All language subtitles for The Worlds Most Scenic Railway Journeys S02E04 1080p WEB DL H264 BTN_track3_[eng]

Join us on an epic
200-mile train journey

through the mysterious region
of southern France.

A breathtaking, sparsely populated
land, it is a stunning hidden gem

of almost untouched wilderness
and beauty.

We'll soar high above
the tree tops...

Wow! That is phenomenal.

It just strides across the valley.

..and travel deep underground...

This is a man-made cave
to extract silver and coal.

..before arriving in
the volcanic heart of France,

and to claim the astonishing peak
of the dormant Puy-de-Dome.

I don't think of another place
in the world

where you can find such a richness.

HE WHISTLES
We'll meet the people who live

and work along
this very special train line.

It's wonderful to be here.
You smell this atmosphere.

This is no ordinary railway journey.

This is one of the most scenic
railway journeys in the world.

Ligne Des Cevennes, France.

The Occitanie region
of southern France.

To travel through these
mountains is to breathe in

the atmosphere of history.

Brimming with mystery and antiquity,

this region is the perfect
destination for nature lovers,

history buffs, and most of all,
those who adore trains.

Our five-and-a-half-hour
rail journey begins here in Nimes,

an ancient city in
the southern part of the region.

With a rich history dating back
to the Roman Empire, Nimes is

sometimes called the Rome of France.

Coincidentally, it is here
that denim was invented.

Hence "de Nimes".

At Nimes station in the centre
of the city

is where our French railway
adventure begins,

aboard La Ligne des Cevennes.

In southern France, our train
travels alongside the river Gard,

to the old coal mining towns of Ales

and La Grand Combe...

..then it winds its way
to Chamborigaud

and its historic horseshoe viaduct.

It then enters
the Cevennes National Park,

stopping at Genolhac
before we fly over

Ville Fort's drowned viaduct.

Heading northwards, our train
reaches its highest point at Luc,

before dropping down to our third
huge viaduct at Chapeauroux.

Continuing northwards along
the river Alliers to Chanteuges,

we then head on to
our destination at Clermont-Ferrand,

the capital of the Auvergne,

and finally to
the majestic Puy-de-Dome,

the jewel in the crown
of the Chaine des Puys.

For now, though, it's time
to find our seat, settle down,

and take in the beauty of
the countryside as we travel

through the
Languedoc-Roussillon region

up into the heart of the Auvergne.

It is a land of fertile plains
and vineyards

that give way to mountainous peaks
and steep-sided valleys.

Travelling on
a track gauge of 1,435 mm,

our train is a Class X 73500
diesel engine

made by the French company
Alsthom DDF,

for the national French
rail company SNCF.

La Ligne des Cevennes is a small,
rural railway line that carries

mostly day-trippers, tourists,
and, of course, locals.

Also on the train today is Marie,

heading home to the village of
Chamborigaud.

I take the train because I prefer
to travel by train than by car,

because in a car, I have to drive.

I cannot see the mountains,
the view, nothing.

The train is more quiet.
It's not tiring.

It's my favourite train.

Created during the prosperity of
the so-called Second French Empire

and built in stages between
1840 and 1870 at a staggering cost

of 520 million francs,
the Ligne des Cevennes railway

is almost 200 miles in length,

and is one of the oldest lines
in France.

Travelling through
the Cevennes mountains

and crossing the volcanic centre
of France, this amazing line

has 50 bridges and more than
100 tunnels along its route.

In France, we call this line
"the line of the hundred tunnels".

This one is the longest.

1km and 700m.

It's a long way.

Stunning though these views are,

passenger traffic on this line
was not its first priority.

The Cevennes railway was originally
created as an economical way

of bringing wine and coal
to Paris in the north

and Nimes in the south, where
it connected to the Mediterranean.

25 miles after we left
Nimes station,

it is time for our arrival
at our first stop - Ales.

Known by the Romans as Alestium,
this industrial city was once

home to blast furnaces,
foundries and engineering works.

So industrial was this place

that even the spoil heaps
are now part of its landscape.

100 years ago, this now genteel town
on the river Gardon

was the beating heart of
France's coal and steel industry.

From producing 20,000 tonnes
of coal in 1815

to 3.3 million tonnes in 1890,

and with an overall workforce
of 20,000,

iron and coal turned Ales into

one of the country's first
steel-producing centres.

