Trivial:- Calais and Boulogne Maritime stations

[pitdiver]

As the Channel ports have been in the news very recently. Could anybody tell me where the furthest through coaches went from the above two stations. Particularly towards the end of their working lives

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

As the Channel ports have been in the news very recently. Could anybody tell me where the furthest through coaches went from the above two stations. Particularly towards the end of their working lives

Certainly to Switzerland and Italy, I wonder too, if there were through carriages that went as far as Athens and Istanbul?

 

[The exile]

Certainly to Switzerland and Italy, I wonder too, if there were through carriages that went as far as Athens and Istanbul?

If Agatha Christie is to be believed there was a “Calais coach” on the Orient Express at the time murders occurred on it!

 

[30907]

The Timetable World site now has the December 1989 Cooks:
https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer?token=17c41792-b8a7-4b7b-bdd7-f62682227711
The all-year services that survived till then were to Ventimiglia (Flandres-Riviera) and Milano via Basel-Gotthard, plus a ski service to the French Alps.
The various through coaches via Paris, and the overnight Calais-Basel (for Switzerland/Austria) had disappeared earlier.

Seasonal Motorail at Boulogne Ville survived long enough for me to use it (from Brive IIRC) in the mid 90s (and from Calais Ville into this century, but that doesn't strictly count); the furthest French destination would be Narbonne, but in 1989 there was still a service to Bologna.

 

[Taunton]

1974 Cooks has a daily through train, the Rome Express, from Boulogne Maritime to Rome. Coaches and couchettes. Ran through Paris G du Nord and G du Lyon, worked round the Ceinture between the two.

Some services were in the same train but not through coaches. for example the Direct Orient Express took through sleepers and coaches Calais M to Milan, and also coaches Paris to Istanbul.

For real distance, also try Ostend, from where a USSR sleeper ran daily all the way to Moscow in the Ost-West Express. Nearly 48 hours journey. Interrailing in Cologne station that year when it passed through in the evening, I went to look at it. Single, impressive Soviet sleeping car in the formation with the large cast metal badge on the side. Being a student, single, and impressionable myself, I was also impressed by the elegant young blonde Provodnitsa car attendant standing by the door, by no means the stereotype

 

[Golghar]

If Agatha Christie is to be believed there was a “Calais coach” on the Orient Express at the time murders occurred on it!

According to Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" there was a through coach from Calais to Istanbul in 1973.

 

[52290]

I took this photo in 1961 at Calais Ville of a train from Italy. It consisted of mainly FS stock originating from several towns in Italy and heading for the Maritime station.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Boulogne Maritime also had a once weekly in summer charter train for the Italian Tourist Agency CIT, conveying UK passengers who did not want to fly on package holidays with the 'Citalia' holiday company..
This train conveyed sleeping cars only, and I think ran as far as Rome. It was still running in the late 1980's and my (now) wife travelled on it several times to holiday in Stresa, Alassio, Viareggio and Sorrento with transfer by coach from key interchange points to the resorts, from Rome for Sorrento and I'd guess (not the sort of detail she will remember 30 plus years on) somewhere like Allessandria for Alassio and Stresa - the train took the 'direct' route via Modane.
The train ran north from Italy on Friday night and south on the Saturday night meaning a 14 night holiday included one night each way on the train and 12 nights in the resort.

Boulogne Maritime also had a once weekly in summer charter train for the Italian Tourist Agency CIT, conveying UK passengers who did not want to fly on package holidays with the 'Citalia' holiday company..
This train conveyed sleeping cars only, and I think ran as far as Rome. It was still running in the late 1980's and my (now) wife travelled on it several times to holiday in Stresa, Alassio, Viareggio and Sorrento with transfer by coach from key interchange points to the resorts, from Rome for Sorrento and I'd guess (not the sort of detail she will remember 30 plus years on) somewhere like Allessandria for Alassio and Stresa - the train took the 'direct' route via Modane.
The train ran north from Italy on Friday night and south on the Saturday night meaning a 14 night holiday included one night each way on the train and 12 nights in the resort.

I have just found this link.

Citalia Express, by train and ship to Italy

 

[Bungle158]

The Simplon Orient Express (1919-1962), ran from Calais to Istanbul with an Athens portion. Route was via Switzerland, Milan, Venice, Belgrade and Sofia.

If Agatha Christie is to be believed there was a “Calais coach” on the Orient Express at the time murders occurred on it!

