La Ligne du Littoral et ses Antennes, First Generation Electric Tramways – Nice-Monte Carlo (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 91) …

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The line between Nice and Monte Carlo opened in a series of stages. First from Monaco to Place d’Armes in Monte Carlo on 14th May 1898; then from Place Massena in Nice to Villefranche, on 1st February 1900; Villefranche to Beaulieu on 3rd November 1900; TNL trams were permitted to run on Monaco’s tramways from 28th May 1903; and the remaining length, Beaulieu to Monaco Place d’Armes opened on 7th November 1903. Over the next few years some single track lengths were doubled.

Trams for Monte Carlo began their journey in Nice a Place Massena. This postcard image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Ciccoli on 10th March 2016. [34]

Trams to Villefranche, Beaulieu and Monte-Carlo left the TNL station at Place Masséna and entered Rue Gioffredo sharing the double track with the urban lines to Gendarmerie and St. Pons.  At Rue Defly, the route branched off to the right to cross the River Paillon to Place Garibaldi. The right bank lines to the Boulevard du Pont-Vieux and Abattoirs were crossed there. The line then ran along Rue Cassini to Place Cassini (today Ile-de-Beauté) where several urban lines serving the port terminated.

After leaving the port, trams headed towards Papacino and Deux-Emmanuel quays. With the Riquier line heading up Rue Arson, the Monte-Carlo trams began a steep climb along Boulevard Carnot on the western slope of Mont Boron.  

Boulevard Carnot leaves the Port area of Nice and winds its way up the western side of Mont Boron. Trams followed this road towards Monte Carlo. [Google Maps, October 2023]
Much the same location in 2022 as shown in the postcard above. [Google Streetview, October 2022]
Boulevard Carnot continues South along the western side of Mont Boron. [Google Maps, October 2023]
A similar view North along Boulevard Carnot in 2023. The retaining wall on the right of the road fixes the location. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
A view across Nice in March 2023 from the approximate location of the tram in the monochrome image above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
Boulevard Carnot and Boulvard Maurice Maeterlinck. [Google Maps, October 2023]
The tram in front of the restaurant Bel-Air – Tabacs (today’s Bar-Tabacs San Luca). The restaurant was at the beginning of Boulevard Maurice Maeterlinck, © Yves Nissart Premier. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Pierre Richert and Roland Coccoli in June 2023. [3]
The same location in 2022. [Google Streetview, October 2022]
Boulevard Maeterlinck close to Boulevard Carnot. Note the tram tracks in the road surface. © Yves Nissart Premier. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Pierre Richert and Roland Coccoli in June 2023. [3]
The tramway followed what was the RN7 (today’s M6098) towards Villefranche-sur-Mer. [Google Maps, October 2023]
A tram on Boulevard du Mont Boron (today’s Boulvard Princess Grace de Monaco) This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 19th June 2016 by Jean-Paul Bascoul. The tram is a T2 powered car providing an extended urban service as far as l’Octroi du Mont-Boron on the Monte-Carlo line, [5]
The same location in 2023. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The route of the tramway down into Villefranche. [Google Maps, October 2023]
A tram approaching Villefranche on a service from Nice. The harbour is visible to the right of the picture. The town can be seen in the centre of the image. [6]
The same view, colourised, [7]
Approximately the same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
An early map of Villefranche-sur-Mer with Mont Boron on the left of the image and St. John Cap Ferrat on the right. (1699 by De Fer). [4]
Mont Boron and the route to Villefranche-sur-Mer as seen on an IGN aerial photograph of 1943. [4]
An IGN aerial view of 1924 with the Moyenne Corniche under construction. Both this and the image above were shared by Pierre Richert on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 1st October 2022. [4]

Trams then headed down into Villefranche, which Banaudo reminds us, was the “military port of the House of Savoy and always a popular stopover for cruise and warships.  The tramway passed above the dock and the citadel, … crossed ‘l’octroi’ and reached the Villefranche station located in the upper part of the town.” [1: p41]  ‘L’octroi’ was the point where visas were granted and taxes were collected. According to the “Petit Robert de la Langue Française,” an ‘octroi’ was, historically, an “indirect contribution collected by a municipality on goods for local consumption (entrance fees).” [2]

This is the first of a sequence of 5 postcard views shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 10th July 2023, which show the approach to Villefranche and it’s customs house (l’Octroi), the entrance to the old town and the first 100 metres or so, of the RN7 heading East. [13]
A little closer to Villefranche. [20]
The approach to l’Octroi from Nice with a tram standing in front of the building. [13]
Looking towards Nice, this view shows the Place de l’Octroi. The building on the left is l’Octroi, the road to the old town leaves past the photographer on the left of the picture. The RN7 and the tram route leave bottom-right. [13]
Looking towards Beaulieu and Monte Carlo, the RN7 curves away from the tram stop in Villefranche. The road to the old town drops away to the right. [13]
A closer view of the junction. [13]
Turning a little to the left from the last image. [13]
This picture shows approximately the same location as the last three monochrome images above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

At Villefranche station, according to Banaudo, “certain partial services had their terminus and a particular branch served a building materials warehouse, (un entrepot de materiaux de construction).” [1: p40]

