Compositions of trains
These compositions are often approximate because I lack some vehicles. The train photos are obtained by juxtaposing partial photos, much like a panorama. Only the catenary, both for the photographs and for the videos, is not real, but is a simple drawing. I think the connoisseurs will have unmasked me!
TEE 83 “Ile de France” Paris-Nord - Amsterdam, beginning of sixties
Minimum composition (motor unit + trailer).
TEE 155/190 “Parsifal” Paris-Nord - Hamburg, summer 1965
Two motor units surrounding five trailers, basic composition. The current composition included an additional A4ü trailer.
Rapide no. 9 Paris - Amiens (- Calais Maritime), summer 1968
Eight coaches. This reproduction is not exact: I had to replace one WL U/Y with a WL F, and one B10c10 DEV with a day coach. Source: Le Train no. 190 of february 2004, p. 63.
Rapide no. 9 (Paris -) Amiens - Calais Maritime, summer 1968
The same as above, after changing the machine in Amiens. Source: Le Train no. 190 of february 2004, p. 63.
Train Paris - Laon, 1970
Eight coaches. This reproduction is not exact: the 2nd class/luggage, B6D Rapide, is replaced with a B5Dt Express; a B11tz is replaced with a B9t; the tail A7 has been converted to A3B4. Source: Jean Carluy on the Loco-Revue forum.
Train 8519 Brussels - Lille in the seventies
Four coaches of NMBS M2 type. Source: Ferrovissime No. 60 of May 2013.
TEE 41 “Molière” Paris Nord - Düsseldorf, 1971 to 1975
Seven coaches, including an optional one at the head, to Liège (A9tj DEV stainless steel not air-conditioned). All the other coaches are TEE 66, aka Mistral 69. Source: La légende des TEE, by Maurice Mertens, page 341.
Train 246 Hamburg, Berlin, Welkenraedt – Aulnoye – Paris Nord, winter 1972-73
Fourteen coaches. A section of three domestic service coaches is curiously added to this international train at Aulnoye. Source: Voies Ferrées of July-August 2014. I had already published a version of this train, but with some approximations corrected here.
Train 235 « Scandinavia Express » Paris Nord - Copenhagen, winter 1972-73
Eleven coaches. Source: welt-der-modelleisenbahn.com. Strange: vonderruhren.de, which refers to the same source, gives quite different versions. A closer look at this source shows me that I made some small mistakes: a B10 DEV instead of a UIC at the head of the train, and on the contrary two B10 UIC instead of a single DEV between the WLAB SZD and the Dd4s.
Train 246 Warsaw, Hamburg, Berlin, Liège - Paris Nord, été 1973
Eight coaches. Same number as above, summer service, very different composition, also different source: welt-der-modelleisenbahn.
Train 2225 Paris - Amiens - Lille, 1973
Forteen vehicles : seven B10t USI coaches ; three A4t4 USI coaches ; two B5Dd2 UIC coaches ; one Gril Express dining car ; one car transporter DD from Fréjus. Source: Ferrovissime No. 57 of February 2013.
I put a BB 16500 to vary a little, because the BB 16000 is used on many other compositions. Normally, the 16500 is able to pull this train on schedule not too tense.
Junction train JJ 1104 Paris Nord - Paris Gare de Lyon, summer 1973
Seven coaches. It is a part of the express 1104 Boulogne-Maritime - Paris Nord, bound to Rome. Source: livret RA and forum.e-train.fr.
Train 232 “Nord-Express” Copenhagen - Hamburg - Liège - Paris Nord, summer 1973
Eleven coaches, from Liège, Puttgarden, Copenhagen, Hamburg. Source: forum.e-train.fr.
Train D1135 “Gallia Express” Paris Nord - Copenhagen (Osterport) summer 1973
Seven coaches, of which two car transporters. Source: forum.e-train.fr.
Train No. 490 (Dunkirk-ferry) - Lille - Paris, on Mondays, summer 1973
Eleven coaches. Source: Nord RA booklet summer 1973. On days other than Monday, there is one less A4t4 USI, but two more Nord luggage vans, which I don’t have… I also had to replace the DEV stainless steel A6rtu coach (kitchen) with an A5rtu (bar).
Express 492 (Dunkirk) - Lille - Charleville - Longuyon - Basel (direct coaches to Nancy), summer 1973
Forteen coaches. The B4D OCEM RA replaces a Sud-Est modernized coach. An ex-DR luggage van replaces a Dd2 Est. The four leading coaches are cut at Longuyon and are taken to Nancy by a BB 13000 electric loco. Source: forum.e-train.fr. I used to take this train during my studies in Nancy.
Rapide 396/397 Calais - Lille - Basel / Milan and other destinations, July-August 1973
Twelve coaches. The B4D OCEM RA replaces a Sud-Est modernized coach. One A4c4B5c5 UIC and one B9c9x UIC on either side of the sleeping car lack. On sunday night, the Est B11 coaches at the tail end bring the troufions (soldiers) back to Strasbourg. Source: forum.e-train.fr. The Lille-Basel route is the longest one-way travelled by a BB 16000: 649 km (about 400 miles).
Rapide 400 Calais - Boulogne - Amiens - Paris Nord, summer 1973
Eleven coaches. The two last coaches are to San Remo by the train no. 2586/87, three previous are for Milano and Trieste by the JJ400, then by the Direct Orient. Source: forum.e-train.fr (see livret RA, i.e. composition table).
Junction JJ400 Paris Nord - Paris Gare de Lyon, summer 1973
Three coaches of the above train are brought to Paris Gare de Lyon by a Diesel loco BB 63500, via the petite ceinture (Little Belt), to be connected to the Direct Orient. Note: in reality, this train runs at night, from 22:51 to 23:16. Source: forum.e-train.fr (see livret RA, i.e. composition table).
