Driver’s Eye View (Fr) - Le Train Rouge - Rivesaltes to Axat - Pt 3 - Lapradelle to Saint-Martin-Lys

After a short break to take photographs and look around the old station, we boarded our train back to Axat. The final part of our journey to Axat and Saint‑Martin‑Lys takes the train high into the Pyrenees via tunnels and lofty viaducts. To lose height the railway scribes a complete ‘U’ around Axat where the train pauses briefly before continuing to Saint‑Martin‑Lys, where there is a gap in the original Carcassonne‑to‑Rivesaltes line between Saint‑Martin‑Lys and Quillan. Passenger services on this section ceased in 1939, freight until 1989, and by 1990 the track had been lifted. The stone masons responsible for building the tunnels, viaducts, bridges and retaining walls left some of the finest examples of their trade I have seen anywhere in the world. The line was built in 1904, fell into disuse in the late 1980s, and was resurrected by railway enthusiasts in 1992, with a train service running by 2001. The friendly staff and volunteers welcome you on one of their trains, and for the more active it is possible to peddle your own train over this section of the line, with rail‑bikes parked in the sidings at Axat. Europe Map 00:22 Route Map 00:32 & 00:40 Music 00:00 & 41:30, 35:28, 42:40