So important was it that this area
became known as the Black Country.

And one of the largest
and most important mines here,

just 8.5 miles north
along our train track from Ales,

was La Grande-Combe.

Marcel and Marcel both worked here
as coalminers during its heyday.

Once below ground,
it was backbreaking work.

In 1978, the years of hard labour
for Marcel and Marcel

came to an abrupt end.

Not only was it a blow
to the local economy,

but also to the heart of
this thriving region.

Marie remembers
this very difficult time well.

When the mine closed,
the Cevennes lost people,

because all the young people,
they go to find a job in Paris.

It was my father.

My father was a miner on...
13 years old till 25 years old.

He has to go to Paris for work
because the mine closed.

He was working for the train.

He grew up in the company, and
after, he was a driver of the train.

The train and the line,
it's my story also.

It's not only the Cevennes story.

I am from Cevennes,
but it's also a family story.

As our train weaves its way
through the Cevennes countryside,

our journey is about to enter
a new landscape -

the Cevennes National Park,

and the astonishing
Chamborigaud Viaduct.

We are travelling on one of
the world's most scenic railways,

through the stunning landscape
of southern France.

We have been journeying
for an hour and 40 minutes,

and are 45 miles along
the Ligne des Cevennes.

After Ales and La Grand-Combe,

we head deeper into
the Cevennes mountains.

We're heading for the Chamborigaud
village, where we'll encounter

one of the railway's
most beautiful constructions.

We arrive in Chamborigaud.

Nestled in the Languedoc-Rousillon
region of the river Luech,

the charming and beautiful ancient
village of Chamborigaud

is the end of Marie's journey,
as this is her home.

This station is also a stop-off for
train enthusiasts the world over,

like railway historian Tim Dunn.

Nearby, there is one of the most
extraordinary engineering feats

built along our line.

The Chamborigaud Viaduct.

Wow! That is phenomenal.
It just strides across the valley.

What a piece of engineering.

This incredible viaduct is
150 feet high and 1,758 feet long.

Designed by Nimes-born
railway engineer Charles Dombre,

who devoted much of his career
to this railway line.

Built in a horseshoe shape
to allow the train to cross

the wide Luech valley,

it's made from
18,000 cubic metres of granite.

It is the longest viaduct
on the Ligne des Cevennes.

So important is Dombre's structure
that it has been classified as

a national historic monument.

Dombre is something of an enigma.

He's responsible for driving this
railway through,

all the way through this line,

what's become now
the Cevennes route.

What an incredible piece of work

this must have been
to try and create.

With 41 arches and built at a cost
of 570,000 Francs,

it is estimated that
12,000 men worked

to create this thing of beauty.

What really grabs me about
this lofty construction

is just how it grabs you! You know,

it fills your view
as you walk up the valley,

far more than you understand
from being on the train,

because you don't really experience
it from being on the train.

You see the views, but not it.

Although imposing and
arresting as it is now,

it is only when we look at
the original survey drawings

that we get an idea of
Dombre's original plan.

You can quite clearly see
the final route that was chosen.

This big horseshoe route.

So Dombre had originally wanted
to go straight across the valley,

which is up behind us there.

That would have entailed
a really, really massive viaduct

that was just too expensive,

so you've ended up with
this really quite elongated route,

but one that was actually much
cheaper to build

and slightly more simple to build,

rather than build this massive
viaduct across a wide space.

What you've ended up with
is this incredible horseshoe.

Started in 1865 and only taking
19 months to construct,

the Chamborigaud Viaduct was built
by a whole village

of craftsmen and labourers.

We mustn't forget
the human cost of this project,

which must have been phenomenal,
because the working conditions

for this would have been
absolutely atrocious.

This was a line not built by
power tools. It was built by hand.

All of the stuff to build
this railway had to be

brought in by the very train tracks
they were laying down themselves.

This is an absolutely fabulous piece
of engineering. It is so graceful.

It is so...
Little known outside France as well.

Yet it's
such an incredible structure.

Here, deep in
the Cevennes mountains,

is an outstanding area
of spectacular natural beauty,

and a very rural
and remote area of France.

Villagers around here
are getting smaller

and smaller each year as people
move away to the bigger cities.

