Railway roundhouse

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  • Patrimoine culturel
  • Railway roundhouse

Practical information

Address

731 chemin de la Rotonde
73000 Chambéry
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Départ de la visite au pied de l'escalier métallique d'accès à la Rotonde (chemin de la Rotonde à Chambéry).
L'accès par les voies de chemin de fer est strictement interdit.

Phone

04 79 33 42 47

Contact

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Website

Languages spoken

Italian, English, Spanish, French

Themes

  • Engineering structure

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Presentation

This unique railway roundhouse, built between 1906 and 1910, features an articulated metal structure similar to the Eiffel Tower. Mandatory guided tours.

The exceptional railway situation of Chambéry has led to build the engine shed, to make easier the manoeuvre and the maintenance of the locomotives.
This is one of the last big building of a metal articulated structure of longue range in France, this technique having then disappeared with the coming of the reinforced concrete. It is composed of two parts : a ring of 27m of width and a dome of 55m of diameter. The building is 34m high, 110m of diameter and is weighting 900 ton.

While the railway installation were the Allies target, the engine shed has been miraculously spared by the bombing of 1944.When its destruction has been evoked in 1980, some railway workers passioned will succeed in convincing the SNCF direction to preserve this precious industrial testimony of the early XXth century. It has been classified historical monument in 1984.
Maintained and restored progressivly by the SNCF, it is still used for the maintenance of about fifty locomotives, including a machine from the 1900's.

Type of cultural heritage:

Historic site and monument

Opening

From 06/05 to 30/06/2024, every Saturday at 2.30 pm.

Additional information

Service(s):

Coach access

Rates

Full price: 7 € (guided tour)
Reduced price: 5.50 € (guided tour).

Free entry for children < 12 years.

Reduced rate for students under 26, large families, journalists, unemployed and disabled.

Payment methods

Bank/credit card
Check
Travellers Cheque
Cash

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