The Tramways of Nice:- Les Lignes de l’Arriere-Pays (The Lines of the Hinterland) Part 1 – First Generation Electric Tramways to Contes, Bendejun and La Grave de Peille, and a planned line to l’Escarene – (Chemins de Fer de Provence/Alpes-Maritimes No. 95)

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This article looks at two tramway routes which were built. The first ran from Nice to Bendejun via Pont de Peille and Contes. The second branched of the first at Pont de Peille and ran to along the valley of the Paillon de Peille to La Grave de Peille. It also covers a proposed tramway to l’Escarene which was not constructed.

Nice to Contes and Bendejun

This line was approximately 18.6 km long. The first part of the route (from Nice Place Garibaldi as far as La Trinite Victor) ran along the same rails as the urban service – a length of around 6.5km.Just over 9 km of line (which was deemed to be part of the coastal (littoral) network) brought trams to Contes. The final length of the line was regarded as part of the TNLs ‘departemental’ network and took trams to the terminus at Bendejun.

Only approximately 0.5 km of the line and (as far as Contes) was on the level. The remainder of the line was set at varying gradients with the steepest being 55mm/m. The line rose from 12 metres above sea-level at Place Garibaldi to 189 metres above sea-level at Contes, and 260 metres above sea-level at Bendejun.

The following notes on the significant dates associated with the line are gleaned from Jose Banaudo’s book. [1: p70] …

The line from Garibaldi to Abbatoirs opened to the public on 21st February 1900. On 2nd June of the same year, the line opened from Abbatoirs to Contes. Goods were carried on this section of the line from 1st October 1900.

It was not until 1st February 1909 that passengers could travel between Contes and Bendejun and no goods were carried along that length of the line until 1st January 1911.

After just over a year, in February 1912, subsidence closed the length of the line between Contes and Bendejun. The line opened again in March. During the winter of 1916-1917, the line was closed by snow and landslides.

On 1st January 1923 tram services were given new numbers: Nice to La Trinite or Drap became No. 26; Nice to Contes or Bendejun, No. 27.

Sadly, after further problems with landslides, the line between Contes and Bendejun was permanently closed from 18th November 1926.

On 8th October 1934 renumbering led to the line to La Trinite being numbered 36 and the Nice to Contes service, 37.

A landslide affected the line between the cement works and Contes. It was closed from November 1934 to March 1935.

Late in 1935, the Nice terminus of these services was moved from Place Garibaldi to Rue Geoffredo.

After damage to the electricity substation adjacent to Pont-de-Peille on 12th February 1938, the passenger service from Drap to Contes was curtailed and the No. 37 service was replaced by buses. 

There was opposition to the bus service being provided by a single company. This saw a reopening of the tram service on Ligne 37 on 15th March 1938. There followed a period between 3rd August 1938 and December 1944 when tramway services were interrupted relatively frequently for a variety of reasons which included damage during WW2.

On 23rd December 1944 the tram service resumed from Nice to Pont-de-Peille with a bus service covering the remainder of the route to the North.

On 17th January 1945, goods transport between Contes and Nice resumed and, on 20th January 1945, passenger trams returned to Contes.

In the winter of 1948-1949 bad weather saw the interruption of services North of La Pointe de Contes.

January 1950 saw the closure of the line to passenger services with buses used to replace that service on a permanent basis. In May 1950, the goods service was also closed permanently.

The line to Bendejun followed the left bank of the River Paillon between the centre of Nice and its terminus in Bendejun. Its terminus in Nice was at the Northwest corner of Place Garibaldi, where a wooden kiosk served as its station building. It used the same tracks as the urban services through Abattoirs to La Trinité-Victor.

