Opening line Tours-Le Mans 1858 (≈ 1858)
First line PO serving Château-du-Loir.
1886
Paris-Bordeaux line by the State
Paris-Bordeaux line by the State 1886 (≈ 1886)
Château-du-Loir becomes a strategic step.
1889-1891
Construction of rotunda
Construction of rotunda 1889-1891 (≈ 1890)
Built by the State Railways.
1938
Nationalization of railways
Nationalization of railways 1938 (≈ 1938)
Creation of SNCF, decline of the line.
1954
Closing of deposit
Closing of deposit 1954 (≈ 1954)
Abandoned until 2009.
2010
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 2010 (≈ 2010)
Listing of HMs.
2018
Selection Mission Heritage
Selection Mission Heritage 2018 (≈ 2018)
Financing of €480,000 by Stéphane Bern.
2022
Inauguration of the renovated roof
Inauguration of the renovated roof 2022 (≈ 2022)
810 000 € of completed works.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
In total, the rotunda itself, the service spaces integrated into the construction, the rotating bridge and the technical arrangements attached to them (cf. AE 178): Registration by order of 25 August 2010
Key figures
François Leboucq - Private Owner (2009)
Purchased the rotunda, avoiding its destruction.
Stéphane Bern - Host of the Heritage Mission
Financially supported restoration (2018).
Origin and history
The Montabon railway rotunda, located near the station of Château-du-Loir (Sarthe), was built between 1889 and 1891 by the state's railways in response to the expansion of the railway network. This state building, with a 17-metre rotating bridge and 10 lanes, served as a depot for locomotives. Its construction coincided with the opening of the Paris-Bordeaux line (1886), making Château-du-Loir a strategic step between the competing networks of the State and the Paris-Orléans company.
In 1938, the nationalisation of private companies under the SNCF marginalized the line by Château-du-Loir in favour of the route Paris-Tours-Poitiers. The deposit closed in 1954 and fell into disuse until 2009, when its acquisition by an individual, François Leboucq, avoided its destruction. Joined the Historic Monuments in 2010, the rotunda was acquired in 2017 by the Rotonde railway association of the Loir Valley (RFVL), which undertook its restoration.
The rotunda received major financial support as part of Stéphane Bern's Heritage Mission (2018), with €480,000 allocated. The works, completed in 2022 for a total cost of €810,000, allowed to restore the 2,000 m2 of roof and the fourteen windows. Today, this site is the last rotunda of the State network to keep provisions close to its original state, making a rare vestige of French railway history.
The Montabon rotunda is part of a set of three deposits built by the State in Chartres, Château-du-Loir/Montabon and Thouars. Unlike its counterparts, destroyed during the Second World War or modernized, the Montabon one escaped these hazards. Its architecture and equipment (turning bridge, technical premises) illustrate the technical standards of the late 19th century, when rail structured territories and local economies.
The site, open to visitors, is now managed by the RFVL association, which works for its preservation and heritage development. The public (Pays de la Loire, Département de la Sarthe, DRAC) and private (Fondation du Patrimoine) funding saved this emblematic monument, symbol of the industrial and technical heritage of the Sarthe.
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