tomseeley

I'm planning on riding the Little Yellow Train to Latour de Carol on a Monday in late June. I'm looking for first-hand experiences from readers who have actually ridden it themselves.

I'm told it's a regular SNCF regional train. By itself, that would not indicate any sort of seat resv would be required. I'll be using a Eurail Global Pass.

But I'm also told, online, via other messages posted here and elsewhere over the past few years, that it's often booked solid. Since it's supposedly a regular, regional train, I'm not sure how it can be booked at all, per se.

Can anyone please give me precise information on how to make sure I get a seat on a particular day?

Finally, I'm thinking about splitting it into two legs, with a break midway somewhere, for lunch, potty break, etc. I wonder if, even if I had a seat on the 1st leg, I'd get shut out of a later leg, leaving later in the day, on the same route. Again, if anyone has precise, real experience, please share it with me.

Thanks.

Tom

Pvoyageuse

It is indeed a regular TER train. There are no reservations. Tickets are sold on a first come-first served basis. The only way to make sure you get a seat is to show up at Villefranche-de-Conflent station 30 minutes at least before departure.
Latest timetable : http://www.tourisme-pyreneesoriental...hiver-2013.pdf
(Summer timetable not yet out).
If you want to break the journey you should buy 2 tickets, one for the first leg, one for the second. However if you are planning to go all the way to Latour-de-Carol, you won't have much time left.
The most interesting part is from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Mont-Louis.

PalenQ

I have ridden the Little Yellow train several times - not in the past few years but I am sure that Pvoyageuese is correct in that it is a regional train - a dumpy regional train when I last took it - erase all notions of a scenic Swiss train - in terms of the rolling stock and also in the scenery - really nice but never dramatic as in the Swiss sense.

Last time the toilets - holes in the floor were incredibly backed up! But perhaps things have been brought up to snuff since a few years back.

Yes no seat reservations - you can check on the Little Yellow train from Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - ask if anything has changed - he told me about this train years ago - again it is a nice enough ride through pastoral scenery but not the most exciting scenic train I've ridden - I rode it last with my son and we got off and trekked up to some winter resort town - did not see that many nice places to stop though the town the narrow-gauged tracks terminate and you transfer to normal gauge trains - Vauban perhaps or maybe I'm thinking of the Vauban Fort - anyways an impressive old massive fort and interesting town.

PalenQ

http://www.countrycousins.co.uk/yelltren.htm

Pictures of the Little Yellow Train - and yes they still have - at time photos were snapped at least - those dumpy old cars with wooden seats! I assume the toilets are still holes in floor with a toilet seat on top of it?

PalenQ

ttt anyone else with experience on the Little Yellow Train - certainly well off the beaten paths for foreign tourists and maybe even les francaises leurs-memes?

StCirq

<< les francaises leurs-memes>>

I'd stick to English, Pal.

PalenQ

A Chacun son gout - my son says he never heard anyone use that but if they did it would be A Chacun ses gouts - comprendez?

StCirq

<<comprendez?>>

As I said, I'd stick to English.

PalenQ

why buy the ticket ahead of time - if plans change then you'd have to refund it - this is a flat fare train - local regional train I believe so just buy your ticket before boarding the train or at any train station in France.

janisj

PQ - this is an old thread that was topped by an advertiser . . .

PalenQ

Yeh - I got it now - a little slow on the ole uptake today.