Author Topic: AMTP in Pithiviers, France  (Read 134958 times)

Gary Kraske

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #30 on: February 16, 2018, 03:14:29 PM »
Hi Gary
Thank you for logging on to the AMTP website kindly fixed up by Ed. If your wife needs help to translate anything let me know it'll be a treat for me to assist her. Where are you from Gary and why did you join the WW&F ? If you want to know more about me you can read the Who am I section in the General Discussion chapter  of this forum. Then you can log on to my fb page Alain Delassus /Uncle Scrooge where you can see quite a lot of photos of that French two-footer and   to its fb page Musée des transports de Pithiviers.
Have a nice week end.
Hi Alain, my wife, Barbara, and I are life members at WWFRy and followed it for a while and saw the intensity and drive of the members and so joined and have supported same.  We were also impressed by their business plans and their follow through of the same.    I was from Maine originally and grew up with trains and have lived in Maryland since 1960.  Since 2015 I've been limited in my ability to get around and my activities.  Best to you and look forward to perusing your sites.  Thank you.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #31 on: February 17, 2018, 01:44:12 PM »
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for your kind words about  the AMTP. Can you remember the very day you came to Pithiviers maybe we met then. Thank you for the photos as well. On Septmber 9th 2013 I was the conductor and I had a trainee with me. On October 6th 2002 I was at the #9 throttle. I'll soon give you good news of the #2 Schneider.. Best regards.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #32 on: February 20, 2018, 01:16:23 PM »
Hi folks.
Glad you are interested in the AMTP. If the association does'nt own its facilities, see previous posts, it owns the whole rolling stock  the operating one and the one  displayed in the museum. Among the operating rolling stock there is the steam locomotive  # 2 built in 1870 that it is the oldest two-foot locomotive in running order that still exists in France and maybe in Europe .It was lent to the AMTP in 1969 then eventually purchased. In 1992 it was fit with a new boiler and had been used since then when special events coupled to a small four seat car. It was very popular.
But due to worn out wheel treads and piston sheets it was sent last Fall to a  repair shop in southern France that  discovered  when testing the boiler a few leaking  tubes. The wheel treads and the piston sheets has been fixed up but as regards the tubes  the AMTP is waiting for a  via grant from the Departement of Culture to change all the  boiler tubes given the expense . Fortunately the locomotive is listed. Anyway the locomotive  will be in running order in 2020 to celebrate its 150th birthday during a special event.
 

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #33 on: February 25, 2018, 11:22:09 AM »
I've read the Humasonbrook tresle was rebuilt by  USMC soldiers as a training in 2001. Funnyly enough the loop at Bellébat the AMTP end station was built in 1995 by French Engineers Corps soldiers as a training too.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #34 on: March 04, 2018, 10:59:55 AM »
Hi everybody.

I'll go on giving you some information about the  AMTP. It's about time I told you about the association itself the membership and a bit about funding.
 The association is of course a non profit one its bylaws comply with the 1901's French Law Loi de 1901. The general meeting votes the members of the board of directors that decide the association policy and goals and vote 3 officers Président Treasurer and Secretary in charge of implementing its decisions and to handle the association on a dayly basis. On the whole it works like on the WW&F.
What is helas quite different than the WW&F is the membership .In the early eighties  around 300 members today only 104 members.... and it goes down year on year. Not that the membership is high 22$ for the volunteers and from 30$ for the others but sad to say generally speaking French people are not keen on the preserving of the technical heritage especially the railroad that  doesn't belong to our French historical heritage unlike the US. Moreover in France the membership or the money you  give to non for profit  associations that run  scenic railroads can't be deducted  from  the income tax you pay. I'm really owed  by the amount of the funds the WW&F raises. Last year the total of our membership and  donations was  only 3021$. On the other hand the association got 40000$ government subsidies to repair a listed steam engine. Typical of France! Next time I'm going to tell you about the volunteers that is a tricky issue out here.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #35 on: March 18, 2018, 11:40:27 AM »
Hi everyboby

On the AMTP volunteers are a tricky issue  since there are only 18 of them.. A regular operation day requires 6  volunteers, an engineer, a fireman, a conductor, a station agent in Pithiviers  a bar tender at the buffet car in Bellébat and a sales person in charge of the souvenir booth in the museum. There are 54 or so operation days a year and of course most of the volunteers are not all purpose dare I say it. Only 5 of them are trained steam locomotive engineers. So do the maths! Ever and again it's tough on the guy in charge of the operating volunteers to make the ends meet but until now he has always make it. This situation isn't new out here even in the heyday of the association there were 30 of them at the most. Fortunately the volunteer average age has been  a bit  on the rise for a couple of years like the association leadership as well. When a big event is held on the railroad or in case of important track works  a few volunteers from other scenic railroads come give a hand since the association has for long fostered good relationship with a few other scenic two- footers in France. For that matter we have also exchanged steam locomotives when a Steam Festival is held  on one of them. In the early March the AMTP has launched a campaign on fb and its website to enlist new members and volunteers let's hope it gets any. By the way my favorite quote about volunteers generally speaking is " a volunteer is only paid by the pleasure it takes " . Do you agree with me ?
Next time I'll tell you about the buffet car and the souvenir booth for a change. CU.