L’Octroi de Turin at Contes was the terminus of Ligne 37 – Thomson-Houston tram No. 204 from l’Octroi sits at the tram stops at Pont Michel in 1949, © P. Laurent from the private collection of Jean-Paul Bascoul. This image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 10th December 2021. Jean Claude Lehoux commented as follows: This route together with the line to La Grave de Peille were the last TNL non-urban lines to be converted to bus operation. Apparently, before WW2 the line was already predominantly served by buses. During the War, the trams returned but ceased passenger operations in 1947 (La Grave de Peille) and 1949/50 (Contes). The line to Contes, despite still having significant freight traffic, seems to have been completely abandoned around 1951. A similar picture, featuring trams No. 104 and No. 212, taken at the present day Post Michel appears in José Banaudo’s book. In that image, No. 104, heading for La Trinité crosses paths with No. 212 coming from Contes à l’Ancien-Octroi-de-Turin. Banaudo says that at the boundary of Nice, close to the current “Michel Bridge”, this stop had three tracks to facilitate the crossing between urban services, those serving the Paillon valleys and goods convoys. [1: p67]

For a short distance trams ran on the verge of Route Nationale No. 204. Stops at Roma and Random (which had a passing loop) were followed by the stop in the village of Drap which was adjacent to the bridge to Cantaron.

The Route Nationale in Drap. Tram tracks can be seen in the centre of the road. This old postcard view was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 18th May 2022. [4]
Drap again, this image shows La Place des Ecoles and the Route Nationale. A tram can be seen on the road at the extreme right of the picture. This old postcard view was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Alain Nissim on 18th May 2022. [4]
La Place des Ecoles viewed from almost the same location as in the monochrome postcard image above. In the 21st century the Plane trees have gone and cars have taken over from the park that made up much of the square. [Google Streetview, November 2022]
Turning just a little to the right and wandering a little further along the Route Nationale, this image shows the passing loop at the tram stop in Drap. It was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Jean-Paul Bascoul on 22nd February 2019, and comes from his private collection. [5] The same photograph appears in José Banaudo’s book. [1: p68]
Approximately the same location as seen in the 21st century. The school on the left has seen its roof raised by the addition of another floor. [Google Streetview, November 2022]

It appears that as late as 1955, the tram track was visible in the road surface in the centre of Drap. The two parallel images from the IGN website show it present on Avenue de General de Gaulle when the map on the left was surveyed in 1955.

The Place des Ecoles in the centre of Drap. The ‘cross’ on the older map on the left is superimposed over the line of the tramway which was in the centre of the road. [11]
A little further North the tramway can be seen leaving the centre of the road in the 1955 map extract. Presumably it ran along the verge between the road and the River Paillon. It might already have been lifted by 1955. The map is of little help with establishing its presence immediately North of this location. [12]

Leaving the centre of Drap, trams then passed under the PLM line between Nice and Cuneo for the third time at Pont des Vernes which also spanned the River Paillon. Trams ran between the river and the road.

Pont des Vernes in the 21st century. What was the old Route Nationale still passes under the most Easterly span of the truss girder viaduct which also spans the River Paillon. [Google Streetview, 2011]

The confluence of two arms of the River Paillon lay shortly beyond the railway bridge (Paillon de Contes and Paillon de L’Escarène). The Paillon de L’Escarène flowed in from the Southeast from the heights of Peillon, L’Escarène and Lucéram. It was spanned by a five-arched viaduct, some 140 metres in length which carried both the Route Nationale and the tramway. The construction of the bridge was started in the last years of the 18th century. While the bridge may well have been completed within a few years, the construction of the road of which it was a part, between Turin and Nice, was interrupted by conflict and was not completed until 1838. [1: p67]

A postcard view from the Southwest looking towards Pont de Peillon. The old road bridge (and its five arches) sits at the centre of the view. [7]
A modern view looking Northeast along the D2204 where it crosses the Paillon de L’Escarene. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The same bridge, viewed from Chemin du Fontanil de Croves to the Southeast of the bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2019]
This next extract from the parallel imagery provided by the IGN shows the tramway returning to the centre of the Route National as it crossed the bridge in 1955. It might be inferred from this that from Drap to this point it was still present on the West side of the highway. Again, however, the map extracts cannot be seen as conclusive proof of this. At the centre-top of the 1955 map extract the tramway appears to leave the road carriageway for a short distance for a tram stop and passing loop, which is mentioned in the text below. However Jose Banaudo has a photograph of the location in his book which seems to show the tramway remaining in the carriageway with an electricity substation just beyond it. [1: p69] There is now a roundabout at the junction between the road to Contes/Bendejun and the road East to La-Grave-de-Peille. [13]

