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SNCF Gare de Valenciennes, France.

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October 1, 2015 was a beautifully clear autumn day in northern France. Following my talk to the European Railway Agency, my host Mauno Pajunen gave me a guided tour of the Gare de Valenciennes.

Historically this region had been rich with coal, and this made for a busy railway. Today, the coal business is all but extinct, and SNCF appeared to be largely focused on passengers, although we saw a unit grain train, and a Vossloh diesel shunting the goods yard.

The station was built in 1906 by Chemin de fer du Nord (the northern railway of France) and has a handsome period exterior. Inside the station has been stripped of much of its traditional décor.

SNCF's Gare de Valenciennes. Exposed with mu Lumix LX7, contrast adjusted globally in post processing.
SNCF’s Gare de Valenciennes. Exposed with my Lumix LX7, contrast adjusted globally in post processing.
SNCF's Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
SNCF’s Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
SNCF's Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
SNCF’s Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
An old TGV PSE set at SNCF's Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
An old TGV PSE set at SNCF’s Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.

I was pleased to find one of the original TGV PSE high-speed sets outside. These trains defined France’s innovative high-speed rail in the early 1980s, but the design is now 35 years old, and the train itself was exhibiting the signs of heavy use.

In addition to these digital photos, I also exposed several 35mm colour slides. Although, I’ve visited France on various occasions, I have comparatively few images of SNCF.

Local SNCF railcar at Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
Local SNCF railcar at Gare de Valenciennes. Lumix LX7 photo.
I was set my Lumix LX7 in HDR mode to reduce contrast and improve shadow detail. HDR stands for 'high dynamic range' and effectively blends three photographs exposed at different settings. These images are made in rapid succession and combined in-camera. It is useful for static scenes such as these standing SNCF diesels, but not much help for photos of moving trains.
I  set my Lumix LX7 in HDR mode to reduce contrast and improve shadow detail. HDR stands for ‘high dynamic range’ and effectively blends three photographs exposed at different settings. These images are made in rapid succession and combined in-camera. It is useful for static scenes such as these standing SNCF diesels, but not much help for photos of moving trains.
Another HDR view of the SNCF grain train. The diesels were build by Alstom and Siemens.
Another HDR view of the SNCF grain train. The diesels were built by Alstom and Siemens.

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