The railways referred to are shown in whole or in part in Michael Ball’s European Railway Atlas, Volume 1, p39.

1] Before the coming of the railway, significant grain traffic from the surrounding area was shipped out via the quays on the river Saône at Gray, a modest sous-préfecture in the département of Haute-Saône. This, rather than the traffic generated by the town itself, was the attraction that generated proposals for a rail connection as early as 1842. Because two main-line companies reached Gray - the Chemin de Fer Paris-Lyon (later Paris-Lyon-Mediterranée) and the Chemin de Fer de l’Est - this made the town more of a railway node than it might have been otherwise. Indeed, prior to the completion of the through Culmont-Chalindrey - Dijon line on 16 June 1877, Gray was the principal point of interchange between the two companies for traffic between Lorraine and the south-east, despite the somewhat tortuous access with various reversals on the way. After 1871, Gray provided a route (also tortuous) between Belgium and Switzerland avoiding territory ceded to Germany. In World War II Vaivre - Gray - Villers-les-Pots - St.Jean-de-Losne was an important route for first French and later German military movements between the east and south-east of the country.

2] South of Gray, the Villers-les-Pots - St.Jean-de-Losne section (including the north-to-south link from Gray climbing over the Dijon - Dole line at Villers-les-Pots) was always a strategic route rather than a local one, and advertised passenger trains seem to have been confined to running Auxonne - Villers-les-Pots - St.Jean-de-Losne rather than through from Gray. The lines from Gray to the south-west were not generally well placed for local passenger traffic. Indeed, the rail routes from Gray to Dijon either via Villers-les-Pots or via Mirebeau and Is-sur-Tille were circuitous compared with today’s bus-route which takes the main road via Mirebeau. (Incidentally Mirebeau-sur-Bèze - Dijon was - from 2 March 1891 to 1 January 1947 - the route of a metre-gauge chemin de fer départemental).

3] In addition to the five standard-gauge routes whose details are set out below, Gray was also served by two metre-gauge lines, which opened 5 May 1878 (ultimately Gray - Gy - Vesoul) and 23 May 1901 (ultimately Gray - Dôle) from their own station south of the river. In 1894 a connecting metre-gauge line opened to the standard-gauge station and freight yard. The metre-gauge at Gray lasted until 1 January 1938.

4] The Société Général des Chemins de Fer Economiques (SE) became Société Général des Chemins de Fer et Transports Automobiles (CFTA) in 1963 and Société d’Exploitation CFTA in 1992, in which guise it is now a subsidiary of Connex and thus, ultimately, of Vivendi Environnement. The lines radiating from Gray shown as ‘worked’ by SE or CFTA remained under the control of the CF de l’Est (later SNCF) - who remained responsible for the infrastructure - with SE/CFTA acting under one of two forms of contract: affermage (a form of lease, applicable to the Gray - Is-sur-Tille and Gray - Culmont-Chalindrey lines from 1 January 1934) or concours de traction (supply of locomotive and/or train-crew, applicable to the Gray - Vaivre line and the stub of the Gray - Villers-les-Pots line, from some date apparently after 1945 but certainly by 1969). From 1 June 1991 these arrangements were both replaced, for the remaining lines radiating from Gray, by a contrat forfaiture under which CFTA crew and operate the trains (but not the stations) in accordance with agreed charges. For a fuller explanation of these terms see Voies Ferrées #66, pp8-9 or La Vie du Rail #2379, 27 January 1993, p28. The CFTA website (English version) is at http://www.cfta.fr/index_cfta.asp.

5] Historical details of the individual standard-gauge lines radiating from Gray are given below, in order of their opening. The (secondary) sources used include Encyclopédie Général des Transports - Tome I - Chemins de Fer (Editions de l’Ormet, Valignat, France; published as a part-work, to 1995); La Vie du Rail #1999, 20 June 1985 (page 49); various Indicateur Chaix public timetables; and SNCF publications as given in the text.

