Bon

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B

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Andrable Bonson

Mare

Mare

Tortorel

Andrable

Chandieu

D 3-1

D 32

D 14

D 32

D 96

D 498

Til 120 Line Bus StopsSaint-Etienne/Craponne-sur-Arzon1 St-Marcellin-en-Forez/les Plantées2 Luriecq/Bourg3 St-Bonnnet-le-Château/Place de la République4 Estivareilles/Pichillon5 Estivareilles/Bourg Gare

Distances on the TrailSaint-Marcellin-en-Forez / Estivareilles : 28 kmSt-Marcellin-en-Forez / Gare de Périgneux : 8 km Gare de Périgneux / Luriecq : 6,5 kmLuriecq / Gare de Valinches-Marols : 3 kmGare de Valinches-Marols / St-Bonnet-le-Château : 5,5 kmSt-Bonnet-le-Château / Estivareilles : 5 km

GR3

Alternate trail

GR

3al

tern

ate

trai

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To Usson-en-Forez To Apinac To St-Nizier-de-FornasTo Merle Leignec To Saint-Maurice-en-Gourgois

To Chambles

To la Chaise-Dieu

Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez

la Roche

Luriecq

Saint-Bonnet-le-Château

Périgneux

la Tourette

Aboën

Périgneux station

Chenereilles

Estivareilles

Valinches station

Saint-Marcellin en-Forez station

Marols

Marcilleux

Montarcher

Egarande

la Chapelle-en-Lafaye

Joanziecq

les Granges

la Chaulme

leGenerret Ninerols

Marandière

l'Olme

Chantereine Fraisse

la Cruzillela Perrière

le Bost

le Vernet

Côte Rail

la Mûre

Sommériecqla Chaumasse

la gare de Nus

Manat

Reiriecq

CossangesTaillefer

Brassolard

Pichillon

les Mas

l'Etrat

le Chauffour

Chazols

Valinches

Nurols

Valette

Bracombe

Montcoudiol

Fils

Saint-Jean-Soleymieux Fortifications

Bisons

Goats

Collegiate Church

Stones Quarry

North

To Saint-Anthème To Bonson To St-Rambert

Wonderland Viewpoint Indicator

ThematicPath

Fishing Scenic Railway

Equestrian Center

Muséede

France

Bodyof Water

MuseumBike Workshop

Restaurant Hotel CampsiteBed and Breakfast

Local Products

Shops

Furnished Letting

Rest House

Group Accommodation

Motorhome Service

Food ShopArts and Crafts

Livestock Farming

Historic Church

Megalithic SiteMonument CastleTypical Village

Place of Interest

Scenic Railway

Key

Watercourse

Main Road

Santiago deCompostela Trail

Passage under the road

Departure of the "Railway Adventure"Trail

"Railway Adventure" Family Trail

GR 3

Tunnel

Viaduct

January 22nd 1870 : the concessionaires formed in Saint-Etienne the Saint-Etienne Saint Bonnet-le-Château Railway Company (via Bonson station) : this company contracted to carry out the branch line works, in 3 years – as a consequence, 350 persons worked on the site in May of 1873.

September 19th 1873 : 1st train dragged by “La belle Dijonnaise”, over the 28 kilometers distance between Saint-Bonnet-le-Château and Bonson, it took 1 hour going down and 1 hour and 15 minutes going up.

February 1875 : the prefect of Loire called for a public enquiry into the extension to Craponne sur-Arzon. On the 17th of March, the conciliation board concluded that the extension was of public interest, and imposed a service road in Usson en-Forez.

March 2nd 1878 : the fi nal acceptance decree made offi cial the legal completion of the Bonson/Saint-Bonnet-le-Château line, that is to say after almost 5 years of working.

December 6th 1881 : the minister brought in a bill dealing with the public interest statement of the Ambert/Darsac/Saint-Bonnet-le-Château via Sembadel railway, and the incorporation of the local interest Bonson/Saint-Bonnet-le-Château railway within the general interest network.

August 2nd 1886 : by means of a law, the minister entrusted the PLM with the running of the Bonson/Sembadel line on behalf of the State.

