The Little Yellow Train, France
The Little Yellow Train aka le Petit Train Jaune, is an SNCF service, principally as a tourist train. It runs from Villefranche de Conflent to la Tour du Carol which is a stones throw from Andora. An ordinary diesel service connects between Villefranche and Perpignan. The LYT is 3rd rail electric powered and still utilises wooden sleepers. This can be a pain in the neck for train crew as I witnessed the driver of one train stop to extinguish a smouldering sleeper with his train fire extingusher. The scenery is magnificent in this part of the Pyrenees but the entire journey out and back takes quite some time. It is possible to go part way, stop off for a look round, and then catch the return train. I did find it a bit spooky crossing a suspension bridge en train.
Alistair MacKenzie