5.1] (Auxonne -) Villers-les-Pots - Pontailler-sur-Saône - Talmay - Essertenne-Cecey - Mantoche - Gray:
CF Paris-Lyon-Mediterranée
Opened 10 November 1856, as a branch from the Dijon - Villers-les-Pots - Auxonne - Dole line, opened 25 June 1855
West-to-north chord at Villers-les-Pots opened 13 May 1861 (apparently freight-only)
South-to-north chord at Villers-les-Pots opened 12 July 1887, along with the Villers-les-Pots - St.Jean-de-Losne line
Passenger service in 1914: 5 daily round trips (Chaix May 1914 table IV 72)
Regular passenger service withdrawn 1 July 1938
Regular freight service withdrawn Talmay - Essertenne-Cecey 18 May 1952; reportedly lifted but later reinstated for strategic reasons (dates unknown); reopened 3 June 1991. This section was still shown on 1967 Michelin map but omitted from Atlas des lignes ouvertes au trafic marchandises (SNCF, 1964)
Regular freight service withdrawn Essertenne-Cecey - Mantoche (date unknown, but post 1969, at which time it was worked by CFTA from Gray). This section was still shown on 1967 Michelin map and Atlas des lignes ouvertes au trafic marchandises (SNCF, 1964) but omitted from Atlas des lignes ouvertes au trafic marchandises (SNCF, 1980) and the map Le réseau SNCF (SNCF, 1990). However, as no traffic facilities whatever remain at Mantoche, this does seem curious.
Regular freight service withdrawn Pontailler-sur-Saône - Talmay 1 February 1971; reopened 3 June 1991
Used by a through railtour 27 February 1988
Pontailler-sur-Saône - Gray was shown as having track in place but not in use on SNCF internal plan 30 September 1990
Reopened for freight throughout from 3 June 1991, the same date as closure of access from Culmont-Chalindrey to Gray; worked by CFTA
West-to-north chord at Villers-les-Pots still shown on 1967 Michelin map, but removed by 1977 (date unknown)
In 2003 this line was still in use to access Gray, a railway-contracting firm’s siding at Pontailler-sur-Saône and the military siding at Villers-les-Pots north junction [see the Villers-les-Pots - St.Jean de Losne line notes below].

5.2] Culmont-Chalindrey - Gray:
CF de l’Est; worked by SE from 1 January 1934
Opened 22 July 1858 [the main line at Culmont-Chalindrey dated from 22 February 1858]
Passenger service in 1914: 5 daily round trips (Chaix May 1914 table VI 73)
Passenger service in 1954: 4 daily round trips by railcar (Chaix May 1954 table 126)
Passenger service in 1966: 4 daily round trips by railcar (Chaix July 1966 table 136)
Regular passenger service withdrawn 31 May 1970
Closed completely 3 June 1991 because of state of track and of a retaining wall at Leffond, this being the same date as reopening of access from Villers-les-Pots
The line has been lifted.

5.3] (Vesoul -) Vaivre - Mont-le-Vernois - Noidans-le-Ferroux - Fresne-St.Mames - Autet - Gray:
CF de l’Est; worked by CFTA from date unknown (post 1934, by 1969)
Opened 24 September 1863 [the main line at Vaivre dated from 22 February 1858]
Passenger service in 1914: 5 daily round trips (Chaix May 1914 table VI 73)
Passenger service in 1954: 3 daily round trips by railcar (including the Belfort/Vesoul - Dijon service) (Chaix May 1954 table 128)
Passenger service in 1966: 2 daily (3 workdays) round trips by railcar (including the Belfort/Vesoul- Dijon service) (Chaix July 1966 table 138)
Regular passenger service withdrawn 31 May 1970
Regular freight service withdrawn (but line still available) Mont-le-Vernois - Noidans-le-Ferroux by 1985 (the stubs being worked from Vaivre and Gray respectively). Special trains of fuel to a military depot at Fresne-St.Mames, and also out-of-gauge oversize loads (to avoid tunnels between Belfort and Besançon or at Torcenay near Chalindrey), were still worked over the Mont-le-Vernois - Noidans-le-Ferroux section
Used by through railtour 27 February 1988
Regular freight service withdrawn Vaivre - Fresne-St.Mames post 1988 / pre April 1990. Omitted from map Le réseau SNCF (SNCF, 1990) but only Vaivre - Noidans-le-Ferroux section shown as "not in use" on SNCF internal plans 30 September 1990 and 29 May 1994
Regular freight service withdrawn Fresne-St.Mames - Autet post January 1993 [omitted from map Le réseau SNCF (SNCF, 1990) but not shown as "not in use" on SNCF internal plans 30 September 1990 and 29 May 1994]
4.2km (from the RD13 road level crossing c.1km outside Vaivre to a point c.300m short of Mont-le-Vernois station) reopened in summer 2003 for a rail-cycle operation Les Vélorails du Pays de Vesoul.
In 2003 two sections were still in use: Autet - Gray for grain traffic from a silo constructed in the late 1980s, and near Mont-le-Vernois for rail-cycles

