European Railroad Discussion > Fall Euro Trip Part 7 - In Search of the Nez Cassé

The highlight of my time in France was trying to shoot as many InterCity trains with Nez Cassé (broken nose) locomotives as possible.  These are the classic French electrics with the "reverse" angled cab windshield.  I stayed in Béziers for 3 nights trying to catch these trains, and also spent one day riding Intercity trains to Marseille and back to sample the loco-hauled Corail stock in its waning period.

1)  Here's a Nez Cassé arriving Béziers with an eastbound IC train (#4663) for Marseille.  
2)  The Nez Cassés share the IC assignments with the Sybics.  Here's a Sybic on a westbound IC train (#4764) for Bordeaux stopping at Béziers.
3)  Not a Nez Cassé, but here's a westbound RENFE AVE TGV crossing the Orb River in Béziers, with the Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire in the background.  .    
   

---

---

---

4)  Here's an eastbound IC (#4655) for Marseille behind a Nez Cassé near Nissan-lez-Enserune
5) Close-up of the loco. 
6)  Moving to the rural station at Coursan, here's an eastbound RENFE AVE TGV running on the regular SNCF line - not a high speed line. 
 

---

---

---

7)  Hexafret (SNCF) eastbound intermodal train at Coursan behind an Alstom Class 27000.  
8)  DB Cargo France Class 186 on an eastbound at Coursan. 
9)  Westbound IC train #4758 at Coursan behind a Class 7200 Nez Cassé.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 21:35 by dwatry.

---

---

---

10)  IC train #4655 to Marseille pulling into Béziers behind a Sybic, next to the steam-era water column.  
11)  Onboard a Corail coach on IC #4655 to Marseille.
12)  IC train #4764 preparing to leave Marseille for Bordeaux, behind the same loco as on IC 4655.  
 

---

---

---

13) Onboard a Corail coach on IC #4764 between Marseille and Beziers.  The coach on this return train was a more modern interior than the coach on the morning train.   And BTW - both IC trains I rode were packed.  Almost all seats full and a steady turnover of seats.  
14)  My seating companion on the ride to Beziers.  This was the coolest cat ever.  Not a peep out of him on the entire ride, and he slept for most of the way.   My cat would have been talking the entire way. 
15)  SNCF Map of the IC services.  
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 22:10 by dwatry.

---

---

---

16)  Eastbound IC train #4661 at Béziers behind a Nez Cassé.
17)  Eastbound IC train #4655 at Colombier.   Double-headed!
18)  Westbound IC train #4758 near Nissan-lez-Enserune. 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 21:38 by dwatry.

---

---

---

19)  Eastbound IC near Nissan-lez-Enserune behind a Sybic. 
20)  Westbound Hexafret at Coursan. 
21)  Eastbound Akiem Prima tank train at Coursan crossing the Aude River behind a Class 37000. 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 22:07 by dwatry.

---

---

---

22)  IC #4659 behind a Nez Cassé at Coursan station. 
23)  Eastbound Hexafret intermodal at Tarascon-sur-Rhone, where the SNCF main crosses the Rhone River. 
24)  Eastbound IC #4661 at Tarascon-sur-Rhone.
 

---

---

---

25)  EMU passing the steam-era water column at Tarascon-sur-Rhone.

And that was it for the Fall trip!  Flew back to San Francisco the next morning!
 

---

Thanks for this great show.  Gerry

Excellent shots and coverage. #3 is killer. Lots of variety in both freight and passenger trains. I like to see that there are still plenty of locomotive-hauled passenger trains which are becoming rare in much of Europe.

I have heard from a reliable source that SNCF has ordered EMUs to replace the Corail stock on these IC trains. It’ll be sad to see them go.

Posted from iPhone

Exceptional shots, every one of them I loved the cat too!!

Excellent photography and coverage !
 

Great set Duncan. The EMUs to replace the loco hauled IC stock are supposedly coming in 2026 (sadly).