Le Petit Train Jaune (The Little Yellow Train) & Villefranche-de-Conflent (France)

The ‘Ligne de Cerdagne’ or ‘Le Petit Train Jaune’ (English: Little Yellow Train) is a Metre-gauge railway (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) located in the French Pyrenees connecting Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol. Construction started in 1903, although it was 1927 before the line was completed to Latour-de-Carol.
The 63 kilometres (39 miles) long railway serving 22 stations and request stops climbs to an altitude of 1,593 metres (5,226 ft) above sea level at Bolquère-Eyne, the highest railway station in France. The line is single-track with passing loops, it threads its way through 19 tunnels and over two substantial viaducts, one of which is unusual for a railway bridge in that it is a suspension bridge. The trains operate on an 850 volts DC third rail system similar to that found on the Southern Region of British Rail. Two types of train are used on the route, modern entirely enclosed two-car multiple units and older style trains made up of covered carriages sandwiched between powered motor units, when the weather allows, open carriages are also used.
The best views of the impressive viaducts and the dramatic scenery the railway passes through are obtained from the nearby road or from an open carriage if one is included in the train. The weather was fine on the day I visited, sadly there was no open carriage and the allocated covered carriage with balconies at either end was crowded making it difficult to take photographs or to appreciate the scenery. With improvements to the nearby N116 road and a declining population in the Cerdagne the rail link is now chiefly a tourist attraction whose long-term future is in doubt. Without forward or rear facing views and limited side views, riding this train in a crowded, enclose carriage is a frustrating experience, it would be a good idea to include an open carriage in every train and leave passengers who want to enjoy the views free to decide whether or not they want to brave the weather.
In the second part of this video we visit the pretty town of Villefranche-de-Conflent dating back to pre-Roman times. The narrow streets are full of cafes, art studios and tourist shops selling locally produced goods and souvenirs. We take a walk through the covered passageways and tunnels built inside the towns fortifications. To learn more about this fascinating place and its history, please click on this link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villefr...

This railway was included as part of a Rail Discoveries “Catalonia & Little Trains of the Pyrenees” tour, for more information please click on this link - https://www.raildiscoveries.com/tours... Note: The yellow train does not show in the 2023 version of this holiday although the excellent “Train Rouge” and “Vall de Núria Cog Railway” are still included.

Music - Track - Composer/Version - Source
00:00 - World - Parisian Travels (Looking for Directions) - Scorefitter
15:51 & 28:41 - ES_Zigzag - Berny Shepard - epidemicsound.com

00:32 - Map of the “Little Yellow Train” route -
Page URL - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
File URL - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...
Attribution - Poudou99, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons