The 241-P – career of the P9 at the SNCF – The last train (COPEF) – Transfert to Guîtres – A long sleep…
The AAATV now seeks to save P-9. Having been founded at the Bordeaux depot, it offers the machine to the City of Bordeaux, which shows no interest in this heritage. In 1974 the AAATV is looking for another solution. A tourist train was founded in Guîtres in 1972, and the line is still connected to Coutras. The solution is obvious, the circulation is programmed.
Preparation of the 241-P-9 for its departure to Bordeaux. Perched on the machine’s own ladder, most certainly Mr. Ferron, the last holder of the machine, who will take it to Bordeaux, then the next day to Coutras.
The 241-P-9 has 1,679,308 kilometers on the odometer. It leaves Le Mans on Monday, September 16, 1974 at 10:00 am. On board: Mr. Ferron, former owner of the machine, and Mr. Chesneau and Mr. Boscher; all three from the Le Mans depot. The route graph covers 448 km to be completed at 80 km/h. The machine is towing a dumper of briquettes as well as a B6 West car. It makes a stop at the St-Pierre-des-Corps depot, in Poitiers station, in Angoulême station, crosses Coutras without stopping at 8:21 pm and arrives in Bordeaux at 9:12 pm, with a very reinforced team in the cab because it is nine people strong!
The 241-P-9 on arrival in Bordeaux, photographed by J.-P. Meiresonne. The author entrusted his film to the Sud-Ouest newspaper, which never returned it. Fortunately, a silver print had been entrusted to the Journal municipal de Bordeaux, which made a negative of it today in our possession.
That evening, a young enthusiast, equipped with a brand new tape recorder, recorded a soundtrack of the arrival as well as from the garage to the depot. He didn’t know that it would be useful 36 years later… In addition to the machine, the soundtrack also shows the exchanges between the mechanic and the two drivers.
Photo: most certainly J.-L. Poggi.
The following day, September 17, another enthusiast, equipped with a super 8 camera, does not miss anything of the event: he films the cleaning of the smoke box, the departure under the glass roof of Bordeaux, the passage on the famous Passerelle…
The two amateurs, Paul Larroque (film) and Alain Cassagnau (soundtrack) don’t know yet that they will meet again 36 years later within the AAATV Midi-Pyrénées, and will reunite, in a DVD… sound and image!
The 241-P-9 leaves Bordeaux at 8:40 am. Shortly before Coutras, it crosses the town of St-Denis-de-Pile at 9:20 am, and blows one of its last whistle worthy of a mainline machine:
The machine arrives in Coutras at 9:28 am. At the beginning of the afternoon, the team prepares for the departure, in reverse. The mechanic who takes care of it is Néris Gendreau, retired, co-founder of the AAATV, who lives a few minutes away. He knows the seven-kilometre stretch of line between Coutras and Guîtres inside out.
histo 1974 241 P 9 Coutras 1024×715 History 4 Transfer from Le Mans to Guîtres
The 241-P-9 in Coutras. Néris Gendreau is in the center, with his driving glasses on his forehead.
The machine was welcomed in Guîtres with the solemnity that was still in use at the time: speech by the President of the AAATV Bordeaux, speech by the Mayor of Guîtres, music by the local Harmonie and a parade of majorettes. A degree of festivity which, in these times, knows its last years.
According to tradition, the machine is immobilized high connecting rods on track 3, and keeping the nose towards its last deposit. It will remain in the open air for two years, while a shelter is built and inaugurated again with great pomp and circumstance.
As a final conclusion, on the roadmap from Le Mans to Bordeaux, the « Mécru » (road mechanic), L. Ferron, and the driver, have affixed their signatures. Mr. Ferron added a sort of epitaph summarizing 150 years of steam traction, in a moving formulation that says a lot: « From the time when we were still men ».
The 241-P – career of the P9 at the SNCF – The last train (COPEF) – Transfert to Guîtres – A long sleep…