Published 28 / 09 / 2023 Reading time: 4 min
Return to these tracks where the rails have disappeared, still retaining the imprints of the Tacot passage, steam train traveling on a narrow track. It was set up to promote the link between town and countryside at a time when buses did not yet exist. The jalopy circulated from 1910 until after the end of the Second World War. Nostalgia, gentle roaming, built heritage, meeting… To you to choose the themed wagon(s) that you like the most.
Walk on the “Monts de la Madeleine” line
Three interpreted routes, of short mileage, with low elevation, take up this lively Tacot route via viaducts, tunnels, stations! These buildings were built to facilitate the transport of convoys and are now freely accessible.
Throughout, we explain the transport of passengers, goods and the operation of a station with a shed:
- Saint-Just-en-Chevalet,
- Sworn,
- Le-Mayet-de-Montagne.
The Roannais is notably home to the most important viaduct in the Center region, due to its height of more than 25 meters in Saint-Priest-la-Prugne. The Peux Viaduct ". It is one of the only ones in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to be suitable for many bungee jumps, on Juré, offered by Adrenaline Elastic.
Art, memories and nostalgia for the Country between Loire and Rhône
The story of this train is told, in Roannais, by frescoes and works of art. Thus, from Pouilly-les-Nonains, stopping at Riorges, le Coteau, Saint-Symphorien-de-Lay and Régny, this story is painted.
These colorful stories relate the importance of the life of this train in the construction of the Roannais landscape.
Travelers by car !
Certain rehabilitated stations are accessible for the pleasure of rail enthusiasts but also to the surprise of visitors. Who hasn't dreamed of sleeping in these old railway stations and imagining the stamping of tickets, waiting for the arrival of the jalopy signaled by its whistle?
This is possible at La Tuilière, at the “La Gare du Tacot” gîte but also along the old network in Régny, at the “Chambre d’hôtes” The Myriades d'Or ».
You can eat at 15 rue du Tacot in the old train station. Renaison « happy people ". Much more than a restaurant, it is also a bar, tea room, delicatessen and where there is even a tableware and gift shop. Then for chocolate lovers, the “ Bernard Laberge Chocolates » are installed in the Saint-Polgues station.
The history of the railway line in Gazette n°17
Find part of the history of the railway line which crossed the Monts de la Madeleine, through the central pages (p. 13) of the Gazette des Monts de la Madeleine n°17 published in 2022.
How to complete this expedition ?
Climb aboard the Loire train along the Loire River, between the lookout points of Commelle-Vernay and magneux. Go back in history to the time of the sailors, thanks to fun, visual and sound animations as well as a great family game.
Please note: The Train de la Loire is open from April to September.
On a smaller scale, the Roannais Railway Model Makers Club allows you to experience railway activity from the inside thanks to models. Once a month, they open the club to amateurs or during the Riorges model fair.
DID YOU KNOW ?
It is possible to obtain the latest book by Frédéric Toublanc, “Mémoires du rail”, Roanne and its region – Railway workers and men on the Étoile de Roanne from 1833 to the present day.
