THE FUNICULAR STATION

Originally, it was powered by a system of water counterweights and fitted with a rack and pinion system to make it easier to climb the particularly steep slope. In 1955, the elegant wooden carriages of the period were replaced by more modern blue and yellow metal cabins, powered by an electric winch.
This funicular was one of the most popular in France.
This funicular was an integral part of the resort’s spa development in the 19th century. Its location in the sumptuous Quinconces spa park, built in 1849, boosted Luchon’s appeal as a tourist destination by giving visitors easier access to the heights of the town and its exceptional panoramic views.
Today, only the lower station has been restored.
Today, only the lower station remains, a silent reminder of Luchon’s thriving spa industry.
The funicular station was inaugurated in 1894. It took 2 minutes to reach the Chaumière restaurant from the Parc des Thermes. The station is shown on the map of Luchon included in the 1903 reprint of Luchon médical et pittoresque. It is specified that the station is the departure point for a cable and rack railway serving La Chaumière, a destination for walks on the Superbagnères mountain. This was also refurbished by Messrs Jardy and Dardenne in 1894, transforming it into a highly fashionable venue. La Chaumière, a hotel-restaurant, offered its guests a beautiful panoramic view of the Luchon valley.
The railway ran for three hundred kilometres.
The railway covered a distance of 300 m and operated with a water counterweight. The carriages, which could carry ten people seated in three compartments, were linked by a cable: the bottom of the upper carriage was loaded with water, causing it to descend, while the other carriage, with its weight lifted, ascended. A rack and pinion system was fitted between the rails to brake the descent. For most of the route, the carriages each ran on their own track (which were interleaved) but used the same rack, except at the central siding, which allowed them to pass each other. This mountain railway was the first of its kind to be built in the Pyrenees: the popularity of this type of development had begun in Switzerland in the 1870s.
From 1908 onwards, the funicular served as a ski lift for the first skiers in winter. It operated hydraulically until 1954, then electrically until 1970, when its poor condition and the fire at La Chaumière deprived it of its purpose. Around 1907-1910, there were plans to extend it (or to use it as a base for a 2nd funicular railway) to serve the Superbagnères plateau, but these projects proved impractical, and the fire at the Hôtel du Parc left the space free for a new departure station in the heart of Luchon.
The tiles are signed by the architects of Luchon.
The ceramic tiles are signed Gaidan, Marseille and a pillar of the building bears the probable mention of the builder A. Gabelle (Marseille?).