Over fifty years have passed since passenger trains ceased to traverse the landscape of Ardèche. The stations at Teil and Saint-Marcel-lès-Annonay have stood empty since the final trains departed in the late 1960s. The rich railway heritage of the area is fading away. To preserve this heritage from being forgotten entirely, a young woman has chosen to capture it through photographs and share them on social media.
24-year-old Juliette, an engineer based in Lyon, knows Ardèche like the back of her hand as she spends her weekends there. She is deeply attached to the region and has set herself a mission: to photograph herself in front of all the train stations, stops, and depots in the department, including those that no longer exist. Juliette has identified 150 in total. She admits, “I’ve done a lot of research to locate these places and I’m still continuing because I’m still missing some information.”
Juliette started sharing her photos on social media in September. Initially, it was just a personal project. However, she quickly started receiving messages from people who were interested in her project and had lots of questions. She shares, “People are caring and support the project. Many are surprised to learn that there are no longer any passenger trains in Ardèche.”
When asked about her interest in train stations, Juliette shares, “I am fascinated by the unique architecture of each building. More so, I love the plaques that mark the name of the town.” Juliette is in no rush to complete her project. She anticipates it will take several months to photograph all the locations. She is also considering sharing her photos on other platforms and possibly compiling them into a book one day.