And nowhere is this more apparent
than in Marie's home,

Chamborigaud village.

Born here, Marie runs
a gift shop in the village.

A lot of people
were working in the mine.

In the year '50, the mine started
to close, and then the people

have to go to Paris or Marseille,
or big city to find a job.

And then, all the family left,
and now, it's...

Only 700 people.

With so few people living here,
the railway line is under threat.

Slowly, slowly, we have less trains,
and it's a pity,

because we would like to go
everywhere with the train,

and it's very important
for business,

for customers, for tourist people.

All is not quite lost.

With the rise of tourism,

things are looking up
for Chamborigaud.

A lot of people now,
since ten years or 20 years,

they come back to our village.

For example, Edward,
my neighbour, is from England,

and he has a business here.
Make beer!

It's actually nano-brewing.

That means it's smaller
than micro-brewing.

I'm a farmer-cum-brewer,

so I use a lot of
my own ingredients.

I grow hops, fruit, and heather
and things like that,

that all go into the beer
that I make.

Originally from Leicester,
Edward fell in love,

and it wasn't just with the view.

My wife is French. She lived in
England for about ten years.

We met, came on holiday to
where our farm is now, in fact,

and I asked her to marry me
out of the blue like that.

I've been here 11 years. It wasn't
really planned to come here.

We just kind of
packed up shop and came.

I've been brewing for
five years in France,

so I kind of know
how to place the beer,

and I have a few beers that are
quite different to the normal.

There's a selection of
six different beers today.

You've got a dark beer made with
local grapes, a chestnut beer,

an IPA with a load of
local fruits in it,

and then I've got a classic
blond beer for the blond-likers.

As it is for most local businesses,

the train is incredibly
important to Edward.

I've got two kids
that were born here.

They love catching the train
to go down to Ales or Nimes.

And then, for me as well, with
having a business in the village,

it's quite important having
the train. Kind of, it kind of...

I think that keeps it alive,
keeps the whole village alive,

because people can just
catch a train here,

and it's such a beautiful line,
that a lot of tourists -

and the viaduct - kind of
get brought because of that.

I always tell English people
that this is like Wales,

but with sunshine.

It was a big change, but
I wouldn't now go back to England.

I think I'm quite happy
being Monsieur Orion.

It's time to climb back on board
our train and leave Chamborigaud.

This means that we get a chance to
travel over that wonderful viaduct

that we've seen from below.

Our rural train now travels
through the little-known

Cevennes National Park, stopping at
the small village of Genolhac.

We then push northwards to
Ville Fort

and cross our second viaduct before
reaching La Bastide-Puylaurent

and the tiny hamlet of Luc,

made famous by author
Robert Louis Stevenson.

The National Park is
one of France's hidden gems.

A large area covering
1,240 square miles,

it sits on the edge of
the great Massif Central

and is full of rolling
limestone mountains,

picturesque villages,
and is home to several rivers,

such as the Loire, the Rhone,
and the river Allier.

And it is in the shadow of
our next stop, Genolhac,

a medieval hamlet and farming
community, that we meet Benoit.

He leads a small team of
park rangers

overseeing and protecting the park
and the animals that live within it.

All a stone's throw
from the railway line.

The Ligne des Cevennes

goes through to the eastern side
of the national park,

and there is two railway stations,
Genolhac and Chamborigaud.

And so, the visitors can stop
at the station and then

they are inside the national park,
and they can visit it.

Today, Benoit is travelling
deep inside the park

in search of some small but
perfectly formed inhabitants.

Right now, we are counting bats.

They came during the winter

to spend the warm winter
in this place,

and so, each year, we count them,

and it's part of a national
French programme of bat census.

Although the perfect habitat for the
20 different types that live here,

this particular bat cave
is not exactly what it seems.

This cave is not natural.
This is a man-made cave.

It was dug by humans
maybe 100 years ago,

so, to extract silver and coal.

This material was transported by
the railway, les trains de Cevennes.

It's quite easy to see the bats
in this cave, but sometimes,

as they are black or grey,
you know, you cannot see them,

but with experience, we can find it.

These bats, in English, this is...
The big horseshoe bat. You know?

Because his nose, as you can see,
is like a horseshoe.

So this is a lesser horseshoe bat.

