Ouvrage Roche la Croix, Cable Car Mechanism – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France



Maginot cable car mechanism
Ouvrage Roche la Croix cable car mechanism – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France

Passing through the village of Meyronnes following the D900 you can find this cable car mechanism on display at a small resting area. There is no clear information sign about this mechanism so we presume it is, or was, part of the cable car that used to run from the bank of the Ubayette stream near the village of Les Gleizolles via a sub-station to the Ouvrage Roche-la-Croix.

Maginot cable cart
Maginot cable car – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France
Cable car transport chain
A detail of the transport chain placing the cart on the cable – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France

Technical details

This cable car was installed between 1932 and 1934 and used during the construction and later for logistic purposes of the fortress. It had a 577 meter elevation over a length of 2,323 meters carried by twelve support pillars. The cable ran at a constant speed of 4 meters a second transporting a total of 36 carts.

Maginot cable car mechanism engine
Power installation of the cable car mechanism – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France
Maginot cable car mechanism drive belt
Ouvrage Roche la Croix cable car drive belt – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France

The cable car was powered by a French Baudouin DB4 4-cylinder engine of 40 HP at 750 rpm. The engine was installed in the lowest cable car station.

Baudouin DB4 4-cylinder engine cable car
The 40 HP Baudouin DB4 4-cylinder engine powering the cable car – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France
Maginot cable car control levers
Cable car control levers – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France

The upper cable car station of Roche la Croix was still quite a distance from the entrance. So a small track railway of 850 meters long was constructed for further transportation with carts like you can see in the picture underneath.

Ouvrage Roche La Croix railway cart
Ouvrage Roche La Croix railway cart – Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France

Visit

You can visit this site along the D900 in the village of Meyronnes, Val-d’Oronaye, France.


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