Trains and other things: Forbach, Bening, Rémilly, Lunéville, Nancy, Neufchâteau

Today I'm leaving Germany and head to France. I will cross the border travelling at Rémilly–Saarbrücken railway.

From Wikipedia: "The railway from Rémilly to Saarbrücken is a French and German 55-kilometre long railway line, that connects the French Lorraine region to the German city Saarbrücken. The railway was opened between 1851 and 1852. It is part of the international railway connection between Paris and Frankfurt am Main."

Wheel set from Bavarian S 3/6 number 18 602, stationed in Saarbrücken.

SNCF Class X73900 is a diesel railcar operated between Saarbrücken and Forbach.

Shortly after leaving Saarbrücken, I'm crossing the border. The German railway until the border has a 15kV 16.7Hz power system, but from the French border into France, it is electrified with 25kV 50Hz.

First stop in France is Forbach

X73900 in Forbach

SNCF Class BB 37000 "Prima" locomotive which is a triple voltage version of BB 27000 with electric systems 1.5kV, 15kV and 25kV

37053 Alstom Prima EL3U from Akiem, hired to CFL Cargo Deutschland GmbH

X 37900 is returning back to Saarbrücken

Vossloh DE 18 from Europorte

186 329 Traxx F140 MS from ECR - Euro Cargo Rail SAS

77017 EMD Class 66, JT42CWRM from Euro Cargo Rail

437009 Alstom Prima EL3U from Fret SNCF/Akiem

SNCF Class 27500 (AGC) EMU at Forbach station

Another Class BB 37000

37004 Alstom Prima EL3U from Akiem, hired to CFL Cargo

X 73500 from Saarbrücken

I have travelled one stop to the next station - Bening

X 73500 with both SNCF and DB livery, in Germany this train is named DB Class 641

Béning-lès-Saint-Avold is a junction station between the Rémilly-Saarbrücken railway and the railways to Sarreguemines and Thionville.

185 028 Traxx F140 AC1 from DB Cargo

Many freight trains on this TEN-T Atlantic corridor

185 030 Traxx F140 AC1

Bening town

Bus stop for service to Sarreguemines

SNCF Class Y 8000 diesel shunter

TGV service 9551 to Frankfurt

TGC 2N2 3UA 4707

186 334 Traxx F140 MS from Euro Cargo Rail

ICE3 Class 407

Service from Frankfurt to Paris

717

186 335

From Bening I'm taking this Class 27500 further into France

I've arrived to the junction station Rémilly

The station is located at the Réding–Metz-Ville railway

From Wikipedia: "From 1857, the idea of a line connecting Lille to Strasbourg is mentioned, but it is the Germans who, from the annexation of Alsace-Moselle in 1871 will implement the project. Indeed, for economic, political and strategic reasons, they wanted to be able to quickly connect Strasbourg, then capital of the new Reichsland, to Metz, stronghold and seat of the district of Lorraine. The simplest solution was to set up a connection bar between the Metz line at Forbach from Rémilly and the Sarrebourg line at Sarreguemines in Berthelming station. This new 56 km line was commissioned on December 10, 1877"

From Wikipedia: "The current building is of the Alsace-Lorraine type whose architecture is easily identifiable by its stone walls (pink or yellow sandstone), its majestic volumes and especially its tower formerly surmounted by a clock. "

Class 27500 with 4 parts

Since 2016 TER Grand-Est is merging TER Alsace, TER Lorraine and TER Champagne-Ardenne networks.

TGV 9879 from Luxembourg to Montpellier

4713 is also an TGV 2N2 3UA which supports signalling systems for France, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg

437046 Alstom Prima EL3U from Fret SNCF

This freight train stopped to let another one pass

37004 I saw earlier in Forbach is returning back, probably to Luxembourg

27734 and 27712

75105 and 83563

SNCF Class B83500 Régiolis

My next train will take me from Rémilly to Sarrebourg

High speed line LGV Est européenne

High speed line once again

Sarrebourg station is located at the Paris-Est–Strasbourg-Ville railway opened in 1849-1852

Commemorative plaque in memory of "train of death" to Dachau in 1944

84667 M

83515 L

Since 2017 on the route Strasbourg-Nancy, new Régiolis trains are operated

I'm arriving to Lunéville

From Wikipedia: "Lunéville was a renowned resort in the 18th century, known as the capital of Lorraine. The grand Château de Lunéville, built in 1702 for Leopold, Duke of Lorraine to replace an older palace, was the residence of the duke of Lorraine until the duchy was annexed by France in 1766. The château was designed in the style of Versailles to satisfy Leopold's wife, Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, the niece of Louis XIV, and became known as the "Versailles of Lorraine".

Château de Lunéville

My next train is this 27562 to Nancy

I've arrived to Nancy

From Wikipedia: "Nancy is the capital of the north-eastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, and formerly the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, and then the French province of the same name. The metropolitan area of Nancy had a population of 434,565 inhabitants at the 2011 census, making it the 20th largest urban area in France."

Nancy Guided Light Transit is using tram on tires technology

Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation

Place Stanislas

From Wikipedia: "Place Stanislas, a large square built between March 1752 and November 1755 by Stanislaus I of Poland to link the medieval old town of Nancy and the new town built under Charles III in the 17th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first place in France and in the top four in the world."

Arc Héré

547 TGV Réseau

TER 2N NG Class Z 24500

Low cost Ouigo service is now extended to eastern France and reaching Nancy

From Nancy I'm taking a train further along Paris-Strasbourg railway to Toul

Moselle river

Toul

The train I will take on the following day from the next station Neufchâteau

Commemorative plaque in memory of immigrants from Poland during 1919-1935

You can still buy tickets at a manual counter in France (which is not possible in Sweden anymore).

Intercités 100% Éco train 1002 is a cheap service between Strasbourg and Paris. The price is 15€. Here with SNCF Class BB 15000 locomotive

Intercité service takes 4h30m compared to 1h46m between Strasbourg and Paris

My next train is this TER836358 to Neufchâteau

Railway to Paris to the right. I'm taking the Culmont-Chalindrey - Toul railway.

This line opened between 1881-1889 and it was electrified between 1960-1964.

There are not many large towns along this line, so there only few passenger services per day.

All TER services terminates in Neufchâteau, while the TGV services continues all the way to Dijon. There is one daily TGV service, and two services on Sundays. From 2019, the TGV services are replaced with TER.

Soulosse-sous-Saint-Élophe. There are no stops between Toul and Neufchâteau

Château de Bourlémont

The railway is an important TEN-T rail link, part of North Sea - Mediterranean corridor.

SNCF Class Z 27500 in Neufchâteau

Neufchâteau is a small town in Grand Est region. The main reason for me to stop here, is to continue with an early TGV service next morning, southward to Dijon.

Neufchâteau station

Bus timetable

After checking in to nearby hotel, I was expecting to see some fright trains. During a period of an hour, there were 8 freight trains passing by in a row.