On Track - a Gricer's Tales
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France 25.4.03-28.4.03

This wasn’t strictly a track bashing trip (though two of the party hadn’t done any of the track). It did involve travel on non-UK railways though, so has its place here. The target was the occasional steam festival at the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme. I’d visited the previous occurrence in 2000 with another track-bashing friend and found it enjoyable, if wet, so H, PR and I set off by car, without the ‘assistance’ of Eurostar this time.

Friday 25.4.03-Monday 28.4.03

Not strictly a gricing trip but worth recording, at least in brief. Lo-o-o-ng car journey with H and PR in the Turbo Tractor, pausing for very brief refreshment at an expensive and unappealing GBG establishment not a squillion miles from Dover. Sea France to Calais, and on down the motorway to Abbeville via Noyelles (in the rain, again) where timetable info was gathered for the Saturday. Stayed at the Ibis on the outskirts of Abbeville (just like all Ibises) and dined at McDonalds before a shortish pub crawl. Les Deux Ponts, by les deux ponts, was a good find with a huge choice of Belgian beer. Saturday was spent on the narrow gauge, photting and doing all the track, and in various hostelries (notably the English run one opposite Noyelles station with an excellent view of the goings on). A decent dinner was had in a restaurant near the hotel (on the ‘out of town’ side). Sunday was mainly occupied with photting and videoing of the main line steam locos working specials linked with the CFBS festival. An excellent dinner again in Abbeville. Back in the Tractor again on the Monday, with intermediate refreshment at the much more satisfactory Castle Inn (Adnams) in Cambridge.

After this brief foray into a comparatively unusual country for me, it was back to business in Germany a month later.
Picture
2-6-0T no. 15 waits to leave St Valery Ville for Cayeux.
Picture
No 15 making a very spirited start out of St Valery Ville.
Picture
It doesn't quite have the tidy look of a 57XX! CFBS pannier no 25 waits for water at Noyelles,
Picture
No. 2 catches the sun at Le Crotoy.
Picture
141R840 spent the day being admired and climbed over at Noyelles in between main line specials
Picture
It's hard not to be impressed with the sheer size of 840, here being made ready to go back to the main line.
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  • Home
  • The Tales
    • The Tales - Index
    • How it all began
    • 1991-1999 >
      • 1991
      • 1992
      • 1993 >
        • April 1993 - Belgium & Luxembourg
        • September 1993 - Germany & Poland
        • September 1993 - Belgium
        • November 1993 - Belgium
      • 1994 >
        • January 1994 - Belgium & Netherlands
        • January 1994 - USA
        • April 1994 - Luxembourg
        • May 1994 - Belgium
        • September 1994 - Belgium
        • October 1994 - Luxembourg, Germany, France
      • 1995 >
        • March 1995 - Belgium
        • April 1995 - Poland
        • May 1995 - The Netherlands
        • August 1995 - Belgium
        • October 1995 - Belgium
        • November 1995 - Belgium
      • 1996 >
        • April 1996 - Germany
        • May 1996 - Belgium and the Netherlands
        • July-August 1996 - Belgium
        • August 1996 - Anniversary tour
        • August 1996 - Belgium
        • September 1996 - Netherlands and Belgium
      • 1997 >
        • May 1997 - Belgium
        • May 1997 - Netherlands and Germany
        • July 1997 - Belgium and Germany
        • July 1997 - Germany
        • October 1997 - France
      • 1998 >
        • January 1998 - Germany
        • February 1998 - Belgium
        • April 1998 - Belgium and Germany
        • April 1998 - Netherlands, Belgium & Germany
        • August 1998 - Germany, Poland, Czech Republic
        • December 1998 - Germany
      • 1999 >
        • January 1999 - Germany
        • February 1999 - Belgium
        • April 1999 - Germany, Czech Republic, Poland
        • June 1999 - Belgium, Germany
        • July 1999 - Germany
        • December 1999 - Germany
    • 2000-2009 >
      • 2000 >
        • February 2000 - Germany
        • March 2000 - Germany
        • April 2000 - France
        • April 2000 - Germany
        • May 2000 - Germany
        • August 2000 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • September 2000 - Belgium
        • September 2000 - Belgium and Germany
      • 2001 >
        • January 2001 - Germany
        • February 2001 - Northern Ireland
        • March 2001 - Germany
        • April 2001 - Germany
        • May 2001 - Germany, Denmark and Sweden
        • May 2001 - Netherlands and Germany
        • October 2001 - Germany
        • December 2001 - Germany
      • 2002 >
        • February 2002 - Germany
        • March 2002 - Germany
        • April 2002 - Germany
        • August 2002 - Czech Republic
        • September 2002 - Netherlands
        • October 2002 - Germany
        • November 2002 - Germany (1)
        • November 2002 - Germany (2)
      • 2003 >
        • January 2003 - Germany
        • April 2003 - France
        • May 2003 - Germany
        • June 2003 - Czech Republic and Slovakia
        • October 2003 - Czech Republic
        • December 2003 - Germany
      • 2004 >
        • March 2004 - Germany
        • April 2004 - Various countries
        • May 2004 - Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary
        • August 2004 - Germany, Switzerland, Austria
        • October 2004 - Germany
      • 2005 >
        • April 2005 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • June 2005 - Portugal
        • August 2005 - Belgium and Germany
        • October 2005 - Germany and Czech Republic
      • 2006 >
        • January 2006 - Germany
        • March 2006 - Germany
        • May 2006 - Ireland
        • July 2006 - Germany
        • August 2006 - Germany
        • September 2006 - Czech Republic and Slovakia
      • 2007 >
        • February 2007 - Czech Republic
        • May 2007 - Czech Republic
        • June 2007 - Germany and France
        • October 2007 - Czech Republic and borders
        • October-November 2007 - Czech Republic
      • 2008 >
        • April 2008 - Czech Republic
        • April 2008 - Germany
        • July 2008 - Czech Republic, Poland
        • August 2008 - Austria (1)
        • August 2008 - Austria (2)
        • December 2008 - Czech Republic
        • December 2008 - Austria
      • 2009 >
        • July 2009 - Czech Republic, Slovakia
        • August 2009 - Austria
        • September 2009 - Slovakia
        • November 2009 - Austria
    • 2010-2019 >
      • 2010 >
        • April 2010 - Germany
        • July 2010 - Germany, Belgium, Netherlands
        • July 2010 - Austria
      • 2011 >
        • April 2011 - Austria
        • June 2011 - Germany and 6 others
        • October 2011 - Germany
      • 2012 >
        • April 2012 - Belgium and Germany
        • May 2012 - Germany
        • July 2012 - Germany
        • October 2012 - Germany
      • 2013 >
        • March 2013 - Czech Republic
        • April 2013 - Germany
        • August 2013 - Germany
      • 2014 >
        • May 2014 - Germany
        • July 2014 - Germany
      • 2015 >
        • April 2015 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • June 2015 - Slovakia, Czech Republic
      • 2016 >
        • March 2016 - Slovakia
        • April 2016 - Slovakia
        • June 2016 - Netherlands plus 5
        • November 2016 - Germany, Poland
      • 2017 >
        • March 2017 - Germany, Poland
        • July 2017 - Czech Republic and Poland
        • July 2017 - Poland and Slovakia
      • 2018 >
        • August 2018 - the best laid plans of mice and men
      • 2019 >
        • July 2019 - Interrail part 1
        • August 2019 - Interrail part 2
    • 2020-present >
      • 2022 >
        • June 2022 - Interrail
        • September 2022 - Belgium
      • 2024 >
        • June 2024 - France, Belgium, Luxembourg
  • Contact