Author Topic: AMTP in Pithiviers, France  (Read 134985 times)

Graham Buxton

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #135 on: June 21, 2020, 12:53:56 PM »
My guess is that it is grain crops that are most at risk from trackside fires in the Pithiviers area.

Here is an agricultural overview of the area:
Quote
Beauce, region, northwestern France. It stretches southwest of Paris toward the Forêt d’Orléans. One of the great traditional granaries of France, Beauce is a flat, fertile, treeless limestone plain that was once planted mainly with wheat and sugar beets. Maize (corn) was introduced in the 1950s and is now cultivated along with wheat and barley. Petit Beauce is an area of similar characteristics between the Loir and Loire rivers to the north of Blois. Agriculture in Beauce is highly productive. In recent years problems of overproduction and pollution of the water table have diminished interest in the exclusive cultivation of cereals. Production has been diversified to include rape seed, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables (for the canning and frozen food industries), and pulses. The use of fertilizers is now strictly controlled, and mustard is sown to absorb excess nitrates. The church spires, grain silos, and water towers of the market towns thrust vividly out of the unrelieved flatness. Chartres, Châteaudun, Étampes, and Pithiviers are the main towns, and all have agricultural markets.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Beauce
Graham

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #136 on: June 22, 2020, 12:19:23 AM »
Thank you so much Graham for that accurate depiction of the AMTP environment. Fires are an acute concern along the main line while the AMTP is of course insured against that kind of hasard it can take chances to set  grain fields on fire.It happened  only once log ago.Plus in summer there is a ban on making fires outside in the département du Loiret.. The steamengine ashpans don't closed tight and there are always more or less dry weeds on the track or beside it and locomotives often set them on fire, when the harvest is over it's not that serious except at for ties at times. If the conductor spots  a fire it signals for the engineer to pull up the train and the traincrew runs back to put the fire out unless some driving by motorist calls the FD that are used to it and don't make a fuss about it.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #137 on: June 22, 2020, 12:42:10 AM »
 
Hello John ! You can dream on ! To find vineyards you have to drive down at least 50 miles to the South to the Loire river valley . Vins de Loire are famous but if you go for a beer so it's OK we grow quite a lot of barley in Beauce that is already dry and ready to be reaped and carried to huge grain elevators before being shipped by rail in big hoopercars.

What are you harvesting? As a person from the US, I'm thinking you are harvesting grapes. I foresee tank cars of delicious French wines...

Hello John You can dream on! To find vineyards you have to drive down at least 50 miles to the South to the Loire river. vVins de Loire are famous but if you go for a a beer so it's OK we grow quite a lot of barley in Beauce that is ready to reaped by now and carried to huge grain elevators before being shipped by rail in large hoopercars.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2020, 12:49:17 AM by ALAIN DELASSUS »

Pete "Cosmo" Barrington

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #138 on: June 27, 2020, 07:19:09 PM »
My guess is that it is grain crops that are most at risk from trackside fires in the Pithiviers area.

Well, ... that, and Napoleonic generals... ;)
 