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #36 on: March 18, 2018, 03:24:50 PM »
Hi everyboby

By the way my favorite quote about volunteers generally speaking is " a volunteer is only paid by the pleasure it takes " . Do you agree with me ?


I think all the members at the WW&F would agree with that saying, Alain.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #37 on: March 27, 2018, 10:26:45 AM »
Hi you all

Every operating day the buffet car is hooked to the first westbound train. At the end station  Bellébat the buffet car is switched into a siding close to the station building  a few tables and chairs are set up on the shady plateform or inside the station when it's raining. The buffet car is mostly the only entertainement  on the Bellébat site for the riders and it makes it big during the 20 minute lay off. The last eastbound train takes it back to Pithiviers.
So we have mixed trains and riders are often interesting in watching the switching  the conductor leads with his red flag and his whistle.
The buffet car has been around since the line extension to the Bellébat site in 1971. Actually it's an old box car built in the UK for the WW1  it was used to carry wounded soldiers. After the war it ended up on the TPT with a few others and finally on the AMTP in 1966. Last year it was totally refurbished.
Don't hesitate to visit my fb page Alain Delassus Uncle Srooge  every Friday I post photos about the AMTP with short captions in English.  Over the past few weeks I posted two pics of the buffet car.  CU soon !

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #38 on: March 28, 2018, 10:45:11 AM »
Erratum a vocabulary one

At Bellébat it's not a 20 minute lay off but  a lay over. I've mixed  it up with stop off. I hope nobody will lay me off for the mistake.

John McNamara

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #39 on: March 28, 2018, 11:53:55 AM »
Hmmm, I can picture it now, a 20-minute layover at TOM while passengers enjoy french bread, wine, and cheese. Vive LeMontagne!

-John

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #40 on: April 09, 2018, 11:38:51 AM »
Hi John and everybody ! Don't delude yourself about the AMTP buffetcar they only sell soft drink coffe beer and sugar things. It's not the Read Eats in Wiscasset and their lobster sandwich that looks yummy and not that expensive if I don't take into account the cost of the trip to get there .Well, talking of sugar things and chocolate eggs the AMTP made it big Easter week- end with 718 riders altogether for sunday and monday that is a legal holyday in France. It was totally unexpected and amazing. Far more riders than the  past few years Steam Festivals. The train and the railcar were nearly crowded at every round trip. You can see pics on my fb.

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #41 on: April 09, 2018, 01:00:58 PM »
Congratulations on the large turnout. Alain.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #42 on: April 12, 2018, 10:57:51 AM »
Thanks Jeff yes a very much unexpected turnout. I'll tell you about the souvenir shop today. The AMTP has been selling souvenirs since the late sixties .At the outset only post cards  at the station then on the trains during the ride between Pithiviers and Bellébat; The conductor toted around  a big shoulder bag full up with booklets  giving  information about the two-footer and its rolling stock, key rings, stickers and a few post cards. and it did work out. Back then given the turnout it was a hell of a job but luckilly  a deputy conductor was mostly on the train . In the very early nineties the BOD decided on building a special wooden counter and set it inside the museum in order to enlarge the items array on sale. Since then René Bury the AMTP most commited volunteer has been sitting behind the counter  every give or take a few operating day selling the items  any tourist railroad sells  nowadays. He is rarely out of work because  a lot of riders  mainly children like  to take away a souvenir of their outing. I'll soon introduce René that has joined the association in 1974 on my fb page.

Bob Holmes

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #43 on: April 12, 2018, 07:02:04 PM »
This is definitely a Sister Railroad!  I hope many of us have chance to visit it, and vice versa.

Alain:  when are you coming to the WW&F?

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #44 on: April 15, 2018, 08:19:34 AM »
Hi  Bob!
Thank you for your kind reply. Of course let me know if any member decided on coming  to  Pithiviers . It would be a treat for me to greet it and show it around the AMTP facilities museum and ride the train with it.
As for me  I would love to go to Alna and meet you all. Maybe one day I'll  go there. Never say never.