Trams faced gradients on either side of the central arch of the bridge – 41mm/m and 34mm/m. Very soon after crossing the bridge in a northbound direction, trams encountered the stop at Pont-de-Peille, “where an electrical substation was located and from which the La-Grave-de-Peille line branched off to the east.” [1: p67]

A 21st century view North from the bridge. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The hamlet of La Pointe-de-Contes was beyond the North end of the bridge over the Paillon de L’Escarene. [3]

Beyond the hamlet of La Pointe-de-Contes, the line crossed the Ruisseau de la Garde (a tributary to Le Paillon de Contes) on a single-span bridge.

This next extract from the parallel mapping of the IGN shows the highway bridge over the Ruisseau de la Garde. The bridge sits in the bottom half of the two map extracts. The 1955 mapping appears to show tram tracks over the bridge at the centre line of the road. To the South of the bridge, it seems that the tramway was on the West verge of the road. North of the bridge it appears to switch to the East side verge of the carriageway. Only a short distance further North the tramway appears to cross back to the West side of the road. Road realignments in this area have resulted in a roundabout at the location of the old bridge. [14]
The bridge over the Ruisseau de la Garde at La Pointe de Contes in 1953. The image was shared by Pierre Richert in the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 31st October 2017 [15]
A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023.

Banaudo says that the road junction adjacent to the bridge was the point at which the L’Escarene tram line would have branched off the line to Contes. Work on that line wasn’t completed. [1: p67]

From this bridge, the line to Contes and Bendejun followed RN15 (now D15) North past the Lafarge lime and cement factory.  “This, which was the main reason for the line’s existence, was served by two branches allowing the reception of fuel and the shipment of its products to Nice and its port.” [1: p67]

The location of the Lafarge factory. The 1955 map seems to show the tramway on the West side of the road. There also appear to be at least two sidings on the East side of the road. [15]
An aerial image of the Lafarge Cement Works at Contes. The River Paillon de Contes is in the background. [10]

About a kilometre further North, the Contes station was located in the La Grave district adjacent to the footbridge leading to Châteauneuf. 

Another extract from the parallel imagery provided by the IGN. The tramway can be seen, in the 1955 map extract on the left, following the verge of the road and immediately adjacent to the river channel. The bridge shown crossing The river at this point provided access to Chateauneuf which sat above the valley to the West. The tram stop was close to the bridge and a little to the Northwest of it. [17]

At Contes, the tramway had a small building and a siding by the river beneath the perched village.  

Contes Gendarmerie and tram stop. This image was shared by Pierre Richert on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 30th October 2017 as part of an extensive album of postcard views of Contes. [3]
A view from a similar position in the 21st century. The construction  site is on the land once occupied by the Gendarmerie. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
This image from the Jean-Henri Manara collection was colourised and shared by Demian West on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 13th December 2022. This original image was included in the comments attached to the colourised image on the Facebook group by Demian West. [16]
A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The tram terminus at Contes. This postcard view was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 21st January 2017. It comes from the private collection of Jean-Paul Bascoul. [9]

From there, the line continued up the left bank of the Paillon. Banaudo tells us that there was only one further passing-loop which was in the district of Roccaya, near the Rémaurian footbridge.  “The Bendéjun terminus was in the Moulins district, in a steep site where the road crosses the Paillon and definitively leaves the bottom of the valley to rise in bends towards this village and that of Coaraze.” [1: p67]

