Author Topic: AMTP in Pithiviers, France  (Read 154407 times)

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #330 on: October 13, 2023, 04:19:33 PM »
 Oups I've almost forgotten to show you a few coccinelles. There were also some Kombi and Porshes and even a Mustang with the Stars and Srtipes streaming in the wind at the top of a small mast.

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #331 on: October 14, 2023, 01:11:34 PM »
Looks like you have a Beetle infestation, Alain.

Jeff
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ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #332 on: October 14, 2023, 02:42:09 PM »
In Bellébat for sure but  on Sunday night they were gone. t's not the case  in my kitchen when every Spring I really have a coccinelle infestation. In France most people like ladybugs, they are called" la bête du Bon Dieu", the Good Lord's kritter, go figure the reason why, and nobody dare to kill them. But when there are swarming on your window panes and on your cieling it's dreadfull  and really disgusting then I become a ruthless ladybug serial killer for a while. Well, sorry for not being relevant to the topic.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #333 on: October 24, 2023, 10:28:40 AM »
NEWS FROM PITHIVIERS
In July  there were three other events. At the beginning of the month a motorcycle gathering  and the day after a yardsale -brocante in French- took place in the park of Bellébat. But given that  firstly Bellébat is a public park and secondly the weather was not that good hardly 100 people rode the train during the weekend.
On July 22nd an unique and outstanding party took place at the same place. The AMTP had set up a dinner on the vast still green lawn. The meal cooked by a well- known caterer from Orléans was scrumptious. The cocktail, the three courses dinner and the wines were served by AMTP's volunteers that had been trained a few hours ago by the caterer. After the beautiful sunset when it was dark  the trees around the lawn lighted in different and changing colors, it was marvellous to be there in that warm summer night listening to the music- blues, country music and rock'n roll- played and sung by a successful local band. When the dinner was over quite a lot of  the guests went dancing in front of the stage. But as everything ,even the better ones, comes to an end on Sunday at 1 am  everyboby got on the train bound for Pithiviers.
Absolutely everybody was delighted with that-  in French" dîner concert "-  and asked the train crew for an other one next year. Unfortunately I'm afraid the AMTP wont take the risk to organize such an event in the future because this one has not been profitable at all. 100 guests were expected to only cover the invested expense  but only 60 attended that party. The reasons, well ,  the price, 70$  per person maybe a bit pricey, but I must admit it was worth it,  then the weather that had been rather rainy since the beginning of the month and to finish with it was Summer vacation time.
Anyway those who attended that evening were relly happy and my wife and I had really appreciated the dinner and the music. A few pics in the next reply.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #334 on: October 25, 2023, 12:43:01 AM »
 A few pics of that memorable night. Next time I'll tell you about the JEP.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #335 on: December 27, 2023, 12:33:39 PM »
NEWS FROM PITHIVIERS
During the second weekend of September the AMTP was part of the "Journées Européennes du Patrimoine" - European days of the heritage - during which all the museums and other cultural or technical sites in Europe are generally free of charge and the visitors are allowed to visit with a docent places or facilities  where they can't usualy get such as backstage in famous theaters or reserves storage in museums.
The AMTP has taken part in that event in decades.  That weekend everybody pays the reduce fares and conducted visits are set to show the visitors around the engine shed and the shop. Of course they can watch the locomotive being turned on the turntable. On the engine shed yard they can also give a look at the the power motives and rolling stock that are not used  for the  operation of the day or under repair or restauration. One train ran on the main on Saturday and two on Sunday. The  famous #2 and its two small open cars made a lot of round trips between the station and the engine shed yard to carry the visitors between those two places. 275 visitors were welcome  a bit less than in 2022.
 The regular operating season came to an end on September 24th with a total of 6509 riders for 66 operating days. In October around 450 vistors in group rode the mostly diesel powered trains and visit the museum.
During the last weekend of October the pretty popular Halloween Specials ran and carried 764 really scary riders to Bellébat where yummy pancakes were waiting for them in the station. Two steam powered trains  were put on  both days and the whole rolling stock was hardly enough to meet the needs of the ridership. At the end of that weekend every volunteer was tired but happy because the annual ridership already reached 7730. But the two weekends dedicated to Santa in December were going to made it really big. I 'll tell you about them soon.

John McNamara

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #336 on: December 27, 2023, 01:10:02 PM »
Thank you for the wonderful news from Pithiviers. ;D

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #337 on: December 27, 2023, 02:26:11 PM »
Thanks, Alain, for the latest update. It sounds like the AMTP had a very successful year.

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

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #338 on: December 28, 2023, 11:29:36 AM »
Thank you so much Jeff and John for your replies. Yes the AMTP really rocked the house this year. For you and those who don't a Fb page i'll sent you a few pics of the both events. First 3 pics of the JEP.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #339 on: December 28, 2023, 11:39:11 AM »
Then 3 pics of the Halloween weekend. First Seb  the President making pancakes in Bellébat depot 600 pancakes were sold over the weekend. Then despite the rainy weather riders haven't hesitated to get on the open cars. And to finish with, myself in front of #9.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #340 on: December 28, 2023, 12:54:49 PM »
LAST NEWS OF THE YEAR FROM PITHIVIERS OF COURSE
 In December two weekends in a row were dedicated to Santa and despite bad weather conditions rain and wind for the first one and some thick fog for the second one they were pretty successfull.  Given that#10 and #4 were already winterized and under repair the power for those weekends was the 260 #9 the AMTP flagship. It was coupled to a consist of 4 enclosed cars that can accomodate around 100 passengers. The railcar #AT1- 20 seats- followed the regular train at almost each round trip. Over the second weekend a fourth roundtrip was put on at 4.30 pm. None of the trains stopped at Bellébat station. Of course Santa was on each train giving sweets to his numerous fans he got off the train at Les Carrières -the crossover- on the return journey to get on the railcar if it followed the regular train.
Of course the museum was decorated with Christmas tinsel and flashig fairy lights and at the very back of it the old forge was glowing to warm up a bit the kids and their parents while they ate pancakes and drank hot beverage or for the adults the famous "vin chaud ".
During those two weekends 973 passengers came to meet Santa and ride the trains with him. On Sunday December 17th the very last day of the operating season all the volunteers and myelf were on cloud nine when at night  the President told us that the global ridership for 2023 was 8703 and that it was  the best one of the century. I'm going to post a few pics of those crazy weekends. I wish you all a great New Year eve party. See you next year for other News from Pithiviers.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #341 on: December 28, 2023, 04:11:02 PM »
 A few pics of Santa's Specials. at Les Carrières crossover the railcar have joined the regular in the fog. Santa on the railcar with a fan. Foggy weather in Bellébat when the regular is running on the loop on its way back to Pithiviers. At the back of the museum.

Benjamin Richards

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #342 on: December 28, 2023, 08:15:42 PM »
I love the photo of the blacksmith's hearth. I'm sorry to report we are having much the same weather here. Three days of near constant rain, and last night I could barely see my neighbor's house just across the street, for the fog.

ALAIN DELASSUS

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #343 on: December 29, 2023, 09:37:10 AM »
It was the blacksmith of the former railway company the Tramway de Pthiviers à Toury -TPT- that closed down in 1964. The AMTP took over the TPT in 1966 as the first tourist RW in France and the facilities and builbings located in Pithiviers has been rented out by the SNCF the owner until now. Next year  the AMTP will become the owner of the whole lot.  Two pics of the blacksmith taken in 1966 and very recently.

Jeff Schumaker

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Re: AMTP in Pithiviers, France
« Reply #344 on: December 29, 2023, 09:41:24 AM »
Thanks for the photos, Alain.

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