After 40 years in a graveyard, these French trains are coming back to life

[Adlington]

Well, not exactly "to life", rather "to recycle bin"....

This French railway company is recycling its rusty old locomotives after 40 years of neglect.
Stretching for over 10 kilometres, the train graveyard near Rouen is home to over 400 abandoned train carriages.

Having stored around 5,000 unused rail cars in 10 different locations in the country, SNCF has recently put an end to this practice. Turning its train graveyards into an important source of recycled materials.

All the metal pieces get fully recycled (this represents 81 per cent of the carriage). The wood and glass can either be reused in other models or recycled. The non-hazardous waste such as porcelain, resins and glass fibres left at the end represents 6-7 per cent of the rail cars

Source

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Was that the strategic reserve? Is there any reserve stock left after the planned scrapping?

 

[AndrewE]

Some of that stock looked more attractive than a pair of 153s!

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Meanwhile in Portugal old trains really are coming back to life. CP have been refurbishing and returning to service locomotives and carriages that were withdrawn years ago.

January 15, 2020: Reopening Ceremony of the Guifões Workshop

Here's my coverage of the event, exclusive to RailUKForums:

CP 2600

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

CP 2600 electric locomotive after completed R2 maintenance

Electric Locomotive CP 2600, Nr. 2601, completely recovered and functional. Another 4 units are being recovered in Contumil, all having multiple traction capabilities, which is going to be fundamental for the future Push-Pull operations.

CP Schindler Exterior

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

Schindler car with R2 maintenance/recovery complete

CP Schindler Interior

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

Interior of the recovered Schindler car with brand new interiors

This is how the 1940's Schindler cars are going to look like, retaining their late 1900's livery but with a complete reengineering of its electrical systems and heating, now using LED's and Lithium-Ion batteries, instead of the old incandescent lights and lead-acid batteries.
The interiors have also received a brand new moquette, replacing the old red coloured synthetic leather.
These cars will be used in the Douro Line starting this year.

Schindler, Before and After R2

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

Schindler cars before and after R2 maintenance/recovery

A yet to be recovered Schindler car side-by-side with a WIP car already repaired and repainted, awaiting the electrics and interiors.​

CP 10-40 in R2

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

CP 10-40 passenger car undergoing R2

1rst Class CP 10-40 passenger car undergoing recovery. Another set of these cars will be recovered for operation in the Minho Line starting this year.

CP 0450 in R2

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

DMU CP 0450 undergoing R2

CP 0450 DMU built by Sorefame and refurbished by EMEF in the early 2000s. Currently undergoing R2 maintenance.
One particular unit (not this one) will be a fully re-refurbished prototype later this year.

​

CP 22-40 and CP 92-69 in MOD

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

CP 22-40 passenger car and CP 92-69 luggage car awaiting modification.

A CP 22-40 2nd Class passenger car on the foreground and a CP 92-69 Luggage Car on the background. These two units will be modification prototypes.
The CP 22-40 car will be a prototype of a new generation Portuguese passenger car, and the concept will be later applied to remaining 22-40 fleet, as well as all Sorefame and Corail cars currently on the InterCity fleet.
On the other hand, the CP 92-69 car will be transformed into a driving car prototype, receiving a brand new cab for Push-Pull operations.

Guifões Workshop

• Giugiaro
• 18 Jan 2020

Panorama of the workshop after the political interventions were completed

And this is the full workshop in a panorama view. It's prepared to receive 1668mm and 1000mm gauge trains and is also equipped with a spray booth, metalwork and carpentry. Attached to this workshop is a recovered canteen, administrative block with engineering offices and training room.

Besides the units mentioned above, these workshops will also be responsible for the mid-life maintenance of the CP 3400 EMU's (which had no place to receive this type of maintenance/refurbishment).

The old Fernave building, currently abandoned, will be reworked and expanded to become a brand new Railway School, R&D Laboratory and Business Incubator.

It's also within the expectation of both the administration of CP - Comboios de Portugal and the Portuguese Government to expand these workshops into a full-blown rolling stock factory in the future. (And I might have some responsibility in creating those expectations since some of my friends leaked my concept art to the aforementioned entities..)

EDIT: Some grammar corrections were made.

 

[Sm5]

I wonder if the class 58’s will get wrapped into this ?