The Bendejun terminus of the tramway was in the valley floor close to the mills and alongside the river. There was a bridge just beyond the tram terminus which took the road over the Paillon de Contes and a series of hairpin bends lifted the road quickly up the valley side. This is another extract from the IGN parallel mapping. The map on the left was published in 1955. [18]
The tram terminus at Bendejun, beyond this point the road turns sharply to the left to cross the river and then climbs through a series of hairpin bends to Bendejun and on to Coaraze. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Coccoli on 30th May 2023. [19]
A view from a little further South in the 21st century. The properties on either side of the road both remain. That on the East of the road now appears to be rendered. Of interest in this view are what appear to be tram rails in the right foreground. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

We have already noted that the tramway service North of Pont-de-Peille was frequently interrupted by landslides, subsidence and weather events. Banaudo also writes of significant problems with the trailers used for goods services which were often in poor condition or overloaded and as a result caused damage to the relatively light-weight rails of the tramway. [1: p71]

Pont de Peille to La Grave de Peille

Two branch-lines from the tramway to Contes were planned, the first was a line to La Grave de Peille. When built it had a total length of just short of 6.6 km. Its maximum gradient was 39 mm/m and only 360m of the route was on the level. The line ran from 112 m above sea-level to 195 m above sea-level at La Grave de Peille.

The concession for the operation of the line to La Grave de Peille was given to the TNL in June 1904. The line opened to passengers and freight on 12th June 1911. The route was numbered 28 on 1st January 1923 and saw construction traffic for the Nice-Cuneo Railway between 1923 and 1928. The cement works at La Grave was established in 1924.

At the end of 1926 the service was interrupted by a landslide. Work was undertaken between 1926 and 1927 to improve the electrical supply and September 1928 saw the official inauguration of the freight service associated with the cement works.

The Bridges and Roads Authority undertook paving work along the line in the winter of 1928-29. In August 1929, a landslide disrupted the service once again and a deviation was put in place.

On 8th October 1934, the line was renumbered, Ligne 38. The service was interrupted, once again, in November 1934. This time it was by a landslide at Châteauvieux.

The terminus in Nice was moved, along with that of the line to Contes and Bendejun, from Place Garibaldi to Rue Geoffredo in November 1935 and another landslide interrupted the service at Ste. Thecla between December 1935 and December 1936.

This tale of woe continued throughout the next decade with closures due to landslides, floods, the failure of bridges, or deterioration of trackwork. Banaudo provides a full list of these events. [1: p75]Such an unreliable service maintained at significant cost was of little use to users (passengers and goods). Closure became inevitable and it occurred on 1st April 1947.

The route started immediately to the North of the Pont de Peille stop on the line to Contes. Banaudo describes this connection as “une aiguille en rebroussement” (literally, ‘a turning needle’). [1: p72] In context, this appears to be a point which allowed access to the branch-line from the North. Trams from Nice would stop at Pont de Peille and then execute a reversal just to the North of the stop to gain access to the branch. This presumably involved a powered car running round its trailer at the tram stop and then reversing towards Contes. Banaudo provides one photograph of the manoeuvre taking place. [1: p72]

Such an unreliable service maintained at significant cost was of little use to users (passengers and goods). Closure became inevitable and it occurred on 1st April 1947.

The route between Pont de Peille and La Grave de Peille started immediately to the North of the Pont de Peille stop on the line to Contes. Banaudo describes this connection as “une aiguille en rebroussement” (literally, ‘a turning needle’). [1: p72] In context, this appears to be a point which allowed access to the branch-line from the North. Trams from Nice would stop at Pont de Peille and then execute a reversal just to the North of the stop to gain access to the branch. This presumably involved a powered car running round its trailer at the tram stop and then reversing towards Contes. Banaudo provides one photograph of the manoeuvre taking place. [1: p72]