October 1890 : beginning of the works for the extension from Saint-Bonnet-le-Château

to Sembadel, the station of Saint-Bonnet-le Château was enlarged.

End of January 1894 : 574 persons worked on the site.

Sunday, the 29th of August of 1897 : in Craponne-sur-Arzon, inauguration of the Saint Bonnet-le-Château/Craponne-sur-Arzon section, in the presence of the minister of Justice and Worships, Mr. Darlan.

September 15th 1902 : inauguration of the fi nal junction, Craponne-sur-Arzon/Sembadel.

January 1938 : transfer of the running from the PLM to the SNCF, like the majority of the national network.

Septembre 1974 : the owner noticed some problems in the tunnel of Pichillon which led to brick the work up and to forbid the traffi c on the Saint-Bonnet-le-Château/Estivareilles section. Thus, two sections were run, Bonson/Saint-Bonnet-le-Château and Estivareilles/Sembadel.

September 1976 : the Saint-Marcellin-en- Forez/Saint-Bonnet-le-Château section was neutralized.

September 1980 : the last travelers service was given up.

In 1986, dismantling of the railway between Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez and Estivareilles.

January 30th 1990 : the termination of the service road of the tilery in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez, made an end of the Bonson/Sembadel line.

Bonson / Sembadel Line 795 000

L'aventure du railThe railway adventure

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Take the bus and come back by the railway, you can take the Conseil général de la Loire (Saint-Etienne/Craponne-sur-Arzon) Til 120 line. Single rate : 2€More informations on www.loire.fr or contact the Philibert Transport company by phone : 04 77 02 21 05.

A human and technical adventure- chronology -

Offi ce de tourisme du paysde Saint-Bonnet-le-Château7 place de la République42380 Saint Bonnet-le-ChâteauTel. 04 77 50 52 48www.uk.pays-st-bonnet-le-chateau.fr

Offi ce de tourisme Loire Forez7 place de la Paix42170 Saint-Just-Saint-RambertTel. 04 77 52 05 14www.loireforez.eu

Musée d’histoire du 20e siècleRue du couvent - 42380 EstivareillesTel. 04 77 50 29 20

Club de modélismeferroviaire d’EstivareillesL’Etang - 42380 EstivareillesTel. 06 76 20 36 62www.cmfhf.net

Chemin de fer du Haut-ForezLa gare - 42380 EstivareillesTel. 04 77 50 82 03www.chemindeferhautforez.fr

Information

This trail is dedicated to walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Marking the railway adventure

> Information panel at the beginning of the stages> St-Marcellin-en-Forez/Estivareilles marker every kilometer > Reminder marker every 500 m> Stage marker every kilometer> Double arrows at the contentious intersections

In the beginning, the line started from an altitude of 380 meters in Bonson and covered 67 km up to Sembadel, at an altitude of 1089 meters. The ascent is very spectacular between Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez and Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, as the railroad runs on a 500 meters incline over 23 km. Thus, the relief had more impact than the villages service road when the engineers sketched the laying out. The stations are often located far from the town center : the Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez station is based in Les Plantées (1.2 km from the center), the Périgneux station is in Marieux (2 km from the center), and the Marols station is in Valinches (3 km from the center).

2 kilometers after the Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez station, the railway goes up the fi rst foothills of the Mounts of Forez, the line enters into the narrow dale of La Bessette, with a 30 mm/m ramp next.

When climbing this ramp, you will enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Plain of Forez.

Did you know…the railway played a part in the expansion of wine trade, when ascending, and of lumber trade, when descending.

Which percentage of slope corresponds to a 30 mm/m :□ 0,3% □ 3% □ 30%

Select the right answer

From Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez to the Périgneux station (8 km)

The railroad keeps on ascending the hillside, and overhangs the Valinches brook, which also gave its name to the castle looking down upon the watercourse and to the small station of Marols. In winter, you may appreciate a wonderful view of the castle, about 1 km before arriving to the Valinches station.

This short stop in Valinches reveals the villages were badly-served by the railway. It had to serve Saint-Jean-Soleymieux, which is 10 km from here. Before being the Valinches station, it was the stop for Luriecq and Saint-Jean-Soleymieux.

