Editor: Jaap Horst

Remember my last article about the Bugatti AutoRail, "Bugatti AutoRail Mysteries and questions" published in the Bugatti Revue Volume 18, Issue 1.
Amongst other questions, I asked the question what had happened with the last surviving Bugatti AutoRail XB4014, A Surallongee Legere which was for a long time at Lodeve, France.

Years later I received the story and photographs from Claude Taconetti in France. As it was in French, I decided to retain the original story alongside the English translation

Above and top: at Bédarieux station in March 1971

At Bédarieux station in September 1971

French C'est donc en mars 1971 que j'ai pour la première fois, vu l'autorail Bugatti en gare de Bédarieux. En septembre 1971, je suis retourné sur les lieux de son garage, il était toujours là, j'en ai tiré d'autres photos. Puis, il a disparu et ce n'est qu'en 1981, que je l'ai retrouvé en gare de Lodève ou il avait été acheminé en 1976. Il était bien abîmé, j'en ai refait quelques clichés. Le temps a passé, l'autorail a disparu ! Entre temps, j'avais joint Henri Elchinger à l'époque Président des Enthousiastes Bugatti Alsace. Il était très intéressé par le rapatriement de l'épave vers Molsheim. Ce qui fut envisagé très sérieusement. L'autorail étant devenu introuvable, j'ai contacté en octobre 1988, Monsieur Piernetz, Président de l'Association 14R à Narbonne: sa réponse fut d'une tristesse absolue. Lors de la destruction de la gare de Lodève, l'autorail, qui ne pouvait plus être déplacé, a été brûlé puis découpé sur place !! Autorail Bugatti, série WLG Allongé, affectation réseau de l'Etat numéro ZZy 24449, renuméroté, lors de la création de la SNCF en janvier 1938, XB 4014, affecté à la région de Nice avec ses frères XB 4005 - 4006 - 4009 et 4015.

English It was in March 1971 that I saw the Bugatti AutoRail for the first time at the railway station in Bédarieux, where I also took 2 photographs. In September 1971, I went back to where the Bugatti was parked, it was still there, and I shot some more photos. Then it disappeared and it was not until 1981, that I found it in the station in Lodève where it had been sent in 1976. It was damaged, I made a few more shots. As time passed, the AutoRail disappeared! Meanwhile, I had joined Henri Elchinger, who was at the time President of Enthousiastes Bugatti Alsace. He was very interested in the repatriation of the wreck towards Molsheim. This was considered very seriously. Since the Autorail was nowhere to be found, I contacted Mr. Piernetz, President of the 14R Association in Narbonne, in October 1988. His reply was absolutely sad. When the Lodève station was dismantled, the railcar, which could no longer be moved, was burnt and then cut up on the spot !! It was the Autorail Bugatti, serie WLG Allongé, which had the ETAT number ZZy 24449. It was renumbered, when the SNCF was created in January 1938, to XB 4014, and it was assigned to the Nice area with its brothers XB 4005 - 4006 - 4009 and 4015 .

At Lodève station in 1976, showing also the ETAT XB 4014 number (difficult to see).

Newspaper article about the Lodève station, May 1981.

Vive La Marque !!