Responsible for shipping and receiving trains on the west side of the station, it has been decommissioned since November 2016. A team of enthusiasts is committed to giving it new life in order to open it, subsequently, to guided tours.
Station 1 of Lyon-Perrache is an exceptional witness of the technologies developed and implemented in the 1910s and 1920s in the world of railways.
The association has therefore decided to put Station 1 back into service… simulated! dedicated computer software specially created for this purpose, connected to the facilities, simulates the passage of virtual trains, while it is able to detect the actions of the switcher and react accordingly. All that’s missing are the trains— The visitor can thus, for a few minutes or a few hours, put himself in the shoes of the switcher, and discover a part of this formidable profession.
The simulation project is coupled with a reconstruction project. Indeed, in recent decades, computer technology has been omnipresent and switch stations are no exception: screens, keyboards, create a mask between the switcher and his colleagues… and with potential visitors.
So we made the choice to make visitors dive into the 1950s. Place paper, inkwells and dial phones! And what a pleasure to hear, again, the whistle of the steam locomotives…
In May 2022, the position was awarded the Grand Prix "Citoyens du Patrimoine" by the City of Lyon.
In September 2022, the post received the mention "Industrial Heritage" of the competition "Heritage Aurhalpin".
The entire position (post and cabin) was listed as a Historic Monument on March 23, 2023.
The visit is educational and accessible to all audiences.
The function of switch stations and switchers will be presented, as well as a brief history of their technological evolution, in order to understand the specificities of station 1 of Lyon-Perrache.
The switch room on the 4th and last floor of the station, as well as the third floor, which houses the mechanical combinator and part of the electrical relays of the installation, are open to visitors.
Guided tours, on reservation required, last 50 minutes and start every hour between 10:00 noon and then between 14:00 and 18:00 (last departure 17:00). The number of places is limited.