Step 2

The line of the Chemins de fer de Provence is a line that crosses territories not very suitable for a railroad. It connects Nice to Digne-les-Bains over a 150 km route and follows the course of rivers for almost its entire length.

The work for this line took 30 years! Both ends of the line are built at the end of the 19th century. The central part (between Saint-André and Puget-Théniers) was built at the beginning of the 20th century.

In the area of ​​the Gros-Vallon viaduct, located between 600 and 700 m above sea level, the landscape loses its alpine character to take on a Mediterranean allure: the chestnut tree gives way to the olive tree and the sandstone to limestone.

Place of departure and arrival:
Annot station
Station Avenue
04240 Annot

Entrevaux station
Route départementale 4202
04320 Entrevaux

Times and prices:
Steam Pignes train: http://traindespignes.fr
Modern Pignes train: https://tourisme.trainprovence.com/fiche-horaires-interurbains/

Access: (steam) Between May and October each year, (modern) all year round.

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Construction of the Donne viaduct

The Coulomp valley has a steep profile and narrow slopes, which required the construction of three underground passages and two large viaducts. The viaduct of the Donne sur le Coulomp is the highest of the whole line, its construction gives rise to a gigantic construction site.

Most of the materials are from local sources: formwork from the forests of Braux, sand from Vaïre and Coulomp, limestone from St. Benoît were used, as was sandstone from Annot.

Indeed, when arriving in the locality of Scaffarels, the railway crosses gigantic sandstone scree, among which large blocks are cut and then abandoned on site during the winter of 1905-06: this rock being relatively friable, the blocks of lower quality are thus cracked by frost, and only the most resistant will be retained for the construction of the railway structures.