French military passenger trains over unusual routes, summer 1995

This page was updated on 17 November 2002.

In the 1990s SNCF still operated many special trains for French military personnel going on leave, generally from Germany and eastern France on Fridays, returning on Sundays or Mondays, though days of operation varied around holiday weekends. The passengers were mainly young conscripts, and with the ending of compulsory military service in France, these trains (numbered in the #38xxx series) had generally been withdrawn by 2000. A few of the trains operated via routes not served (or only poorly served) by ordinary passenger services, and are recorded here as a matter of historical interest. Details are from SNCF working documents valid for summer 1995, but similar trains ran in the years before and after. The symbol Q means ‘ran when required’. While civilians rarely had problems in joining these trains filled with young soldiers, they could usually expect a lively journey!

via Somain - Lourches, and the Cambrai avoiding line

#38010  Fridays only  Nancy 15:01 - Caudry 20:21 - Lille-Flandres
#38020  Sundays only  Lille-Flandres 20:13 - Somain 20:51 - Chalons-sur-Marne

via the Charleville-Mézières avoiding line

#38062  Q  Thionville 16:25 - Sedan 17:51 - Lille-Flandres
#38027  Q  Lille-Flandres 23:32 - Hirson 00:58 - Mulhouse
#38622  Sundays only  Calais Ville 20:59 - Hirson 00:02 - Wittlich

via Thionville - Hayange

#38636  Fridays only  15:32 Wittlich - Apach 17:00 - Lille-Flandres
#38646  Fridays only  14:38 Landau - Thionville 18:23 - Calais Ville
#38060  Q  Metz Ville 00:15 - Thionville 00:53 - Lille-Flandres
#38062  Q  Thionville 16:25 - Lille-Flandres
#38622  Sundays only  Calais Ville 20:59 - Longuyon 01:43 - Wittlich

via Apach - Perl

#38632  Fridays only  Q  Trier Hbf 14:58 - Paris Est (sometimes started from Thionville)
#38634  Fridays only  Wittlich 15:05 - Trier Hbf 15:51 - Paris Est
#38636  Fridays only  Wittlich 15:32 - Trier Hbf 16:10 - Paris Est
#38620  Q  Strasbourg 09:45 - (final destination not identified)
#38638  Q  Strasbourg 12:49 - (final destination not identified)
#38732  Q  Metz 12:41 - (final destination not identified)
#38622  Sundays only  Calais Ville 20:59 - Wittlich
#38629  Sundays only  Paris Est 23:39 - Wittlich
#38625  Sundays only  Q  23:53 Paris Est - Trier Hbf (sometimes ran to Thionville only)
#38627  Mondays only  Paris Est 23:39 - Wittlich

via Belfort avoiding line

#38050  Sundays only  Q  Lyon Perrache 22:10 - Montbéliard 02:32 - Strasbourg

via Mulhouse SNCF - Müllheim DB

#38618  Q  Freiburg-im-Breisgau - Mulhouse (exact timings not known, but ran early in the afternoon)
#38619  Q  Mulhouse 05:15 - Freiburg-im-Breisgau
#38617  Q  Strasbourg 11:15 - Mulhouse 12:40 - Freiburg-im-Breisgau