Its been highlighted to me that in my last post in this series I did not provide details of Thorame-Haute Viaduct. In that post, I provided rail-level images and then rushed on to the site of Thorame-Haute Station. This short blog is an attempt to rectify that mistake!  I guess you could also see it as a bonus for patiently bearing with me as I meander along the line between Nice and Digne-les-Bains!GECP locomotive, ‘The Portuguese’, breaks out into the Verdon valley as it leaves the western portal of the Tunnel de la Colle Saint Michel (c) Christopher James.The same locomotive crossing the Viaduct at Thorame-Haute, (c) Christopher James.An Autorail on the Viaduct. [1]Another Autorail on the Viaduct seen through the tree canopy. [2] This close up image shows the masonry of the Viaduct to good effect. [3]

These two images are taken from the Structurae website. [4] They have been selected to show the structure and it location rather than for any aesthetic consideration. Even so the structure appears graceful and dramatic. Not something that is noticeable at rail level or from a train. The arched voids in the spandrels relieve a significant amount of load from the arches of the viaduct.The viaduct and station at Thorame-Haute soon after construction of the viaduct was completed. [5]As a taster for my next post, the chapel immediately adjacent to the station at Thorame-Haute is the focus each year of a significant local festival. More of this in the next post, (c) Christopher James. [6]A final view back from Thorame-Haute Station towards the road-crossing and the Viaduct beyond, (c) La bête de Calvi. [7]

References

1. http://www.passion-metrique.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4143&hilit=BB401&start=1830, accessed on 31st July 2018.
2. https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/505951339359530943/?lp=true, accessed on 11th August 2018.
3. https://dossiersinventaire.maregionsud.fr//gertrude-diffusion/dossier/ponts-des-chemins-de-fer-de-provence/6db00f0d-4794-4fb9-8d66-a7675e5c748b/illustration/31, accessed on 11th August 2018.
4. https://structurae.net/structures/thorame-viaduct, accessed on 11th August 2018.
5. https://www.cparama.com/forum/notre-dame-de-la-fleur-cne-thorame-haute-t28159.html, accessed on 11th August 2018.
6. I have been corresponding with Christopher James over a number of my posts about the Nice to Digne line. Christopher James lives locally and travels on the line frequently. This picture was sent to me by email.
7. http://www.passion-metrique.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4143&hilit=BB401&start=1830, accessed on 31st July 2018.