The junction of the D21 and the D15 is shown on the right of these two parallel IGN images. The reverse curve, mentioned in the text about the tramway above, appears to be shown on the image on the left. The cross marks its location. The tramway appears to have run on the South side of the road.[20]
The road to La-Grave-de-Peille and L’Escarene. Tge tramway ran along the verge of the old road or within the width of the carriageway over much of the journey to La-Grave-de-Peille. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The branch-line followed the valley of the River Paillon de L’Escarène valley, a route also used by the PLM Nice-Cuneo line.  Banaudo tells us that “the tram first took the right bank, sometimes on the shoulder and sometimes on the roadway of Route Nationale No. 21 (now departemental road No. 21).  It passed through the hamlet of Borghéas, then entered the Châteauvieux gorge where a three-arch bridge brought the road and the track over to the left bank.  After passing the pumping station of a spring which supplied part of the city of Nice with drinking water, trams reached the hamlet of Ste. Thecla.” [1: p72]

The location of the three-arched bridge which is mentioned by Banaudo in the quoted text above. [21]
The same location as seen on Google Earth in 21st century. [Google Earth, 18th October 2022]
A 21st century view, looking Northeast across the bridge carrying the D21 over the Paillon de L’Escarene. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The village of Ste. Thecle sits in the valley floor adjacent to the Paillon de l’Escarene. It hosts a railway station which is named Peillon-Ste. Thecle which serves the two villages. Paillon is high above, and to the East of the village of Thecle. [22]
A view of Sainte Thecle, the mills and Peillon which shows the tramway alongside the road. The view looks Eastnortheast towards Paeillon. Note the kerb marking the limits of the highway. Peillon can be seen high above Ste. Thecle in this photograph. The River Paillon de l’Escarene is below the road and tramway to the left. This old postcard image was shared by Jean-Paul Bascoul on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group on 5th October 2023 and comes from the private collection of Jean-Paul Bascoul. The location of this photograph is difficult to confirm in 21st century. The relative positions of Peillon and the rock outcrops behind make it clear that the location is in Ste. Thecle but changes in the buildings in Ste.Thecle make ascertaining the location difficult. No doubt someone with local knowledge might be able to firm up the position of the camera!  [6]
The tram stop at Les Moulins de Peillon seems to be marked on the 1955 map extract on the left. However, it is worth noting Banaudo’s comments below which seem to suggest that the tramway was on the East side of the road. The tramway is perhaps marked by the single line on the East side of the road. The location is named on the modern map extract to the right. The valley has, by this time, turned to the North. Access to the village of Peillon is via the steep road with hairpin bends in the top right of each map extract. [23]
The village of Peillon sits high above the valley floor. It is a car free mediaeval perched village. [24]

The next stop was in the valley closer to Peillon and set among the mills. This stop provided a passing loop, the only one on the line. Banaudo continues: “On the right, the picturesque village of Peillon stands at 376 m at the top of a rocky spur in a site worthy of a postcard.  Immediately afterwards, the valley narrows once again and forms the narrow Bausset gorge where the tramway line was established over 567 m on its own site overlooking the road, finding it again to cross the Paillon on a single-arch bridge.” [1: p72]

These comments from Banaudo suggest that the line was on the East side of the road, perhaps indicated by the single black line on the 1955 map extract above which crosses the side road to Peillon only a few meters to the East of the main road. It seems that North of this point the tramway was very close to the road but held above it by a retaining wall. Road and tramway came together again at the next bridge over the Paillon de l’Escarene. That bridge is marked on both of the map extracts (1955 and 2023) above. The bridge used by the old road and tramway is marked in grey on the modern map.

Looking East off the modern road bridge, the single masonry arch of the old bridge can be seen in a collapsed state. A modern road realignment at this location removed some dangerous bends and improved traffic flow. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Beyond this point, with the tramway and the D21 now on the West bank of the river, the valley opens out and the route of the old tramway passes through Novaines before reaching the location of its terminus at La Grave-de-Peille.

The tramway ran along the old Route Nationale No. 21 to La Grave de Peille. As the road turned to re-cross the River Paillon de L’Escarene, the tramway continued for only a short distance to serve a cement works on the West bank of the river. [25]
The terminus of the passenger service at La Grave de Peille. This image was shared on the Comte de Nice et son Histoire Facebook Group by Roland Coccoli on 2nd December 2018. [8]

The terminus of the route was sited at the meeting point of the boundaries of three communes, Peillon, Peille and Blausasc, adjacent to a cement works which was operating from the mid-1920s and had its own branch-line  from the tramway. The cement works became particularly significant in the life of the branch-line once the PLM opened its line between Nice and Cuneo in the late-1920s. Passengers deserted the trams as a much quicker journey to and from Nice was offered by the PLM from its two stations, Peillon-Ste. Thecle and Peille.

