Thursday, September 3, 2026

an automotrice crosses the Viaduc de la Beïte in Provence, France, 1953


Of all the major masonry viaducts on the meter-gauge Nice--Digne line, the Beïte viaduct, which overlooks the medieval village of Annot, is the only one whose arches do not all have the same span. Four of its five arches have a span of 10 meters, while its central arch is elliptical and reaches a span of 34 meters, making it the largest masonry arch on the whole line after the Quarante Mète bridge in the commune of La Mure-Argens.

The viaduct is 123 meters long in total and follows a curve with a radius of 150 meters. At its midpoint, the track rises nearly 25 meters above the Beïte stream. With the exception of the abutments, which are constructed of rubble masonry, the facings are entirely made of dressed stone.

The nature of the soil and the slope of the bridge (2.5 %) necessitated building the pier on the left bank of the Beîte River 3.5 meters lower than the one on the right bank.

The plans for the Saint-André-Annot section were drawn up between 1899 and 1901, but they had to be modified between 1906 and 1908 for the section crossing the Vaïre Valley due to the nature of the terrain, which offered poor foundation support. The Beîte crossing project underwent a radical transformation during these modifications. The initial project envisioned a viaduct with five 15 meter spans and a 150 meter radius curve. The Beïte viaduct is part of the fourth section, running from Le Fugeret to Annot. Designed by engineer Varvier under the supervision of chief engineer Lemoine, the contract was awarded on 9 May 1908 to the Orizet brothers' company. It opened for commercial use on 11 July 1911.

Today, it is used by the Train des Pignes (Pine Cone Train as the line is named).

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