Tram of Mont Blanc

The tram of Mont Blanc or TMB is a line of Cog railway of the Massif of Mont Blanc which connects the station the SNCF of Saint-Gervais - Fayet (altitude: 580 m) with the glacier of Bionnassay (station of the “Eyrie”, altitude 2.372 m) in Haute-Savoie. Initially the line was to reach Mont Blanc. It is the highest line of Railroad of France.

The line is exploited by the Compagnie of Mont Blanc, which also manages many installations of Ski lift in the solid mass of the Mont Blanc, of which the Railroad of Montenvers.

History

The original project envisaged to take along the tourists in top of the Mont Blanc. However, work was stopped by the First World War. Actually, work beyond the current terminus, the Eyrie, would have been excessively difficult, even impossible to realize. Today, much of guides and mountain dwellers are happy that the tram remained about it there, but some plan to make resume work to make assemble the line even higher… To date, of work began again, in order to modify the terminus to make arrive the line on “dish”. The end of work is planned for 2008-2009. A restaurant-refuge was inaugurated mid-July 2006 with the altitude of 2.412 m, and replaces the old one which was coupled with the current terminus of the train and which burned a few years ago.

Chronology

August 3rd 1904: concession granted to the company of the “Tram of Mont Blanc” for an electric line with metric gauge track and toothed rack between the station of the Fayet and the Needle of Tasting (altitude: 3.817 m).
April 4th 1908: final approval of the project of execution of the line.
July 25th 1909: inauguration of the first section to the collar of Voza (altitude: 1.653 m).
1911 : second section until Bellevue.
August 1914: end of work until the Eyrie (altitude: 2.372 m) in edge of the glacier of Bionnassay. Work is stopped by the war and will never be taken again thereafter.

Description of the line

Features

Sees:

Spacing: 1.000 Misters
Profile longitudinally: crawl average 15%, maximum slope 24%.
minimal Radius of curvature: 54 Mr.
Altitude starting (Fayet): 590 Mr.
Altitude of arrival (the Eyrie) 2.372 Mr.
Length of the way: 12,4 km.
journey time: 1:15.
Toothed rack: type Strub, laid out on 85% length of the course. The beginning of the line (crossed Fayet and the intermediate stations of crossing, on the level, are deprived by it.
Electrification: Alternative course 11 Kv, 50-60 Hz.

Motor coaches:

length except plug: 15,40 Mr.
Footing: 12,85 Mr.
Footing of a Bogie: 2.65 Mr.
Total weight in functioning order: 31,4 T.
Load: 7,2 T.
total Power: 400 kw are 630 CV.
4 engines, 2 bogies with two Axles.
Weight of a Driving : 1.000 kg.

Today 3 oars made up of a motor coach and its trailer circulate. Rather than to allot numbers to them, the director preferred to baptize them with the first names of his 3 daughters. Thus one can borrow the blue oar in the name of Marie, it red in the name of Jeanne and the green one in the name of Anne. The motor coach is always placed side valley and the trailer on the side mountain, which makes it possible to retain the trailer with the descent. The trailer thus comprises a driving cabin.

Course

The line leaves the locality “Fayet” (common of Saint-Gervais-the-Baths) to arrive at the Eyrie (2 372 meters) in one hour 15 minutes while passing by stations of mountain which are: Saint-Gervais-Mount-white, Motivon (used primarily by the residents of the line), Collar of Voza and Bellevue.

Tourism

The winter, part of the line is open to give to the skiers the access to the skiable field of the Houches, close to Chamonix.
the summer, all the line is open to make it possible to the mountaineers to have an easier access to the refuges of high mountain (Russet-red Head and To taste it). The Eyrie, terminus of the Tram of Mont Blanc, is regarded as the departure of the Royal roads to reach Mont Blanc.

The tourists are numerous the summer to pass a little time in the world of the average and high mountain. Often, they come to drink some glasses with the refreshment bar, then go down again in the valley. Some go up by the path since the hamlet of Bionnassay (2h30 of rise). Others go up a little higher to the forest hut of the Bad tempers, with 300 meters with the top of the Eyrie. In top, a superb sight on the collar of Knitting, celebrates passage of the alternative of the Tour of Mont Blanc like much of needles like that of Bionnassay, atteignable by the refuge of Russet-red Head, or the glacier of Bionnassay. With binoculars, one can even see the mountaineers to go up to the Aiguille of Tasting to reach the refuge located at his top.

Access

One can reach the tram of Mont Blanc from two cities: Fayet and Saint-Gervais-the-Baths.

From Paris: line Paris → Fayet, then Fayet → Eyrie via the TMB.

One can also go to the Houches and borrow the Téléphérique which takes along to Bellevue, last station of the tram before the terminus.

Cinema

The tram of Mont Blanc is abundantly filmed in the film Malabar Princess of Gilles Legrand, left in 2004.

See too

Railroad of Montenvers.
Line Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine.
List of the tourist railroads of France
List of the railroads to metric gauge track of France

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