The lesser has a nose in
the same shape as a horseshoe,

so that's why it has its name.

And so, this is the most abundant
species that we have in this place.

You know, these bats are like
almost all the other bats in Europe,

and so they cover their bodies with
their wings in order to get warmer.

So today, I have just found
two lesser and one greater

horseshoe bats, which is consistent
with the census of precedent years.

At a time when around 0.1% of
all the world's species

becomes extinct each year,

the work Benoit does here
is incredibly important.

We also feel responsible
to protect the species'

habitats and environment in general,

so that's why it's important
to me to do this job.

No hanging around for our train.

As it weaves its way through
the Cevennes National Park,

it is about to enter
a unique part of the world,

a place much-loved by one of
the UK's most famous writers,

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Our train left Nimes
two hours and 20 minutes ago

on its journey to Clermont-Ferrand.

It's just over 150 years since
the Ligne des Cevennes was built,

and it still is one of the most
beautiful railways through France.

And our next stop is no exception -

Ville Fort.

TRAIN HORN BLOWS

A pretty medieval village with
a tiny and very tidy station...

..run single-handedly by
a very proud stationmaster.

My name is Michel Montanier.

I'm the stationmaster here
at Ville Fort,

and my job is the security
of trains and people,

to give information to the people
and sell tickets.

And I have all the...

The things I have to do
in the station, I am alone,

so I have to do all the things.

Michel has spent his entire
working life on the Cevennes line,

first at Chamborigaud,
and now, Ville Fort.

It's wonderful to be here.

I think you smell this atmosphere.

It's fantastic. I live in Ville Fort
since 22 years now.

So I will finish my job,
my career, in one year.

HE BLOWS WHISTLE

Back on the train,
we pull out of Ville Fort

and say goodbye to
station master Michelle.

It's only a couple of miles outside
the village that we encounter

another masterpiece of
railway construction -

The Viaduc de l'Altier,
or the Ville Fort viaduct.

Once again, designed to cope
with the hostile terrain

by engineer Charles Dombre.

Built in 1870,
and at 843 feet in length,

it was constructed
to cross the river Altier.

For almost 100 years,
it stood 240 feet high above it.

Then, in 1965,
the Ville Fort dam was built.

A modern hydroelectric barrage
which blocked the river,

flooded the valley,

and caused part of the elegant
Victorian viaduct to be submerged.

Now, when the reservoir is full,

the train track runs just
10 metres above the water,

giving splendid views
across the lake.

So far, we have come 60 miles,

and are travelling through
the Cevennes mountains

on the eastern flank of
the Massif Central

to the village of Luc.

This is a railway line that is
extremely important

to the people who travel
and work on it.

La Ligne des Cevennes cuts through

one of the most beautiful regions
in France. With views like this,

it's easy to forget that it's also

a commuter train for the people
who live alongside the line.

This is a usual journey,

because every day,
I take this train to go to my job.

Some of my colleagues make
the same journey by car every day,

and for me,
it's boring to be in the car.

I like to take the train,
because I can dream.

For me, it's very good
to start the day like that.

This amazing landscape

once inspired one of
Britain's most famous writers.

Robert Louis Stevenson, long before
the successes of Treasure Island

and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,
came here to forget a love affair,

and ended up falling in love
all over again,

this time with these mountains.

Helping us to walk in his footsteps

is local Stevenson enthusiast
Roger, and Noushka.

When he came here,
which was in 1878,

it's a little bit after
the railway was first built.

He was a young, unknown writer,

and he had this crazy idea of

coming to this
wild part of the world

and buying a donkey

and doing a 12-day walk
from the north to the south

of the Cevennes
and writing about it.

Starting in Le Puy-en-Velay,

Stevenson walked southwards
156 miles,

crossing the Ligne des Cevennes
several times to reach Ales.

After spending several days
and nights in these mountains

with no-one but his stubborn donkey
Modestine for company,

Stevenson arrived
in the village of Luc.

Robert Louis Stevenson would have
come down here himself in 1878.

He'd have come across this bridge
into the village of Luc,

having spent the previous night
up there in the hills,

sleeping rough in his sleeping bag
in the rain.

Perhaps a little downcast
by the weather,

Stevenson was unimpressed by Luc.

