Museum of the history of PLM railway

The train is late. But this is not a problem at Dracy-Saint-Loup, this is normal. The train has been late at Dracy-Saint-Loup for over 20 years. Enjoy your time !

Pay attention to the weight of your luggage ! There is a strict limit of 50 kilos for each valise, and a maximum of five valises and 250 kilos !

Do your children need schooling on your vacation ? This is not a problem, we have classes for children of all ages at Dracy-Saint-Loup, from 2-95 years old.

Our professor is very strict, if children ages 2-25 have poor grades, no dessert ! For children 25-95, no apéros !

When you prepare for your voyage, please remember to bring all that you will need.

Follow in the footsteps of the thousands of travelers that passed through the station of Dracy-Saint-Loup on their way to grand adventures.

The menu of the Orient Express with service of the CIWL (Compagnie International des Wagons Lits) and PLM (Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean) are all part of our authentic décor.

The menu of the Orient Express with service of the CIWL (Compagnie International des Wagons Lits) and PLM (Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean) are all part of our authentic décor.

The telephone of the station chief.

A coffee or apéritif, madame and monsieur ?

Do not be afraid of our "Phantom Wolf" -- he only eats ice cream !

Our 1910 Cockerill 020T steam locomotive before restoration.

Our collection of four Citroën 2CV cars has two that function on rails !

Engineer's cabin of our 1910 Cockerill 020-T steam locomotive

Flags of the WW II French Résistance, and "Trench Art" of WW I -- the large and small artillery shells hand-worked into decorative and artistic gifts for those at home by the soldiers in the trenches.

The historic items for our museum, chambers, and restaurants have been found at auctions, on the internet, at vide-greniers, and received as gifts. The arrive in varied condition, but almost all need repairs, cleaning, and polishing.

The larger table lamps and lamps for the locomotives of the PLM (Paris-Lyon-Mediterranian) are usually marked "PLM" on the top or sides, and often this includes the station they were assigned to. The wall lamps, however, are marked on the rear, so unfortunately you cannot see the markings. This one is from the old station of Montpellier.

"Michèle's magic" : Michèle is our specialist in the restoration of our collection of nearly 150 brass lamps of the PLM, SNCF and Orient Express, and more than 300 silver pieces of the Orient Express and the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL). Her "magic" is giving new life to our collection and restoring them to their original beauty. Michèle's mix of various products and methods to clean away 50-100+ years of neglect is her closely guarded secret. Michèle has succeeded where the ancient alchemists failed -- she has perfected turning old metals into gold ! On the left are items awaiting renovation, on the right are items that Michèle has restored.

We have nearly 150 brass lamps ranging in age from 35 to 135 years. The oldest and most rare have been kept in their original oil lamp configuration, and others have been converted to electric table and wall lamps. We have an impressive collection of H. Luchaire Paris oil lamps manufactured specifically for the PLM.You can see, touch, and use most of our lamps-- the Train des Rêves is a "living museum". You will find some on your dinner table; some in you cabin on the Orient Express; some in the station, and others in the museum wagon. While the table lamps of the Orient Express look very much the same, they were manufactured by at least five different manufactures with different specifications. Therefore, the parts are not interchangeable, making repairs difficult. Sometimes it takes parts from three lamps to make one complete lamp ! For the Luchaire oil lamps, there are at least six sizes of the difficult to find glass chimneys -- a frustrating task.

Items in our small museum and in some of the chambers reflect the history of the PLM/SNCF trains during the wars of the 20th century.

The happy Sous-Chef of Dracy-Saint-Loup is always at your service !

You may see some of our staff wearing authentic 1910-1930 uniforms of the PLM from time to time !

Authentic hats, 1915 to 1930 of the PLM (Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean) and CIWL (Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits (sleeping cars of the Grand Lines); a PLM Agenda of 1912; and a conductors timepiece are part of our museum collection and decor.

An example of many of the pieces of the elegant PLM décor of the "Golden Days of Railroads", 1880 to 1980

An example of many of the pieces of the elegant PLM décor of the "Golden Days of Railroads", 1880 to 1980

The commune of Dracy-Saint-Loup was liberated on 8 September 1944 by the the French Army of Colonel Demetz, British soldiers, and the French Résistants. In their retreat the Germans, typically, massacred nearly 85 prisoners of war and wounded soldiers. French artillery and machine gun positions surrounded the station to block the German retreat. In our museum is a Sten submachine gun used by the English troops and parachutists. In the foyer of the Mayor's Office the helmet of one of the French soldiers, Jean ROY, Brigadier Chief of the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons, is displayed. He was killed during the liberation of the region. This area is rich in history.