That is the area of the Show Tour inaugurated in March 2005.
A new stage in the history of the French Railways Museum began on 11 March 2005. By becoming the Cité du Train, the establishment made its entry into the 21st century. The latest 6000 square-metre building, named the Show Tour, gave visitors a new view of the collection. From the outside, this bright shed painted in colours that draw on the liveries of the rolling stock, attracts the eye. Inside, the themed approach applied by the Atelier François Seigneur and Sylvie de la Dure takes visitors further into major themes such as war, railwaymen’s trades, travelling, official trains, mountains and holidays. The setting plays on light and sound to thrill the senses and offer a novel experience.
The history
of a rebirth
One month after its public opening, the Cité du Train welcomed its inauguration guests with pomp and ceremony.
From the mezzanine, you could see a crowd pressing around the podium set up behind the 232 U 1 on that day in April 2005. The work, which was described in the press release as the “history of a rebirth”, was exceptionally supported by the DRAC Alsace, the regional council, the departmental council of the Haut-Rhin and the city of Mulhouse. Initiated by SNCF and the museum, the project had a total budget of €8.6 million, and measured up to the collections. For the stakeholders of that Titanesque enterprise, the aim was to demonstrate the status of the museum as a major player in the culture of the railways and of Alsace.
A BB in the
Grand Palais
On its 70th anniversary, SNCF took over the Grand Palais in Paris. The L’Art entre en gare exhibition offered a review of the history of the company, at the same time exploring the role played by trains in the arts. Placed on two immaculately white pedestals, the 150 P 13 and the BB 9004 that set the speed record in 1955 stood alongside an orange TGV and the new railcar of the Paris region. The colour combination between the green livery of the BB and the structure of the nave of the building was striking. That monumental vision was certainly very close to the one seen in the 19th century by visitors to the early industry exhibitions.
2007, an important
year for the railway
Do you remember where you were on 3 April 2007 at about 1 pm?
You might remember the moment, that of a new episode in the history of transport. That was the day when the Marne, the V150 train, set the speed record of 574.8 km. Seeing that rocket on rails pass under a bridge on which he was standing, a journalist from France 2 shouted “it was extraordinary” on live television. The excitement and emotion were indeed very high. The V150, which represented a new stage in the high-speed adventure of France, became iconic at once. Its 4402 traction unit and one of its coaches were exhibited in the Cité du Train from 26 May to 3 June 2007. A few days earlier, on 8 May 2007, the museum had already paid tribute to the record by imagining, on the Eastern high-speed line, a historic meeting between a POS TGV train and the Crampton engine, the fastest in its time. On 10 June 2007, the TGV Est entered Mulhouse station. In 2011, it was the turn of the TGV Rhine-Rhone.
2010, a tram-train
right up to the museum
Do you know what a tram train is?
This blue and grey train, inaugurated in December 2010, is familiar to the local people as it connects the central railway station in Mulhouse with the town of Thann. The tram train offers local transport and is connected to the national railway network; it is operated by Soléa and SNCF. The Museum stop, which is convenient for visitors to the Cité du Train and Electropolis, reminds one of the ambitions of the creators of the museum: that of having public transport right up to the ticket office building. As pointed out by local elected officials and SNCF executives, it was a major step for public service. A little over 170 years after the Mulhouse-Thann line of Nicolas Koechlin, transport in Mulhouse is going strong.