Villefranche-sur-mer again. The road shown pale yellow on this image is the route of the old tramway. [Google Maps, October 2023]
St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat runs south from the bottom of this image, which shows Beaulieu-sur-mer. The road shown pale yellow on this image is the route of the old tramway. Beaulieu’s port is top-right. [Google Maps, October 2023]
Thomson TNL tram Nº 10 heads East from Villefranche towards Beaulieu, with the Mont Alban fort in the background. [8]
Approximately the same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

To accommodate the trams, the RN7, the Basse Corniche, was widened using large retaining walls. The tramway, “skirted the bottom of Villefranche harbour and approached the base of Cap Ferrat. ” [1: p41]

The tramway junction where trams for St. Jean Cap Ferrat left the line to Monte Carlo. [12]
The same locatiuon in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, October 2022]

“At the Pont-St. Jean, where the St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat branch turned away, [trams] arrived in the town of Beaulieu, where a centuries-old olive tree marked the entrance adjacent to l’octroi pavilion.  Following modifications made during the First World War, the double track ended … shortly after [l’Octroi] stop.  Crossing Beaulieu, the line followed Boulevard Félix-Faure (today Maréchal-Joffre), passed under the PLM Nice – Ventimiglia artery near the station then went down towards the seaside where it ran alongside the town hall,  the church and the port.” [1: p41]

The old tramway continued to follow the Basse Corniche through Petite Afrique and on twards Cap Roux. [Google Maps, October 2023]
Beaulieu-sur-mer, Boulevard Felix-Faure. This photo was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 4th October 2019 by Laurant Mannu. [11]
Beaulieu-sur-mer, la Petite Afrique in 1903. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Coccoli on 31st March 2017. [10]
Looking East along the promenade in Beaulieu-sur-mer. East of Beaulieu the line heading to Monte Carlo faced significant obstacles. Cliffs falling directly down to the water’s edge required significant civil engineering works to widen the Basse Corniche to make room for vehicles and the tramway. [9]
A similar location to the view shown in the monochrome image immediately above. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The Basse Corniche ran below the PLM railway through Petite Afrique. [26]
A similar view in the 21st century to the sepia postcard image above. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Looking back West towards Beaulieu. [22]
This colourised postcard view was taken at almost the same location as the image above. [25]

Leaving the town, a siding at the foot of the railway embankment constituted an intermediate terminus in the residential district of ‘Petit Afrique’, “where,” Banaudo tells us, “a micro-climate favours the blossoming of luxuriant vegetation among Moorish and exotic villas.” [1: p41]

The railway tunnel at Cap Roux with the road and tramway at the base of the cliffs. [14]
A closer view of the tunnel mouth. [15]
The tunnel mouth at Cap Roux in 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

As Banaudo comments: “Shortly after, the high limestone cliffs of Cap Roux fall directly into the sea and form an apparently impassable obstacle to communications on the coast.  The PLM line crossed this location via a 419 m tunnel decorated with a superb fortified portal, while a short tunnel cut directly into rock provided for the road and the tramway.  It had to be widened when the latter was made double track.” [1: p41] 

The road/tramway continue to be shown by the pale yellow line on this next extract from Google Maps. The tunnel at Cap Roux appears at the bottom-left of this extract which shows the Baie d’Eze. [Google Maps, October 2023]
A View East from inside the tunnel at Cap Roux. [16]
The tunnel at Cap Roux has been widened to accommodate the modern carriageway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
A view West towards the tunnel at Cap Roux. [23]
Another postcard image showing the tunnel at Cap Roux, again looking West. [17]
A 100 metres or so East from the tunnel, this view looks West and includes part of St. Jean-Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu. [18]

At the point where the PLM line emerged from the Cap Roux, the tramway passed above it on the road bridge and ran along the verge through the location of Eze station.  Banaudo tells us that, “In this residential area, the villas are spread out between a well-sheltered beach at the bottom of a bay and the foot of the mountain where the medieval village of Eze perches, at an altitude of 427 m.” 1: p41]

TNL Tram Car No. 3 at Baie d’Eze in around 1906. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alan Rozier on 19th September 2019. Cap Roux is prominent to the left of the tram. [8]

From this point, the terrain along the coast became increasingly steep and the Basse Corniche and the tramway track had to gain height again, passing above Point de L’Isoletta and through Pointe de Cabéel and Cape Estelle, (today, Estel).

This next extract from Google Maps shows Point de L’Isoletta towards the bottom-left. Through traffic on the modern M6098 now passes in tunnel behind Cap-Estel. [Google Maps, October 2023]
Looking East along the Basse Corniche in 2023. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Looking West along the old tram route on the old Basse Corniche from Cap-Estel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The route rose up from the coast and looped inland below the hamlet of St. Laurent d’Eze. The line soon reached 85m above sea level (its highest point) near the passing loop in the Pissarelles district.

