One of the main reasons for the existence of the Gardanne to Carnoules railway line was transport of bauxite from the mines in the Brignoles area to the aluminium works in Gardanne. For almost a century, until the mining activities entirely ceased in 1990, the railway provided this important service (during a period prior to WWI, the Brignoles area had the world's most important bauxite mines).
The Gardanne - Carnoules line was opened 29 november 1880. Passenger traffic ceased in 1939 and transport of bauxite ceased with the closure of the mining in 1990.
Two stations on the line were of particular importance for the bauxite trade: Tourves and Brignoles.
Bauxite from mines close to Brignoles were first transported on mule/horse drawn carts and loaded to rail wagons at the station. With the introduction of cumbustion engine driven vehicles, this was gradually moved to lorries.
The German Organization Todt during WWI built a narrow-gauge railway between Brignoles and the bauxite mines northeast of Brignoles, in Vins, Cabasse and Thoronet, as well as installations ("Todt's Wall", still exists) for discharge/charge to standard gauge wagons in Brignoles (ca 500 m north of Brignoles station) on the Gardanne-Carnoules line.
To Tourves station the bauxite was, in addition to road transport, for a long period transported with the help of overhead cable lines and narrow-gauge trains from the mines in Mazaugues south of Tourves.
In June 2012, a brand new museum opened in Tourves, Musée des Gueules Rouges (Red Faces Museum). The museum is located only 200 meters from the Tourves station.
A few photos in the exhibition show the rail related installations at mines and at the stations in Brignoles and Tourves.
The entrance ticket includes a visit to exhibitions on three levels and a includes a narrated guided tour in reconstructed mining galleries.
Pictures from the outdoor exhibition
Pictures from the "underground" galleries