This was the Simplon Orient Express

 

[eastwestdivide]

Boulogne Maritime also had a once weekly in summer charter train for the Italian Tourist Agency CIT, conveying UK passengers who did not want to fly on package holidays with the 'Citalia' holiday company..
...
I have just found this link.

Citalia Express, by train and ship to Italy

Thanks for the link - great find!

Over on RMWeb, I posted pics of the itinerary from a 1956 journey via Boulogne to Austria, on the Austropa Tyrolean Express:

London to Innsbruck in 1956 - tickets

We recently came across the tickets for my late mother-in-law's holiday to Austria in 1956. Booked via Ingham's, incredibly, the descendant of the same company still offers rail-based holidays to the lakes and mountains (https://www.inghams.co.uk/lakes-mountains-holidays/holiday-types/rail-holida...

www.rmweb.co.uk

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Bolougne Maritime was a post war rebuild in incredible "austerity" style with the most basic facilties going. Very spartan to say the least. My first sight of it was on a coach based school trip to Ostend / Paris and Ostend in 1971 . Absolutely fascinated by the sight of drab green SNCF rolling stock of what I now know to be classic "Nord" origin. The whole trip was fascinating as France was then so "French" - stench of drains , hard log pillows, even 13 year old kids could be served beer and fags. Paris Sprague Metro stock in olive green with a red 1st class car. Time machine needed.

Later , with money and priv ticket options , my wife and I travelled on one of the special ski trains to the Alps. A nightmare channel crossing and a scene of utter chaos at the station , but we made our overnight couchette train and had a punctual journey south overnight. (and back by TGV to Paris)

Later , with our first born we treated ourselves to the Narbonne car sleeper (even at priv rates it was expensive) - 100% British loadings with a proper dining car. Pretty good but the SNCF omitted to fill the water tanks for the return and refused to even get a splash of water in at say Brive. We got some bottled water to use for urgent purposes with a very young infant. Was brushed off , but I personally wrote to the "Chef de Direction" or Area Manager in BR terms at Narbonne and got an honest reply as to what should have , and was not carried out. We got a generous compensation back and I hope the staff concerned were re-briefed about not letting a long distance train leave with no water supplies , especially in hot weather.

 

[dazzler]

In 1973, my family and I travelled from Calais Maritime to Innsbruck by couchette, including being shunted round pretty much every platform at Basel SNCF/SBB station. Later, sometime in the early 80s, we travelled though to Milano Centrale in a different portion of the same train, which didn't visit anywhere near the same number of platforms at Basel as its Innsbruck counterpart! .

I am pretty certain that the couchette coaches were SNCF in both cases, but could be wildly wrong!

 

[Bald Rick]

Used Calais Maritime in ‘91 on the homebound leg of Interrailing. I can remember nothing if it.

More recently, I would have bet my house on having used it in 2002 for the ski train to Bourg St M. Having read this it’s clear I couldn’t have done, and must have used Ville instead. Couchettes, disco coach, no sleep, etc must have caused temporary amnesia.

 

[Tester]

According to Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" there was a through coach from Calais to Istanbul in 1973.

That caused me to dig out my March 1973 Cooks (the silver centenary one) which confirmed my recollection that there wasn't.

The furthest you could get from Calais on that train was Trieste (1st and 2nd seats). The Istanbul portion (2nd seats daily; sleeper twice a week) started from Paris, so you would have needed to walk through.

The summer supplement included in that edition showed the same composition.

 

[pitdiver]

Thanks everybody for such wonderful stories and fascinating facts. Am I right in saying that just before the stations stopped operating the furthest you could get was Milan?

 

[30907]

Thanks everybody for such wonderful stories and fascinating facts. Am I right in saying that just before the stations stopped operating the furthest you could get was Milan?

Yes, or Ventimiglia - not sure which is actually further by rail.
There was a seasonal (and only weekly?) Calais/Lille-Narbonne-Port Bou, which might have been the furthest, but I'm not sure it ran till the "end"

 

[d1672]

In 1974 I travelled through from Calais Maritime to Roma Termini on the Roma Express. I remember walking on the Platform at Chambery with my mother, in the middle of the night, looking at the stars on a cold crisp and crystal clear night. Happy memories.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

That caused me to dig out my March 1973 Cooks (the silver centenary one) which confirmed my recollection that there wasn't.

The furthest you could get from Calais on that train was Trieste (1st and 2nd seats). The Istanbul portion (2nd seats daily; sleeper twice a week) started from Paris, so you would have needed to walk through.

The summer supplement included in that edition showed the same composition.

I am a bit confused, do you mean that in the 1970s there were no through coaches from Calais to Istanbul but there were in the 1960s?

 

[Tester]

I am a bit confused, do you mean that in the 1970s there were no through coaches from Calais to Istanbul but there were in the 1960s?

I don't know. Simply that I was in a position to verify for the particular year mentioned.

I think it unlikely - it's hard to imagine such a service making sense, but stranger things have happened!

 

[Bungle158]

I don't know. Simply that I was in a position to verify for the particular year mentioned.

I think it unlikely - it's hard to imagine such a service making sense, but stranger things have happened!

I believe this to be the case. Having used this route in the 60s and early 70s, l recall that the Simplon Orient Express, Calais-Istanbul (Athens), ceased running in 1962. A new service known as the Direct Orient Express then conveyed sleepers from Calais as far as Milan. The train ran around the Ceinture line to Gare De Lyon, where an Istanbul portion was added. This train was withdrawn in 1977.

I fully acknowledge that my recollections may be a bit hazy, but the Seat 61 site appears to confirm them.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I believe this to be the case. Having used this route in the 60s and early 70s, l recall that the Simplon Orient Express, Calais-Istanbul (Athens), ceased running in 1962. A new service known as the Direct Orient Express then conveyed sleepers from Calais as far as Milan. The train ran around the Ceinture line to Gare De Lyon, where an Istanbul portion was added. This train was withdrawn in 1977.

I fully acknowledge that my recollections may be a bit hazy, but the Seat 61 site appears to confirm them.

Thank you for clarifying this.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

For real distance, also try Ostend, from where a USSR sleeper ran daily all the way to Moscow in the Ost-West Express. Nearly 48 hours journey. Interrailing in Cologne station that year when it passed through in the evening, I went to look at it. Single, impressive Soviet sleeping car in the formation with the large cast metal badge on the side. Being a student, single, and impressionable myself, I was also impressed by the elegant young blonde Provodnitsa car attendant standing by the door, by no means the stereotype

Argh yes was very impressed by that coach when i did my first overnight from Ostend in the early 80's - it was staffed by a solid Russian lady in a white coat on that occasion I recollect though.

I also remember being fascinated by how many different destinations / countries carriages were conveyed and does anyone know which train had the most options.

 

[30907]

Argh yes was very impressed by that coach when i did my first overnight from Ostend in the early 80's - it was staffed by a solid Russian lady in a white coat on that occasion I recollect though.

I also remember being fascinated by how many different destinations / countries carriages were conveyed and does anyone know which train had the most options.

The Timetableworld.com site has the 1973 Cook's online (not yet indexed, but you don't need to look very far for this!).
From Ostend itself, the two evening departures served a total of 9 separate destinations, the winner being the one via Luxembourg with coaches for Basel, Brig, Chur, Interlaken and Milan. The other (Ostend-Wien) went further with coaches to Split.
The Moscow coach went (twice weekly) on the late afternoon departure.

 

[brooklynbound]

First trip abroad. We took the overnight Calais - Basel in the early seventies. I remember there was a bar on the platform and they sold very frothy lager on draught. So frothy they used some kind of spatula like implement to wipe the top of the glass. It all seemed very different back then!

 

[in_luzern]

I did Boulogne-Maritime to Dijon in September 1979, leaving Boulogne at about 17:00 and arriving in Dijon at about midnight. I think the train was going to Venice - there were certainly people going to Venice in our compartment. Catering trolleys on the platform at Amiens selling Kronenbourg and ham sandwiches to passengers through the open windows of the train. I remember finding the ride round the north side of Paris (between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon) fascinating: mostly at first floor level, very close to the houses, with views into people's kitchens and living rooms, with occasional bridges over avenues full of cars with yellow headlights.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

The Timetableworld.com site has the 1973 Cook's online (not yet indexed, but you don't need to look very far for this!).
From Ostend itself, the two evening departures served a total of 9 separate destinations, the winner being the one via Luxembourg with coaches for Basel, Brig, Chur, Interlaken and Milan. The other (Ostend-Wien) went further with coaches to Split.
The Moscow coach went (twice weekly) on the late afternoon departure.

April 1974 Cooks including advance tables for summer commencing May:
Table 64 Tauern Express 21.03 from Oostende also five portions (except high summer from end June to early Sept when Salzburg portion ran as separate train), for Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Graz, Split, and (for Nord Express) Hamburg.
'Ostend Wien' ran earlier in this TT at 16.57 from Oostende, portions for Frankfurt, Wien and Kobenhavn. I remember picking it up from Frankfurt (00.18) that year after a World Cup match.

Hamburg and Kobenhavn portions would be combined with trains from Paris at Aachen.

Years later I missed the Kobenhavn portion due to Jetfoil cancellation and ended up using the Hamburg portion where the Sleeping Car attendant was able to honour my Sleeper reservation.

Also in 74 the 19.27 from Calais conveyed Paris, Ventimiglia, Milano and Trieste, and 23.25 from Calais Basel, Interlaken and (Fris and Suns only) Chiasso, whilst 04.55 from Dunkerque (Night Ferry) in addition to sleepers from Victoria to Brussels and Paris, also conveyed seating portions for Paris and, detached at Lille, for Basel and Milano.

Quite a range of destinations, and of course a further selection was also available from Hoek van Holland.

In this era Calais to Roma ran via Basel rather than Chambery although somewhere in my memory box I travelled from Gare de Lyon to Calais in a portion off the Napoli Express - some time in the early eighties I think.

 

[Thewanderer]

Bolougne Maritime was a post war rebuild in incredible "austerity" style with the most basic facilties going. Very spartan to say the least. My first sight of it was on a coach based school trip to Ostend / Paris and Ostend in 1971 . Absolutely fascinated by the sight of drab green SNCF rolling stock of what I now know to be classic "Nord" origin. The whole trip was fascinating as France was then so "French" - stench of drains , hard log pillows, even 13 year old kids could be served beer and fags. Paris Sprague Metro stock in olive green with a red 1st class car. Time machine needed.

Later , with money and priv ticket options , my wife and I travelled on one of the special ski trains to the Alps. A nightmare channel crossing and a scene of utter chaos at the station , but we made our overnight couchette train and had a punctual journey south overnight. (and back by TGV to Paris)

Later , with our first born we treated ourselves to the Narbonne car sleeper (even at priv rates it was expensive) - 100% British loadings with a proper dining car. Pretty good but the SNCF omitted to fill the water tanks for the return and refused to even get a splash of water in at say Brive. We got some bottled water to use for urgent purposes with a very young infant. Was brushed off , but I personally wrote to the "Chef de Direction" or Area Manager in BR terms at Narbonne and got an honest reply as to what should have , and was not carried out. We got a generous compensation back and I hope the staff concerned were re-briefed about not letting a long distance train leave with no water supplies , especially in hot weather.

I just came across this thread.

I have fond memories of doing the Narbonne Car Sleeper in 1988. Hovercraft from Dover for sleeper train to Narbonne. A big adventure for an 7 year old!

Now my question is, where would the sleeper train have departed from in 1988? The 1989 timetable, linked above shows it departing from TAA1, which I've never heard of before!! Just to add another spanner in the works! I thought the Narbonne Sleeper would have gone from the TAC station.

Can anybody confirm the location of Bolougne TAA1?

 

[Alfonso]

O

I just came across this thread.

I have fond memories of doing the Narbonne Car Sleeper in 1988. Hovercraft from Dover for sleeper train to Narbonne. A big adventure for an 7 year old!

Now my question is, where would the sleeper train have departed from in 1988? The 1989 timetable, linked above shows it departing from TAA1, which I've never heard of before!! Just to add another spanner in the works! I thought the Narbonne Sleeper would have gone from the TAC station.

Can anybody confirm the location of Bolougne TAA1?

F you got the hovercraft then presumably it's Boulogne hoverport station...just an island platform with a bit of canopy then disappears into a tunnel to the mainline

 

[Thewanderer]

O
F you got the hovercraft then presumably it's Boulogne hoverport station...just an island platform with a bit of canopy then disappears into a tunnel to the mainline

I remember the Hoverport Station and a train in it. It definitely wasn't the Hoverport Station as we had a short drive between the port and railway station where the Motorrail departed from. I seem to remember a lot of hanging around there while waiting to load the car / board the train.

 

[30907]

The original TAC terminal seems from photos to have been adjacent to the Gare Maritime, but I don't recall using it on the one occasion we arrived at Boulogne by TAC (after that they moved to Calais, which made sense).
I would assume TAA1 was there and TAA2 nearer the main line, possibly on the site of the old B-Ville terminus? However online research hasn't yielded anything so far.
(TAA would be Trains Autos Accompagnees BTW)