Volgelsheim. Tourist railway: trips to discover the Ried Express
For their first outing of the year, the platform cars were already full with 250 time travelers this Sunday, departing from the old Volgelsheim station, a time capsule in itself where many railway artifacts from yesteryear have been jealously preserved.
When it comes to heating up, it's no small feat at 25°C. Patrick Kistler teaches his apprentice driver, Axel Borlé, a skill that is more than a century old: heating up the machine, preparing the fire and pressure, and feeding coal to "Berthold," a venerable machine built in 1900 by the Société alsacienne de construction mécanique (SACM) in Graffenstaden.
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It's a baptism of fire for the young Strasbourg resident, trained by the association like so many others, including Marine, a "diesel apprentice" who is getting her hands dirty on a "V22", a shunter from East Germany.
It whistles, it smokes, it rattles through the verdant Ried, and it amazes passersby. At a senatorial pace, the convoy transports visitors to the depot of the association chaired by Philippe Kistler, a veritable museum where steam locomotives are stored, along with towed equipment and everything needed for their maintenance, as well as a handcar, a rail mower, and mechanical shovels.
The opportunity to admire the latest machine brought back to the depot, a Sculfort axle lathe dating from 1966, 6.50 m long and weighing twelve tons! "Why this machine? It allows us to rework the profile of train wheels, which have a particular shape called a profile. The profile is what allows the wheel to be guided on the rail but also to allow it to take a curve or transmit the driving force. Over time and with use, this profile gradually deteriorates and it is important to rework it periodically," explains Patrick.
Maintenance is generally outsourced to external service providers. "This can take time and money, without the guarantee of impeccable work." The association thus gains independence and joins "the very select group of organizations capable of carrying out this type of operation."
Every year, the public's enthusiasm grows, with 10,000 people traveling through time aboard the Ried Express. Some of them continue their adventure on the Rhine thanks to the boats of the Breisacher Fahrgast-Schiffhart, an "unforgettable" 80-minute trip which allows visitors to admire the Gothic cathedral of Breisach.
Website: www.ried-express-cftr.fr
L'Alsace