The railway station at Peille with the cement works visible in the distance on the right side of the image. This colourised monochrome postcard image was taken with the camera facing towards the Southwest. Trams ran along the valley from/to the lefthand edge of this image as far as the cement works. [26]

Banaudo highlights a particular problem with the line to La Grave de Peille. [1: p74] The tramway was built with minimal investment – just enough to reach its terminus. Rails were the lightest possible; the TNL used existing bridges not designed for the loads imposed by trams and trailers; road carriageway widths were decreased to provide space for the trams, (ather than setting the rails in the roads).

Local protests began as early as 1908, but issues becameore acute after the Great War because of the increased traffic on both the road and the tramway resulting from the construction of the Nice-Cuneo railway and the opening of the cement plant at La Grave. “Neither the road nor the railway were able to withstand this additional load.  On 21st November 1928, the municipal council of Peillon reported that the Bausset bridge was in a lamentable state and, for lack of urgent measures, serious misfortunes occurred during the winter of 1928-29. Despite the protests of the TNL company which rightly feared for the sustainability of its rails, the Bridges and Roads Authority covered the rails with macadam to widen the roadway accessible to cars.  What was predictable happened: insufficiently drained under this coating and tired by high tonnages, the rails were too weak and the already tired sleepers soon began to disintegrate.” [1: p74] 

In 1937 proper maintenance was undertaken between Borghéas and Châteauvieux, “but the alarming state of the track, the insufficient electricity supply and the shortage of wagons led the TNL to provide its passenger service by bus” [1: p74] The cement factory also began to use road vehicles.

WW2 resulted in traffic (both goods and passengers) returning to the rails in the summer of 1940, but by the beginning of 1941 the track had deteriorated to such an extent that all tramway traffic had to be suspended.

Sufficient maintenance was undertaken to allow goods services to resume within a few weeks but the condition of the bridge at Bausset meant that the line North of the bridge could not be used by trams. Lime and cement, “went down by truck to the Peillon stop (Les Moulins),  where it was transhipped on a train of two wagons limited to 6 km/h to Pont-de-Peille… The end-to-end service resumed on 7th July 1941, but it was again interrupted in September 1943 by the destruction of the Pont de Peille then at the end of August 1944 by that of the Pont de Bausset bridge.” [1: p74]

A temporary structure of steel beams and a wooden deck was quickly provided but “the track formed such tight curves on either side of the structure that derailments were not rare.” [1: p74]

Early 1945 saw the reintroduction of passenger and freight services but the following winter saw heavy flooding which destabilised the temporary bridge at Bausset and the line was again closed, this time for two and a half months. Ultimately the increasingly erratic service on the line resulted in its final closure in the spring of 1947.

La Pointe de Contes to l’Escarene

Sadly, this line was never used in earnest. Much was done to create the line but circumstances combined to mean the work done did not come to fruition. Initially, l’Escarene was chosen as the final destination for the tramway from Pont de Peille via La Grave de Peille in 1904. The concession for the line between La Grave and L’Escarene was awarded on 26th June 1904, but it was rescinded early in 1906.

Banaudo tells us that, “after several decades of procrastination, the construction of a Nice-Cuneo railway line had been approved by an international convention, granted to the PLM and made public. As the route of this line was  established by the Paillon de L’Escarène valley which the tramway should have taken.” [1: p76]

The result of that decision was the truncation of the route from Pont de Peille to La Grave de Peille and L’Escarène at La Grave.