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #139 on: July 29, 2020, 07:34:34 AM »
SAFETY FIRST PART # 10
Hello, I've given the WW&F rulebook a careful consideration. To put it midly, it's a very comprehensive document that must not have been easy to write and to fine tune so I congratulate again those who shared in that long backstage task that will be of great value for those that are safety- conscious ,which everybody is at the WW&F. Of course, what has most awed me is the SEP that actually constitues the major difference between our two rulebooks. Not such a long chapter about traincrew and dispatcher training and assesment in the AMTP rulebook but only ONE page. On page 32 you can read that the training system is mentoring, a  safety class is set up every year, the crewcaller keeps a record of the training of each employee, called "agent" at the AMTP, and of the attendance to the safety class as well,  when the training is over the trainmaster qualifies the trainee for engineer or dispatcher. As for the conductor, he or she does not officially have a safety position at least on a two foot gauge railway, go figure! Engineers must have their driver's license that proves they are able to drive a car from a medical stand point thus a motive power, funny isn't it. Well, that's all and yet those few arrangements have met the approvoal of the Tranportation Department authority in charge of the tourist Ry safety.
Next time I'll tell you how it actually works on the ground. By then, have a studious rules and practice session and stay safe and healthy.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #140 on: August 18, 2020, 07:59:54 AM »
Safety FIRST PART # 11
Hello ! How does it goes on the ground as regards the training of a new AMTP's volunteer when he or ( she but rarely) is willing to take part in the running of the trains. He is given a rulebook copy, if still  any left, and told " Read it, it may be useful" and he starts out at once his training mostly as a conductor. For a while he shawdows different fullfledged conductors then he starts doing the job by himself still under the supervision of his mentor. At one point, the crewcaller asks the mentors if the trainee is OK and if they " No probs" the trainee becomes ipso facto a trained conductor in turn. In the meantime if our newcommer is willing to get on the footplate of a steam locomotive, and they all are , off you go, he starts up at once his enginecrew career as a trainee fireman then ,not long after, as a trainnee engineer under the supervision of different qualified engineers and aboard of different steam or diesel locomotives. Ever and again the crewcaller will ask him to man the station, the souvenir booth or the buffet car in Bellébat station so that he become soon an all purpose employee. If the newcommer is earnest and has a good attendance record not only over the operating season but also at the off- season work sessions, he will have a bright future in the association. To reach the so much hoped-for steam locomotive engineer position the fireman will have to technically show that he is able to properly  prepare ,stoke up and drive the different types of steam and diesel locomotives. He'll become first a trained diesel engineman. If everything works out smoothely, after preparing, stocking up and driving a steam locomotive under the supervision of the trainmaster he 'll qualify as a fullfledged  engineer. The whole training takes normally 4 to 5 years depending of the assiduity and skill of the trainee. As regards the dispatcher position an engineer is automatically a qualified dispatcher when his train is the only one on the main line. Most station agents are eventually qualified  for dispatcher by the train master. Engineers dispatchers and  if they are willing conductors must attend the annual compulsory safety class that lasts 2 hours. As you just discovered it  the period of acclimatization is very short, if any, there is neither theorical education nor course let alone assesments to make sure the trainee has only read the rulebook. Finally all the taining rests on a practical education shadowing and mentoring. It was ever thus at AMTP and as it turns out it would not have been a bad system if.... To be continued.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #141 on: September 29, 2020, 08:46:40 AM »
SOME NEWS FROM  PITHIVIERS
Hello you all ! It's about time to give you some news of AMTP. The association has kept the lights on too. The financial position is rather good for the time being all due to the leadership's clever handling of the crisis. Unlike WW&F, there have been very few donations except for the ones from  few directors and  commited volunteers and members. Fortunately, at the outset of the pandemics the amount of money on the AMTP checking  and savings accounts was  fairly substancial and with the help  of a  succesful  yardsale  of standard gauge railway  artifacts long stored in the association lofts and basements  AMTP was able to make ends meet through the reopening of the museum as of  June 7th and the resumption of the train running as of June 28th. Since then, everything has been working out well, with a 2460 ridership and a successful European Heritage Weekend Steam Festival we can't complain. But the loss of  23000 $ or so brought about by the lack of operating income from April 1st trough June is going to impaired seriously the investements over the next few years. Three out of five steam locomotives  are disabled and need expensive boiler repairs that are  postponed  untill 2022 at least. Conversely 3 diesel locomotives,which one is on hire, are up and running but it's going to be tough to set up a big steam festival down the line.
If the feel-good factor is gone the leadership and the volunteers keep their spirits up and  stick together to soldier on and weather the tough time everybody is going thru.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #142 on: October 02, 2020, 11:22:08 AM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnaFPuogvrU

Hello log on to this link to watch a great video of the 2019 AMTP last operating day one year ago. It's a bit long but I think i's worth it. It was the last time, before long, there were 3 steam locomotives together on the main since AMTP #10, the red steam locomotive,  stays idle  on account of boiler staybolts issue. Hope the link work.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2020, 01:53:38 PM by Ed Lecuyer »

Ed Lecuyer

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #143 on: October 02, 2020, 11:56:54 AM »
Bonjour Alain!

The link you provided doesn't work. I tried to fix it but was unable to do so.
Please repost the link and I will fix it.

Merci,
-Ed
« Last Edit: October 02, 2020, 01:54:43 PM by Ed Lecuyer »
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Graham Buxton

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #144 on: October 02, 2020, 01:48:35 PM »
I think this is likely the video Alain wanted to link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnaFPuogvrU
Titled: "Fin de saison 2019 au TPT"
... with a description of "Fin de saison 2019 au TPT voie de 60 à Pithiviers".

I don't speak French, but those words seem to suggest "end of season 2019."  :) Its 24.5 minutes long.


Oh, and now that I have posted,  I see the end parts of the URLs are the same.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2020, 01:51:53 PM by Graham Buxton »
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Ed Lecuyer

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #145 on: October 02, 2020, 01:54:26 PM »
Thanks Graham - I have corrected the link in Alain's post.
Ed Lecuyer
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ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #146 on: October 03, 2020, 01:07:41 AM »
Graham and Ed thank you so much for fixing the link. I hope you enjoy that video it's a long one but very well shot . Claude Doussot is not a professional but he have the knack of doing interesting videos. If you watch it you'll notice every now and again a bird wearing a hat and holding a camera right  in the picture, it's your truly.

Bill Baskerville

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #147 on: October 03, 2020, 10:19:01 AM »
Alain,
What a great video of the AMTP in Pithiviers. The equipment is in immaculate condition and, as expected, the French countryside is gorgeous.
Thanks for sharing.   
~ B2 ~ Wascally Wabbit & Gofer ~

Keith Taylor

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #148 on: October 03, 2020, 11:43:39 AM »
Alain, do any of the locomotives at your museum use the Kline-Lindner sleeved axles?

Keith

http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/LOCOLOCO/klienlindner/klienlindner.htm
« Last Edit: October 03, 2020, 11:45:46 AM by Keith Taylor »

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #149 on: October 03, 2020, 12:35:57 PM »
Hello Keith. Yes MTP #4 ,the black locomotive, is a 080 Brigadelok fit out with KL axles. built by Henshel in 1917 it has been at the AMTP since 1969. Powerful, easy to drive but  a bit tricky to stoke up. Plus the steam building takes time owing to  a small grate and a long boiler. A few AMTP volunteers are crazy about that locomotive that is the only one of its kind  that is a listed monument in France.