Did you know…before the construction of the railway “Valinches” was called “Valenches”. That name had been changed in order not to disturb the railway network, there would have been confusion with the Drôme city of “Valence”.

Find the underground passage under the railway, in the last 500 meters before arriving to the station of Valinches.

From Luriecq to the station of Valinches/Marols (3 km)

The small viaduct of Marieux is located 300 meters after the Périgneux station. It is a 59 m long work, including three 10 m opening arches. It overhangs a watercourse, Bonsonnet, on its left bank.

Just before arriving to Luriecq, the fi rst small tunnel of the line, 68 meters long, built with a beautiful bonding of carved stones. For the fi rst time, it allows to access the heart of the village, going under the main road n°498.

Below the village of Luriecq, you will fi nd the dolmen of Roche-Cubertelle, made of two standing stones, upon which lies a third stone.

From the Périgneux station to Luriecq (6,5km)

The most interesting art works are based in this part of the railroad.

Quiz

Photo credits : François Beyssac, Musée d’histoire du 20e siècle,club de modélisme ferroviaire du Haut-Forez, association pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine de Périgneux, Communauté de communes du pays de St-Bonnet-le-Château,Communautéd’Agglomération Loire Forez.

Texts credits : «Histoire du rail en Livradois-Forez», par Pierre Gouttefangeas et Pierre Simonet, éd. ARF, 2011, club de modélisme ferroviaire du Haut-Forez, Communauté de communes du pays de St-Bonnet-le-Château.

It was graded as historical monument during the past century and is offi cially dated of the third millennium BC.

Did you know…the railway played a part in the expansion of a stone quarry (pink granite) located at 500 meters from the Périgneux station. It can be seen from the Marieux viaduct.

Find the dolmen located near the line, between Périgneux station and Luriecq, then draw it…

The ramp is 3%The bowls were made out of wood

Did you know… in the beginning of the running of the line, the Bonson/Saint-Bonnet-le-Château ascension was so important that 2 steam engines were needed, one at the beginning and one at the end of the train. When going down, the 2 steam engines were placed at the beginning of the train in order to slow down the convoy. The additional steam engine was installed or removed at the end of the Pichillon tunnel, the sidetrack still can be seen.

Which protected animal found a wonderful refuge under the Pichillon tunnel since it’s been closed ? Find a clue in the leafl et…

Quizz

The mummies are in Saint-Bonnet-le-ChâteauThe protected animals are bats.

From the station of Valinches/Marols to Saint-Bonnet-le-Château(5,5 km)

Leave for a moment the railway (over about 500 meters) below the hamlet of Reiriecq, through a marked path which reveals 2 surprising architectural buildings :

A beautiful aqueduct allowing the water-course, the Bonsonnet, to fl ow under the rail-way’s slope.

An underground bridge (a tunnel), about 20 meters long, allowing the path to pass under the way by crossing the slope.

Did you know...the steel petanque ball was invented in Saint-Bonnet le-Château by Jean Blanc in 1929. Nowadays, the world leader company, Obut, is still located here.

Before the invention of the steel ball, the petanque players used balls made of : □ copper □ wood □ Plastic

In which town of the “railway adventure” between Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez and Estivareilles will you fi nd mummies ?

In 1886, the State gave the running of the line to the PLM company (Paris, Lyon, Méditerrannée), which had to manage the Saint-Bonnet-le Château/Sembadel line. Thus, the company standardized the buildings and provided a specifi c architecture.

The most basic element is the two door building (station) indicated as 4th category. On this section, Estivareilles is the fi rst example of it : a 9 x 8 meters stone building, sometimes including a goods hall. The openings include round lintels. The walls corners are raised with carved stone wall ties. The roofi ng is a simple two slope roof.

The most part of the stations of the PLM lines belong to the 3rd category.Usson-en-Forez, a 12 x 8 meters stone building, is the fi rst model in our section, with a zinc canopy above the platform. The 3 openings are rectangular or with round lintels. Some roofs are adorned with “génoises”. Some of these stations are also equipped with shelters for travelers in front of the main building.

From Saint-Bonnet-le-Château to the station of Estivareilles (6 km)

Saint-Bonnnet-le-Château station