Thursday 17th November 1994

Mohon is situated seventy miles north west of Thionville at a busy junction where the Dunkerque to north east France freight corridor crosses the line linking Paris and Reims to Belgium.  Mohon Depot serves the local Lumes Yard which has seen busier days. Once again the weather wasn't kind to us and our day was relatively wet.

Mohon Depot

I have always dreamt of visiting the roundhouse at Mohon Depot after learning of its predominate wooden construction which I understood was of historical interest and was being taken down and moved to the National Railway Museum in Mulhouse. Mohon has a second roundhouse which have been knocked down and is now used for the storage of BB12000 class Monocabine locomotives. The remaining BB12000 class Monocabines are split in allocation betwenn Mohon and Lens Depots. The images below portray the graveyard scene which is further emphasised by the gloomy day. Maybe one day I'll return to the roundhouse at its new site in Mulhouse and sample the delights of preserved Moncabines within it.

The Spectacular - Mohon Wooden Roundhouse
Withdrawn BB12000 Class Monocabines	BB12036	BB12054	BB12071

BB12140	BB16743	CC65501

Locomotives stabled:- BB12009/014/017/020/034/036/049/050/054/071/075/077/116/117/119/140, BB16603/694/708/743/755/790, BB17072, BB26004/012, BB63966, CC65001, BB66412/426/447/486/492, Y6323/6566/7853

Aulnoye Station

Aulnoye is another large yard on the Dunkerque to Metz freight corrider which crosses the main Paris to Brussels line which is served by BB12000 class Monocabine locomotives.

BB16608	BB26118

Locomotives passing:- BB12026, BB16012/522/529/534/540/665/730, BB17089, BB26103/136/162, CC40105, BB66190/280, A1AA1A68036/68038, Y7174

Aulnoye Stabling Point

I was very well looked after here got my first opportunity to drive a BB12000 class Monocabine around the stabling point. Shown below was my drivers eye view of the road ahead. I was informed by my guide that Monocabines were very unpopular locomotives with drivers as they were noisy, draughty and cold and SNCF had restricted their journeys to a maximum length of two hours.

BB12106	BB16012	BB17082	BB63123

locomotives stabled:- BB12032/063/106, BB16011/012/036/608/624/707/709/710, BB17082/099, BB25115, BB26050/083/105/146, BB63112/123, BB66210/276/288, Y7174

Aulnoye Station

Locomotives passing:- BB12003/032/063/100, BB16604, BB17089, BB26118/136/137/146, CC40106, BB66094/100, 

Friday 18th November 1994

Somain Station

Somain is situated twenty miles west of Lens and is on the freight corridor from Dunkerque to Metz. Thought we'd spend an hour or so on the station prior to our appointment at Somain Yard. The weather wasn't brilliant and a little dark.

Locomotives passing:- BB12107, BB16501, BB22288/331, BB25538, BB26030/090, Y7216,

Somain Yard

We met our guide outside the signalling centre of Somain Yard, exchanged  greetings and was requested to wear SNCF green reflective safety belts prior to proceeding to view the signalling centre before walking the yard. What I found very alarming was the hump shunting of Gas Tanks, images enclosed. Once the visit was over, up flipped the boot and we bartered part of our depleted stock of beer for the SNCF safety equipment prior to pointing the car to Lens Depot.

Signalling Centre		Marshalling Yard

Somain Stabling Point

BB12010	BB22316

Locomotives stabled:- BB12010/016/027/067/142, BB16527/532/548/604/643/659, BB22217/239/316/331, BB25538, BB26030/048/049/059/090/102/127, BB63133, BB64717+817/64719+819, BB66505, Y7587

Lens Depot

Lens Depot is situated near the junction where the Paris to Lille line crosses the Dunkerque to Metz freight corridor, thirty miles west of Somain. Lens Depot is responsible for the maintenance of BB12000, BB16500, BB26000 & BB62000 class locomotives. The depot buildings are very antiquted and there were many lines of condemned diesel and electric locomotives awaiting their fate. However, I was very pleased to make a £10 donation to the local hospital in order to purchase a cast aluminium number plate from BB12055 which was at the depot for scrapping.

BB12008	BB12030	BB12055		BB12105	BB12137
BB12113	A1AA1A62001	A1AA1A62094	BB63766	BB66001	BB66xxx

Locomotives stabled:- BB12002/006/008/023/024/030/032/047/051/055/056/061/068/073/080/094/095/099/105/113/122/125/126/131/137/139/144/146, BB15019, BB16509/536/605/768/773/784, BB26068/072/074/092/098/104/168, A1AA1A62001/094, BB63121/126/144/147/162/173/175/179/182/185/187/199/207/220/230/234/245/246/526/533/570/652/677/706/737/761, BB66001/004/014/191/211/215/217/223/227/231/278/292/403/411/454/714/718, BB67255/256/423, Y5118/5144/5156/5215/6569/7122/7191/7252/7285/7507/7726/7800/8075/8087/8331/8374/8481

Dunkerque Yard

Locomotives stabled:- BB12004, BB16757/782, BB64720