Trams passed through two very short tunnels close the Plage Mala. These appear on the right side of this extract from Google Maps. [Google Maps, October 2023]

Two tunnels cut into the cliff above Plage Mala preceded the start of the descent to Cap-d’Ail. Both of these tunnels remain and continue to carry the Basse Corniche. Banaudo tells us that this was in “the former coastal district of La Turbie which obtained its municipal autonomy in 1908.” [1: p42]

East of St. Laurent d’Eze the Basse Corniche and the trams ran round the Cap-d’Eze, passing through two short tunnels. This is the first viewed from the East. [24]
The first of two short tunnels above Plage Mala. This view looks East into the tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The second tunnel viewed from the West. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The second tunnel viewed from the East. [Google Streetview April 2023]
The second Mala tunnel sits at the extreme left of this next extract from Google Maps. [Google Maps, October 2023]
The Basse Corniche and the tramway continued down through Cap-d’Ail. [Google Maps, October 2023]
The descent toward Cap-d’Ai. The tram car is a trailer, part of a two car train heading for Monte Carlo. The double-track tramway takes up much of the highway on the Basse Corniche! [30]

The tramway then ran down past customs barracks and crossed the border into the principality of Monaco. The extract below shows the route of the tramway as it approached the border, which is just off the top of the map extract.

The village of Cap-d’Ail is at the bottom-left of this next extract from Google Maps. The tramway continued to follow the Basse Corniche from Cap d’ Ail in a Northeasterly direction. [Google Maps, October 2023]
The descent along the Basse Corniche continued. [21]
This next extract from Google Maps shows the centre of Monaco. The border between France and Monaco crossed the old tram route at the location of the roundabout in the bottom-left of this extract, West of the Stade Louis II. [Google Maps, October 2023]
The descent into Monaco. This colourised postcard view looks across the TNL tram route towards the Palace. [27]
Monaco in 1900. The promontary in the colourised image above is shown towards the bottom of this map with the PLM railway station at its landward (West) end. [31]
Monaco 1930. The route of the tramway is shown on this image, crossing the PLM railway line in the bottom left of the map on the Wurttemberg Bridge and then running along Boulevard Charles III towards the port, turning right onto Avenue du Port and then running North alongside the port on Boulevard Albert 1er. [32]

“A warehouse of materials and fuels was located on the border itself in the St. Antoine district.” [1: p42] The tramway then passed under the PLM tracks at the Württemberg bridge, where a passing loop was created in 1913. 

Le Boulevard Charles III, very early in the 20th century [40]
A simialr view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, July 2021]

The tramway then followed Boulevard Charles III to Place du Canton where a siding was established at the foot of the bastion at the western end of the rock which supported the palace.  Banaudo continues: “Industrialists in the Fontvieille district (brewery, chocolate factory and pasta factory) used this siding for unloading and shipping their goods.” [1: p42]

These two postcard views show Place d’Armes. On the second the tramway to Place de la Visitation can clearly be seen on the right. [43]
Approximately the same view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, December 2010]

The TNL line joined the urban network of Monaco on the Place d’Armes, where two branch lines left the route: on the left towards the PLM station; and on the right towards Place de la Visitation, on the Rock.  The tramway ran along Avenue du Port on a “brief double-track section, then arrived at the gasometer bend, it ran alongside the port by going down Boulevard de la Condamine (today Albert 1er).  On Place Ste. Devote, the double track resumed to climb Avenue de Monte-Carlo, whose inclination constituted an absolute record for the entire TNL network: 80 mm/m average over 415 m, including a “peak” at  93 mm/m over 41 m! A bridge spanned the PLM line below ‘l’Hotel Ermitage’, then the tramway left the urban line at la Poste to reach le Plateau de Spélugues, where the terminus was located between ‘l’Hotel de Paris’ and l’e Casino de Monte-Carlo‘.” [1: p42]

Banaudo also highlights a number of structures along the route from Nice to Monaco: “In Nice: Garibaldi bridge over the Paillon (3 cast iron arches).  Between Beaulieu and Eze: Cap-Roux tunnel (26 m) and bridge on the PLM Nice – Ventimiglia line.  Between Eze and Cap-d’Ail: La Mala 1 (30 m) and La Mala 2 (50 m) tunnels.  In Monte-Carlo: L’Ermitage bridge on the PLM Nice – Ventimiglia line.” [1: p43]

La Condamine, now Albert Premier. [29]
A view along Boulevard Albert Premier in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, March 2011]
A tram runs down La Rampe on La Condamine, now Avenue d’Ostende. [42]
A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, July 2021]
A 21st century view along Avenue d’Ostende at approximately the same location as the two postcard views above. [Google Streetview, July 2021]
This low resolution colourised postcard view shows a tram climbing La Rampe (now Avenue de i’Ostende) towards the Casino, passing a series of Hotels. [41]
A tram alongside the Casino. [28]
A similar location to the monochrome image above. [Google Streetview, July 2021]
This 1903 postcard shows a tram close to the Casino. [35]
A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, October 2010]

Two branch lines left the main tramway between Nice and Monte Carlo. These were:

  • Pont-St. Jean to St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat
  • Monaco-Gare to Monaco-Ville (Place d’Armes to Place de la Visitation on the Rock).

These will be the subject of future article(s), as will be the length of the line from Monte Carlo to Menton.

References

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