Banaudo goes on to explain that “the idea of connecting L’Escarène to the tram network was not abandoned, especially since some were still considering extending a line as far as Luceram and even Peirs Cava, at an altitude of 1400 m.” [1: p76]

In 1910 the Bridges and Roads Authority commenced discussions with the TNL. The steep Gradients likely to be required saw the TNL propose an option of a rack system.

It was not until 1913 that the route from La Pointe de Contes was confirmed. Work began in January 1914. The Great War saw work come to a standstill.

It was 1919, before rearranged contracts saw work recommence on the line. Ok about was in short supply and priority was given to the construction of the PLM line between Nice and Cuneo. In the end, the Departement suspended work on the line in 1926 because costs of materials had risen dramatically.

In 1928, Banaudo tells us, “at the request of the municipality of Blausan, the general council took the decision to develop the length of the tramway formation which was remote from the existing road, from Fuont-de-Jarrier to the Col de Nice which became the departmental road 321.” [1: p76] The planned tramway to L’Escarène was finally abandoned/decommissioned on 29th June 1933.

Had it been built, the total length of the tramway would have been just under 7.6 km with a maximum gradient of 55mm/m. It would have risen from a height of 131m above sea-level at La Pointe de Contes to around 410 m above sea-level at the Col de Nice.

The route was to have been served entirely by a single-track tramway leaving the line to Contes at La Pointe de Contes.

The red line shown on these map extracts provided by the IGN shows the route of the planned tramway as it left the route to Contes and Bendejun. A road now follows that line and appears on the modern mapping on the right. The road is named ‘Chemin du Tram’. The main road towards L’ Escarène leaves both extracts at the top right. [27]
Looking North along the main road towards Contes. Behind the camera the road to L’Escarène heads away to the East. The tram stop for La Pointe de Contes was along this length of road. Just to the North of the tram stop was the point where the tramway to L’Escarène would have set off to the East. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The tramway to Contes and Bendejun ran ahead along what is now the D15. The route to L’Escarène would have run off to the right at what is now a road junction. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The route of the planned tramway followed what is now called ‘Chemin du Tram’ which runs directly ahead of the camera. It is the road to the left of the trees at the centre of this image. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
A little further East along what would have been the route of the tramway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The planned route ran to the right of the retaining wall before joining the D2204. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
Looking back towards the D15 from the D2204. The tram route followed the retaining wall running away from the camera on the right side of the photograph, and then curved round between the two buildings seen beyond the parked vehicles. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Initially, it would have followed the Route Nationale No. 204 (now the D2204) up the valley of the Ruisseau de la Garde.

Parallel map extracts, once again, provided by the IGN. The main features, which can be seen on both the 1955 extract and the 21st century extract, are the bridges which carried the road over the Ruisseau de la Garde. [28]
The location of the first of the two bridges. There is little at road level to indicate that it is crossing the stream which passes some metres below the road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The location of the second bridge is easier to make out. The modern road has been straightened and a new bridge constructed. The old road which would have been followed by the tramway bears away to the left with the new bridge directly ahead. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The view from the new bridge across the Ruisseau de la Garde of the old road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The view Southwest along the D2204 in the 21st century. The old road can be seen on the right of the picture. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Further Northeast on the D2204 the verge of which would have carried the proposed tramway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Again, further Northeast on the D2204 the verge of which would have carried the proposed tramway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

At the hamlet of La Fuont-de-Jarrier, the tramway left the road and the valley to embark on a dedicated length of almost 4 km. Banaudo tells us that the route ran through “a landscape of arid hills where only pines managed to grow on ridges of gray marl.  The only locality encountered was the village of Blausasc, below which a stopping point was to be established.  The line continued northwards, passing through a small tunnel at a place called La Blancarde, to join the road approaching the Col de Nice.”  [1: p76]