TEE 32 “Parsifal” Hamburg-Altona Paris-Nord, summer 1974
Five coaches. Since the summer 1971 service, an NMBS 15 machine tows this train from Liège (previously, it was a CC 40100). Behind the loco, we find successively: two Avmh111, a bar coach ARDmh105, a restaurant coach WRmh132 and a central corridor coach Apmh121, all of the DB. Source: La légende des TEE by Maurice Mertens and J.-P. Malaspina, p. 205. See also the picture from Jean-Paul Lescat on the NMBS 15 page, showing the Parsifal at St Quentin, but in the opposite direction, with the Apmh heading, in 1975.
TEE 83 “Brabant” Paris - Brussels, 1974
Seven coaches. Basic composition for this TEE, as well as for the “Rubens” and “Memling”. Source: La légende des TEE, by Maurice Mertens, page 179.
TEE 85 “Étoile du Nord” Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam, 1974 to 1977
Ten coaches. Some “Mistral 69” mixed with a majority of “PBA”. The five heading coaches, powered by the A4Dtx generator van, are bound for Brussels. The five trailing, with the A2Dx generator van, continue to Amsterdam.
Train Lille - Boulogne around 1974
Seven coaches. In the source, this train is towed by a 67400. But these machines only appeared in the Nord (Longueau) in 1974. I preferred to use my new 68053. The 68000 (Caen) were visible in Boulogne in the early 1970s. I had to replace two B11t with B9t due to lack of sufficient stock. Source: 15063 on forum.e-train.fr.
Train 404 “Flèche d’Or” (Golden Arrow), Calais-Maritime - Amiens (- Paris-Nord), winter 1974-1975
Ten coaches. Source: Ferrovissimo No. 11, p. 45.
TEE 84 “Brabant” Brussels - Paris Nord, 1975
Eight coaches. Composition all PBA + one A8uj Mistral.
Source: La légende des Trans-Europ-Express by M. Mertens, p. 233. One A8uj lacks at the tail end for a typical composition (9 coaches), but it is possible to make a 1974 composition (7 coaches) by removing one A8uj.
Train No. 259 Paris-Est - Francfurt / Main, 1977
Eight coaches. The DB Bm234 coach replaces an ABm225.
Boulogne - Avignon (auto couchette), july 1977
Eleven coaches. One sleeping car type U in TEN livery replaced with a MU in CIWL livery, and three car transporters, lack. The loc should be a 25500. Source: Loco-Revue forum, Ici et ailleurs.
Express No. 243 Paris-Nord - Hanover - Berlin - Warsaw, 9 April 1978
Ten coaches. Actual composition picked up by Gorri, a member of the Loco-Revue forum.
Rapide No. ? Paris-Nord - Brussels - Roosendaal - Amsterdam CS, 1979
Seven coaches. The VTU coaches should wear the orange C1 livery. Source: beluxtrains.net.
2-level suburban train set
Six coaches. BB 17040 pushing.
Rapide 491 (Paris) - Lille - Dunkirk-ferry, summer 1980
Forteen coaches. The UIC and DEV coaches should probably all be in C160 livery. The BB 16000 should have its buffer beams reinforced. Finally, a Nord Dd2 van lacks. Source: forum.e-train.fr.
Express no 243 Paris-Nord - Hanover - Berlin - Varsaw, summer 1980
Ten coaches. Same as in 1978 (above), with few changes… Source: vonderruhren.de.
D 234 Copenhagen – Paris-Nord, winter 1980/1981
Nine coaches. The UIC coaches should probably all be in C160 livery. I’ve replaced a 40100 loco with an NMBS series 16 loco to get some variety. Source: forum.e-train.fr.
Rapide 434/435 Parsifal : Köln - Liège - Maubeuge - St Quentin - Paris-Nord, winter 1980-81
Ten coaches. The composer had some worries: first, he had to replace some coaches planned in livery C1 by Coral ones. Second, the DB WRmh132 dining car, unavailable, had to be replaced with a SNCF Vru DEV 62.
Intercity 130 “Molière”: Dortmund - Paris-Nord, summer 1982
Six coaches. Note the orange shade difference between the two VSE at the end, both from LS Models, issued four years apart. Source: Christophe, on Forum e-train.
Intercity 287 Paris-Nord - Brussels-South, summer 1982
Seven coaches. Source: Christophe, on Forum e-train.
Suburban “inox” (stainless steel) train set (Paris)
Four coaches. The actual trains are usually composed of two four-coach sets. The coaches are connected by electric couplings made by me.
Omnibus Douai-Lille
Free but likely composition.
Double unit of X 4500 “Caravelles”
Free composition. Soundtrack from the video Les autorails X-4300 / X-4500, éditions du Cabri.
Train of STEF refrigerating wagons
Free composition. Many thanks to B10C10UX for the soundtrack! 9 vehicles.
Train of open wagons and hoppers
Free and whimsical composition, because for example the “EDF” hoppers only run in homogeneous trains. It’s just an opportunity to show some obscurs et sans grade (obscure and ungraded). 25 vehicles.
Oil tank train
Free and whimsical composition. The shunter is a Y 50100. 10 vehicles.
Train of covered wagons
Free and whimsical composition of covered wagons, “standard” (type G) and special (type H, with sliding walls). 34 vehicles.
Et nous les petits, les obscurs, les sans-grades,
Nous qui marchions fourbus, blessés, crottés, malades…
Edmond Rostand - L’Aiglon.