He wrote, "It had no beauty,
nor was there any notable feature."

He didn't stay long.

Here we are at the station at
Luc village on the Cevennes line,

heading south to
La Bastide-Puylaurent,

and along this line itself,
Stevenson would have walked in 1878,

right by the railway,
leaving him to have some musings

about the impact of
the railway on local life.

In fact, he was expressing
possible concern that

the arrival of the railway would
bring so many people

that this would no longer be
the wild place that he loved.

If anything, it was
Stevenson's journey himself

and the legacy that he left
with his memoir that has brought

people here to follow
in his footsteps.

"A railway ran beside the river,
the only bit of railway in Gevaudan,

"although there are many proposals
afoot and surveys being made,

"and even, as they tell me,

"a station standing
ready built in Mende.

"A year or two hence,
and this may be another world.

"The desert is beleaguered."

Eventually published by Stevenson as

Travels With A Donkey
In The Cevennes in 1879,

this walk is still a hiking trail

that is followed by
around 7,000 people per year.

Today, we may not be travelling
by donkey power,

but it is the horsepower of
our delightful diesel engine

that carries us onwards.

We've now come
96 miles from Nimes,

and our train is arriving at the
picturesque village of Chapeauroux.

Our railway historian Tim Dunn
again alights from our train

in search of another
architectural treasure.

High above the town,
the line has a third viaduct,

again built by - you guessed it -
Charles Dombre,

who designed over 1,000km
of railway in the area.

This is the Chapeauroux viaduct,

which is very much like
the Chamborigaud viaduct.

It's almost the same length,
and like that,

they both actually curve round
in this really wide arc.

The best way to view this
is actually from afar, up here,

because from here, you can see
the sweep of the river valley,

and actually, the two little
settlements that make up this area.

Joining them together is
this massive, spectacular viaduct.

It's actually so long,

it joins together the two French
departments Haute Loire and Lozere.

Now, you can see here,
this is the old town,

and that was their way before
the railway turned up, but building

this viaduct required large numbers
of workers, and to be accommodated,

they established a little village
down here, which became known

by locals, actually,
as Nouveau Monde, the new world.

And at the time, they established
as well a little police station

and a chapel too for the workers.

Many of them carried on
living here afterwards,

and it's still
a spectacular place to live.

Building work on the
Chapeauroux viaduct began in 1869,

and incredibly,
was completed the following year.

At 65 feet high, this amazing
construction of 28 arches,

each one 40 feet wide,
is 1,453 feet long.

This viaduct,
compared to Chamborigaud,

is really quite different.

Although it is an arc as it goes
round the corner of the valley

and over a river, this is made
out of very different material.

Chamborigaud is made out of granite.

This is actually local rock that's
been hewn into different shapes.

And you can see the way
it's been made up,

by almost like this
crazy paving from the outside.

What's lovely about this viaduct
is you can see how Dombre was trying

to perfect his techniques down at
the wonderful Chamborigaud viaduct,

and here, at Chapeauroux viaduct,
he has perfected them.

He's brought everything
to the table.

He's using local materials
to keep the costs down.

He's kept it low-lying,
so it sits in the valley.

It's fairly cheap to build.

This gradual gradient as well,
as it goes up the hill.

It's a simpler construction,
but still very elegant,

still very graceful,
and still very beautiful.

These three beautiful
and elegant viaducts

are a fitting memorial to the skill
of the man who built them.

One of the things I love about
this railway is it was engineered

by a local man, Dombre,
and actually,

it was one of his great projects
in life to connect his home city

of Nimes through the Massif Central
to the rest of France,

and actually, it still stands today,
and it's still doing that job today,

and I love that. You know, it really
is a great testament to his work.

Back on the train,
we are speeding towards

our destination of Clermont-Ferrand,

gateway to the volcanic centre
of France,

the incredible Puy-de-Dome, and
its very own extraordinary railway.

We are three quarters of
the way through

our journey to Clermont-Ferrand,

and have been travelling
for over three hours.

After leaving Chapeauroux,

we travelled 28 miles to
the pretty village of Chanteuges

on the river Allier,
an inspiration to artists.

We're then on the last
leg of the journey.

After 65 miles, we arrive at
the final station on this line,

Clermont-Ferrand,

where we'll transfer to
the incredible Puy-de-Dome.