5.4] Gray - Valay - Montagney (- Besançon) / (- Labarre):
CF Paris-Lyon-Mediterranée
Opened 1 October 1866
Passenger service in 1914: 4 daily round trips (to Montagney) (Chaix May 1914 table IV 75)
Regular passenger service withdrawn 20 May 1940
Closed completely Gray - Valay (Saône river bridge destroyed) June 1940
Closed completely Valay - Montagney 1 April 1957

5.5] Villers-les-Pots - Champdôtre-Pont - Trouhans - St.Jean-de-Losne:
CF Paris-Lyon-Mediterranée
Opened 12 July 1887
South-to-north chord at Villers-les-Pots opened 12 July 1887 (apparently freight-only)
Passenger service in 1914: 3 daily round trips (Chaix May 1914 table IV 72)
Regular passenger service withdrawn 1 July 1938
Regular freight service withdrawn Champdôtre-Pont - Trouhans 18 May 1952; still shown on 1967 Michelin map but omitted from Atlas des lignes ouvertes au trafic marchandises (SNCF, 1964)
Regular freight service withdrawn Trouhans - St.Jean-de-Losne 3 November 1969
Regular freight service withdrawn Villers-les-Pots - Champdôtre-Pont and east junction severed at Villers-les-Pots date unknown between 1983 and 2 June 1991
In 2003, the south-to-east chord at Villers-les-Pots had been severed at the station (east) end
At Villers-les-Pots north junction a ground-frame controlled a siding running south along the north-south line to serve a military loading-point. This may or may not cross the bridge over the Dijon - Dole line, and may or may not still reach Champdôtre-Pont as a private siding; further research is needed

5.6] Is-sur-Tille - Lux - Mirebeau-sur-Bèze - Oisilly-Renève - Champagne-sur-Vingeanne - Autrey-lès-Gray - Gray:
CF de l’Est; worked by SE from 1 January 1934
Opened 27 October 1888
Passenger service in 1914: 4 daily round trips (Chaix May 1914 table VI 112)
Passenger service in 1954: 1 daily round trip by Picasso railcar (Belfort 06:05 - Vesoul - 10:15 Dijon 10:20 - 13:16 Vesoul) (Chaix May 1954 table 125)
Passenger service in 1966: 1 daily round trip by Picasso railcar (Belfort 06:13 - Vesoul - 10:12 Dijon 10:28 - 13:11 Vesoul) (Chaix July 1966 table 135)
Regular passenger service withdrawn 3 March 1969
Regular freight service withdrawn (but line still available) Mirebeau-sur-Bèze - Champagne-sur-Vingeanne by 1985, the stubs being worked from Is-sur-Tille and Gray respectively, but only the Oisilly-Renève - Champagne-sur-Vingeanne section was shown as "not in use" on SNCF internal plans 30 September 1990 and 29 May 1994
In 1985 grain silos at Lux, Mirebeau-sur-Bèze and Autrey-lès-Gray were still rail-served. Block trains of grain from Autrey-lès-Gray were worked out via Culmont-Chalindrey. (If these continued after June 1991, they would have to run via Villers-les-Pots)
In 2003 the Is-sur-Tille - Mirebeau-sur-Bèze and Champagne-sur-Vingeanne - Gray sections were believed to be still in use, the latter joining the Villers-les-Pots line at a ground-frame west of Gray, but the section between Mirebeau-sur-Bèze and Champagne-sur-Vingeanne was (by 2004) well overgrown and seems to have had no use for a long period.