Mademoiselle Isabelle

Taking a break during a business trip, I headed to Rodez station. La Gare surprises with its curious features, such as the interlocking system, which still operates partly by mechanical means, and the canopy, which remains in very good condition. It is a crying shame that the Sévérac-le-Château to Rodez line was closed in 2017, turning this station—which had always been a through station—into a terminus.

Today, it serves only two of the three lines it once had: the Castelnaudary line (which since 1993 has only operated as far as Albi) and the Capdenac line, which remains in service. Currently, the station only sees traffic from TER regional trains and a single Intercités de Nuit sleeper, which connects Rodez to Paris on the few days it is not cancelled.

The photograph in question is the result of a curious stock rotation. On Friday evenings, the Paris to Albi service is provided by the Intercités de Nuit number 3755. After completing this run, on Saturday mid-morning, the empty coaching stock is sent to Rodez for cleaning and servicing. That very same night, it forms the Rodez to Paris Intercités de Nuit number 3757.

Yet, the most peculiar aspect is not the service itself, but the traction assigned to it. Leading the train is La Belle Isabelle, locomotive number 67424, the only one of its class to sport the prototype Isabelle livery. Behind it, a set of highly aesthetic semaphore signals can be seen.

Photo scanned from B&W film negative

P.S. I am well aware of the irony of taking a black-and-white photo of a special livery; therefore, as an exception, I have attached a record shot taken with my smartphone. And while I am at it, here is another one of the camera responsible for the B&W photographs.