It is at this point that we traverse
the edge of the stunning

Gorges de l'Allier.

This railway line we see today
is nowhere as busy as it was

in its heyday over 100 years ago.

As people have moved away,
many of the stations have closed.

The village of Chanteuges
has a population of around 400.

The station here
closed many years ago...

..as local artist
Veronique Bene explains.

So, we're just arriving
in the Chanteuges station.

It's an old station.
It's closed now.

Veronique has spent years
exploring this region,

looking for forgotten corners
to sketch.

The local scenery here
inspires her art.

I like to draw panoramic drawings,
you know?

Where you can see many things.

This is the south, so Nimes, and
this is the north, Clermont-Ferrand.

Here.

Here.

Away from the village, the landscape
becomes even more breathtaking,

and inspiring for Veronique.

Sometimes with the car or with
the bike or walking, I see a place,

and I say, well,
here I have to make something,

I have to draw something.

The gorge of the Allier is
a beautiful part of the line.

This is why I live here.

It's not for the job
or for the family.

It's for me one of
the nicest places in the world.

I'm here for the beauty.

I want my drawing to show people
how nice it is here.

As we leave the valleys and ravines
of the Gorges de l'Allier,

we also leave behind the peace
and quiet of the countryside.

Our 200-mile journey is nearing
its end as we approach

our final stop, Clermont-Ferrand -
the capital of the Auvergne.

An ancient cathedral city,

Clermont-Ferrand is also
one of the oldest cities in France.

It's a centre for
lovers of architecture,

and is the gateway to
exploring central France.

Possibly the thing
it's most famous for is

the fact that it is surrounded by
this amazing natural phenomenon,

a 25-mile-long chain of
80 dormant volcanoes.

Known as the Chaine des Puys,
literally "the chain of volcanoes",

this incredible range is actually
very young in volcano years.

The first eruption here
was a mere 95,000 years ago,

and the most recent just 8,600.

So if you want to check out
that view, I think you'll be OK!

Granted UNESCO World Heritage Status
in 2018,

the highest point, peaking at
4,806 feet, is the Puy-de-Dome,

and this wonderful view
can be accessed by train.

It is a place steeped in
ancient history,

where the weather can change
minute-by-minute,

as local tour guide Anne explains.

In the time to take the train up,

the weather can be
totally different,

so you can start thinking

it will be grey and you won't have
any view from the top,

and by the time you are up,

it can become very clear
and sunny and blue sky.

This line is very special.

It's a cog railway, which is
used especially in mountain areas

like in Switzerland, and here,
that was chosen

because of the incline of the line,

which can reach a maximum of 15.5%,
which is really steep.

A toothed rack rail,
usually set between the tracks,

connects with a cogwheel
fitted beneath the train.

Once engaged with the teeth,

this wheel pulls the train
up the steep gradient.

TRAIN WHISTLES

The train journey
takes just 15 minutes,

but when you get to the top,

whatever the weather,
the view is incredible.

Here is a really special place.

As you come here, perhaps you don't
expect what you will find,

but you are astonished by the views
and by the richness of this site.

Once an ocean, this area,
the Massif Central,

was created
over 100 million years ago

when two continents came together.

An unstable meeting,
the 18 volcanoes we see today

are the result of a rift
in the earth's crust here.

I am here a lot of time
and it's always the same pleasure

to be here and to watch
these landscapes.

You know, and it's like
the breathing of Earth.

They are dormant now. They are from
one single eruption, and that's it.

Although dormant now,

vulcanologists predict that
there will be another eruption.

They just don't know when.

Until then, this is a place of
outstanding natural beauty.

Take a ride up to
the summit of Puy-de-Dome,

and then you will have
lots of different experiences.

I really love this place.

Perhaps it's my favourite
place in the world,

because of all the diversity
it offers, you know?

And I don't think of another place
in the world

where you can find such a richness
at the same place.

Our train has travelled from
the warmth of the south

into France's volcanic heart.

We have marvelled at the splendour
of its man-made monuments...

..and gloried in the beauty and
simplicity of those made by nature.

It is a line steeped in history
that today still provides

an important link
from village to city.

Long may that continue.

La Ligne des Cevennes is one of
the great railway journeys of France

and of the world.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media