La Fuont-de-Jarrier was the point at which the proposed tramway diverted from the highway. The formation intended for the tramway became the base for the new CD 321.  The new road is that shown leaving the established road to the right on the 1955 IGN map extract. [29]
The junction between the D2204 and the CD321 in the 21st century. The CD321 follows the formation of the intended tramway to L’Escarène. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The next length of the CD321. [30]
Over the first few kilometres, the carriageway was wide enough for two full lanes of traffic. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
A further length of the CD321 with Blausasc above the road to the East. [31]
The CD321 continues to follow the planned route of the tramway. This rock cutting was cut for the tramway. The location is at the bottom of the twin maps above.  [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The tramway route (CD321) runs ahead and bears to the right. The road which crosses the route at this location is the D221. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The red line marks the route of the CD321 which is built on the formation of the proposed tramway. The road crossing it at the staggered junction seen here is the D221 which linked Blausasc to the Route de la Col de Nice. [Google Earth, December 2023]
Looking North-northwest along the CD321 towards the top of the twin map extracts above. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
This next set of two parallel map extracts from the IGN show the Route de la Col de Nice marked by two heavy bold lines and the CD321 above it to the East. [32]

This next sequence of photographs show the road (CD321) running from the bottom of the twin extracts above towards the tunnel which can just about be picked out on the modern map extract above.

This sequence of four images shows the CD321 in the 21st century. Over this length, no attempt to widen the formation built for the intended tramway has been made. Retaining walls, where they exist, will most probably be those constructed by the contractors developing the tramway route. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
An enlarged dual map extract of the area at the top-left of the last twin map extracts from the IGN. Both this, and the last pair of extracts show, on the right-hand, modern extract, the tunnel bored for, but never used by, the planned tramway which is, however, now used by the CD 321 in the 21st century. [34]

This next sequence of three photographs show the CD321 in the vicinity of the tunnel built for the planned tramway.

These three photographs show the Route de Blausasc (the CD321) passing through the old tramway tunnel. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
Another set of twin map extracts from 1955 and the 21st century provided by the IGN. This pair of images provides the reason for the separation of the planned tramway route from the older Route de la Col de Nice. The hairpin-bends shown centre left on each of the images meant that the road would have been completely unsuitable for use by trams. Track curvature and gradient would have been insurmountable obstacles. To the North of the hairpin-bends, both routes converge. [33]
The Col de Nice was the high point in the proposed tramway. The Route de la Col de Nice and the planned tramway met just to the South of the Col de Nice. [35]

North of the tramway tunnel, the last kilometre or so of the CD321 and hence the last length of the independent tramway formation required the construction of a series of retaining walls. These next few photographs illustrate the size of the task undertaken by the contractors in the early 20th century. The four photos follow the Route de Blausasc North towards its junction with the Route de la Col de Nice.

These four photos follow the CD321 North, each shows the size of the retaining structures built for the tramway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

A few hundred metres before its junction with the D2204, the CD321 runs parallel to it with the two roads gradually reaching the same height above sea level.

The D2204 and the CD321 run parallel with no more than a few metres height difference. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The planned tramway, now the Route de Blausasc (CD321) meets the D2204 just short of the Col de Nice. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The Col de Nice in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Banaudo talks of the tramway running in a cutting below and to the right of the road and then reaching L’Escarène at the end of a steep descent. [1: p76]

This final example of the parallel imagery provided by the IGN shows the D2204 (Rue de Chateau) running down into L’Escarène.

In the first instance, the tramway would have been within the width of the modern highway, but as shown below it did run below and to the right of the road on its way down into L’Escarène.

The view along Rue du Chateau, L’Escarène from the Col de Nice. The tramway formation ran on the right side of the road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Heading down into L’Escarène evidence can be seen of the prepared tramway route to the right of, and just below, the highway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
The separated tramway route, metalled, runs to the right of, and below, the Rue du Chateau much of the way down into the centre of L’Escarène. [Google Streetview, March 2023]
Closing in on the centre of L’Escarène, the proper tramway would have been within the width of the modern highway. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

I have not been able to establish the location in L’Escarène planned for the terminus of the tramway.

This article completes a series of articles about the early 20th century metre-gauge tramways and railways of Nice and its hinterland. Perhaps the next series of articles centred on Nice will look at the standard-gauge line between Nice and Cuneo? ……

References

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