car on the way back!  As many readers know, trains - especially steam trains - are a major passion for Jeff, so he was in his glory.

Shortly after our return, while we were enjoying the sun and lunch on the Aquevit Terrace, the ship turned around - with the help of the Captain's assistant, who was standing on the glass roof of the Aquevit, and radioing the Captain to help with navigation.

Relaxation, rest, and dinner followed as we made our way down the river to the town of Viviers.