The Train des Merveilles Ecomuseum opened in the summer of 1989 and is housed in the former locomotive depot at Breil station, built in 1927.
The result of a private initiative, it is managed and run by volunteers as part of a non-profit organisation.
The exhibition spaces were renovated in 2026 to mark the centenary of the Nice–Ventimiglia–Cuneo railway line (1928–2028).
The Ecomuseum is dedicated to the memory of those who designed, built and operated the exceptional Franco-Italian railway line running through the Roya-Vermenagna valley. It displays locomotives and trams on loan from the SNCF, associations or private individuals.
Its first rail vehicles were the 1267 motor car from the Marseille tram network and the 141 R 1108, an imposing 120-tonne steam locomotive.
Over the years, the ecomuseum’s collections have expanded to focus on local industrial heritage, with exhibitions on hydroelectricity, transport and an extensive HO-scale model railway network recreating the characteristic sites along the Col de Tende line. The collection has been enriched with new items:
- BB 8238 and CC 7140 locomotives,
- Y 2423 shunting locomotive,
- X 2804, 2215 and 2217 railcars and XR 6144 trailer from the ‘Train des Merveilles’,
- PCC TB18 tram motor car from the Marseille tram network,
- one sleeper carriage, two postal vans, as well as around thirty road vehicles, trolleybuses and buses.
In 2026, a new visitor area was created: a screening room tells the incredible story of the railway through 15-minute films, whilst a timeline, featuring precious archive footage and artefacts, traces its key events. The impressive 141 R 1108 steam locomotive comes to life thanks to the characteristic sounds of such machines.
Upstairs, a model on a scale of 1:87 (HO scale) amazes every visitor! Here, you can see the railway’s highlights up close: Sospel station, the Bergue spiral loop with the Scarassouï viaduct…
Throughout the exhibition, models of trains illustrate the evolution of the trains that have run on this line.
