Search My Blog

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Paris Montparnasse Train - 1895 Derailment

Über's Ziel hinaus... from Jan Reineke on Vimeo.

I too, wondered... What the Heck!??? Interesting, Very Interesting...

I found this on a friends Site at,
Because it was there… | Not Too Late Show

Don

Gare Montparnasse

Gare Montparnasse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paris Montparnasse
Train
Gare montparnasse                     exterieur.jpg
Montparnasse exterior
Station statistics
Coordinates 48°50′24″N 2°19′07″ECoordinates: 48°50′24″N 2°19′07″E
Lines Paris–Brest railway
Other information
Opened 10 September 1840
Owned by RFF / SNCF
Traffic

Passengers () 50 million
Services
Preceding station SNCF Following station
Terminus
TGV
toward western and southwestern France
Terminus
Intercités Norm
toward Granville
Terminus
TER Basse-Normandie 2
toward Granville
Terminus
TER Haute-Normandie
toward L'Aigle
Terminus
Transilien N

Concourse of the station

Platform of the station
Paris Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus railway stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969.[1] A steam train crashed through the station in 1895; there is a well-known photograph of the event, and full scale reproductions outside a museum chain in South America.[2]
The station is used for the intercity TGV trains to destinations in the west and south-west of France including Tours, Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes. Additionally, it is served by several suburban and regional services on the Transilien Paris – Montparnasse routes. There is also a metro station.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] History

The original station opened in 1840, and was named Gare de l'Ouest,[3] before later being renamed. A second station was built between 1848 and 1852.
On 25 August 1944, the German military governor of Paris, General von Choltitz, surrendered his garrison to the French General Philippe Leclerc at the old train station, after disobeying Adolf Hitler's direct order to destroy the city (see Liberation of Paris).
During the 1960s, a newer station integrated into a complex of office buildings was built. In 1969, the old station was torn down and the Tour Montparnasse built on its spot. An extension was built in 1990 to host the TGV Atlantique.

[edit] 1895 derailment


Granville-Paris Express wreck on 22 October 1895. The original Gare de l'Ouest name of the station is visible on the outside of the building.
The Gare Montparnasse became famous for a derailment on 22 October 1895 of the Granville-Paris Express that overran the buffer stop. The engine careened across almost 30 metres (100 ft) of the station concourse, crashed through a 60-centimetre (2 ft) thick wall, shot across a terrace and sailed out of the station, plummeting onto the Place de Rennes 10 metres (33 ft) below, where it stood on its nose. Two of the 131 passengers sustained injuries, along with the fireman and two conductors. The only fatality was a woman on the street below who was killed by falling masonry.[4] The accident was caused by a faulty Westinghouse brake and the engine drivers who were trying to make up for lost time.[5] A conductor incurred a 25 franc penalty and the engine driver a 50 franc penalty.
The story of the train crash and the picture feature in the 2007 children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Much of the story is set in and around Gare Montparnasse. The story was also adapted in the television series Thomas and Friends in "A Better View For Gordon".
Replicas of the train crash are recreated outside the Mundo a Vapor ("Steam World") museum chain buildings in Brazil, at the southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, in the city of Canela.[6]

[edit] Lines serving this station

Adjacent metro station:
Nearby station:

[edit] Travelling between the Gare Montparnasse and other Paris main line stations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stations of the world. Retrieved: 4 March 2009
  2. ^ Train Wreck Replica, retrieved 4 March 2009
  3. ^ Musee Orsay, retrieved 9 July 2009
  4. ^ Danger Ahead, retrieved 4 march 2009
  5. ^ Let's pause for a station brake on Failure Magazine
  6. ^ The Trainwreck Industry, retrieved 4 March 2009

[edit] External links

View page ratings
Rate this page
Trustworthy
Objective
Complete
Well-written
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_Montparnasse

Paris Montparnasse Train (1895 derailment)
Because it was there… | Not Too Late Show
Gare Montparnasse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
paris montparnasse train - Google Search
paris montparnasse train - Google Search
Paris Montparnasse Train Station: Paris Gare Montparnasse Station, Schedule Information from Rail Europe
paris montparnasse train 1895 derailment - Google Search
Über's Ziel hinaus...
Postcard - YouTube

No comments: