Driver’s Eye View (Fr) - Le Train Rouge - Rivesaltes to Axat - Pt 3 - Lapradelle to Saint-Martin-Lys

The final part of our journey to Axat and Saint-Martin-Lys takes our train high into the Pyrenees via a series of tunnels and lofty viaducts. To lose height the railway scribes a complete ‘U’ around Axat where our train pauses briefly before continuing to Saint-Martin-Lys where there is a gap in the original Carcassonne to Rivesaltes line between Saint-Martin-Lys and Quillan. Passenger services on this section ceased as long ago as 1939 although the line was retained for freight until 1989, by 1990 the track had been lifted. The stone masons responsible for building the tunnels, viaducts, bridges and retaining walls left some of the finest examples of their trade I have seen anywhere in the world. After a short break to take photographs and look around the old station we boarded our train back to Axat. For the more active, it is possible to peddle your own train over this section of the line, the rail-bikes can be seen parked in the sidings at Axat. For more information please click on this link (English translation available) - https://routes.fandom.com/wiki/Ligne_... In 1878 “La Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi et du Canal latéral à la Garonne” began building a railway line in the Eastern Pyrénées to connect Carcassonne with Perpignan. The route used by today’s “Le Train Rouge” was complete in 1904. As with many lines built in lightly populated areas, it fell victim to improved road transport, eventually falling into disuse in the late 1980’s. In 1992 three railway enthusiasts formed an association to resurrect a train service along the route, by 2001 they had succeeded raising sufficient funds, volunteers and rolling stock to run a train service. TPCF - Train du Pays Cathare et du Fenouillèdes (Fenouillèdes is the Catalan name for this region). The friendly staff and volunteers would love to welcome you on one of their trains, but if you can't make it please sit back and enjoy a virtual ride through the beautiful French/Catalonian Countryside. To learn more or to book your own adventure, please click on this link - https://www.letrainrouge.fr/ This railway was included as part of a Rail Discoveries “Catalonia & Little Trains of the Pyrenees” tour, for more information please click on this link - https://www.raildiscoveries.com/tours... To learn more about the route, please click on this link - https://mikendavid.blog/2020/10/10/le... Europe Map 00:22 - https://wikitravel.org/shared/File:Ma... Route Map 00:32 & 00:40 - https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/O... Music - Track - Composer - Source 00:00 & 41:30 - ES_Past Mystery Time - Trailer Worx - epidemicsound.com 35:28 - ES_Eleganza - Lucas Pittman - epidemicsound.com 42:40 - ES_Toujours Seule - Trabant 33 - epidemicsound.com