Watteau (train)

Last updated
Watteau
TEE Watteau waiting to depart Lille, 1989.jpg
The TEE Watteau at
Gare de Lille Flandres in 1989
Overview
Service type Trans Europ Express (TEE)
(1978–1991)
Trans Europ Express (TEE)
(1993–1995)
Locale France
Belgium
First service8 October 1978 (1978-10-08)
Last service26 May 1995 (1995-05-26)
Former operator(s) SNCF
Route
Start Gare du Nord, Paris
End Tourcoing / Brussels
Service frequencyWeekdays
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Electrification 25 kV AC (France)
3000 V DC (Belgium)

The Watteau was an express train that linked Gare du Nord in Paris, France, with Tourcoing in the North of France. The train was named after the French painter Antoine Watteau. [1]

One year before the creating of the TEE-network the French railway SNCF introduced three Trains d'affaires to link Paris with the industrial area in the North near the Belgian border. This trains were scheduled with a morning, midday and evening service in both directions. Initially the service was operated with RGP 600 DMUs. In 1959 these were replaced by locomotive hauled trains consisting of Corail coaches. Although domestic TEE-services were allowed from 1965 the Trains d'affaires were not upgraded until 1978. [2] Together with the upgrading to TEE the trains were named. The evening service pair was named Watteau. In 1991 the service between Tourcoing and Paris was converted to a two-class Rapide. The Watteau revived in the Paris- Brussels service on 23 May 1993 for two years. On 26 May 1995 the Watteau was the last TEE service. [3]

Related Research Articles

The Aurora was a domestic Trans Europ Express in Italy linking Rome with Reggio di Calabria. The train was named after the Roman goddess of dawn, referring to the train's early morning departure from Rome.

Brabant (train)

The Brabant was an express train that linked Gare du Nord in Paris, France, with Brussels-South in Brussels, Belgium. The train was named after the historical Duchy of Brabant of which Brussels was the capital.

The Diamant was an express train operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB), using different routes over the years. The name Diamant, Dutch for diamond, refers to the city of Antwerp, which is the European centre of diamond trade and has a diamond district. The initial service started in 1962 as a first-class-only FernTriebwagen linking the West-German capital Bonn with Antwerp, using a class DB Class VT 08 diesel multiple unit (DMU).

<i>Ligure</i> (train)

The Ligure was an international express train operated by the Italian Railways linking Milan with the Côte d'Azur. The train was named after the Italian region Liguria which was served by the train.

<i>Île de France</i> (train)

The Île de France was an international express train on the PBA route (Paris–Brussels–Amsterdam). The train was named after the French region surrounding Paris.

<i>LOiseau Bleu</i> (train)

L'Oiseau Bleu was an international express train linking Antwerp with Paris. The train was named after the play L'Oiseau Bleu as a tribute to its author, the Belgian Nobel prize laureate Maurice Maeterlinck.

<i>Mont Cenis</i> (train)

The Mont Cenis was an international express train linking Lyon in France with Milan in Italy. The train was named after the mountain range through which it crossed, inside the Fréjus Rail Tunnel on the French-Italian border.

The Memling was an express train that linked Gare du Nord in Paris, France, with Brussel Zuid in Brussels, Belgium. The train was named after German painter Hans Memling.

The Rubens was an express train that linked Gare du Nord in Paris, France, with Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid in Brussels, Belgium. The train was named after Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens.

The Gayant was an express train that linked Gare du Nord in Paris, France, with Tourcoing in the department of Nord, also in France. The train was named after Gayant, the processional giant of Douai, France.

The Faidherbe was an express train that linked Gare du Nord in Paris, France, with Lille in the North of France. The train was named after the Lille born governor of Senegal, General Louis Faidherbe.

<i>Rhein–Main</i> (train)

The Rhein–Main was an express train that linked Frankfurt am Main with Dortmund in Germany and later with Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The train was named after the two rivers, the Rhine and the Main, that join west of Frankfurt. For most of its life, it was a Trans Europ Express (TEE).

<i>Paris–Ruhr</i>

The Paris–Ruhr was an express train that linked Paris in France, with Dortmund in Germany. The train was named after its two termini, Paris in the west and the Ruhr district in the east. For most of its life, it was a Trans Europ Express (TEE).

<i>Rembrandt</i> (train)

The Rembrandt was an express train that linked Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with Munich in Germany and later Chur in Switzerland. The train was named after the renowned Dutch painter Rembrandt. For its first 16 years it was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express, becoming a two-class InterCity in 1983 and finally a EuroCity in 1987.

<i>Parsifal</i> (train)

The Parsifal was an express train that linked Paris with Dortmund in Germany and later Cologne. The train was named after Wagner's opera inspired by the legendary knight Percival.

The Bacchus was an express train in Germany, initially linking Dortmund and Munich. The train was named after the Roman God of wine, although for most of its existence it linked two cities famous for producing beer.

<i>Vesuvio</i> (train)

The Vesuvio was an express train in Italy, linking Milan and Naples. The train was named after Mount Vesuvius the volcano near Naples.

The Heinrich Heine was an express train operated by Deutsche Bundesbahn, initially linking Frankfurt am Main and Dortmund. The train was named after the German poet and journalist Heinrich Heine.

<i>Molière</i> (train)

The Molière was an international train operated by SNCF, initially linking Paris and Düsseldorf. The train was named after Jean Baptiste Poquelin using his stage name.

<i>Colosseum</i> (train)

The Colosseum was an express train initially linking Rome and Milan, later Frankfurt am Main. The train was named after the Amphitheatrum Flavium, renowned as the Colosseum.

References

Works cited