Santa Claus came a little late to the Cité du train in Mulhouse but he was not ungrateful: he left good news under the tree in the form of an absolute record number of visitors in 2024 (115,000 visitors). Above all, in his hood was a beautiful baby of 26 meters and 35 tonnes in the form of a De Dietrich XS 2511 railcar, manufactured in Alsace – in Reichshoffen in 1936-1937 – with an unusual history. The railcar transported a certain General de Gaulle from 1944, but also René Coty, Vincent Auriol and Georges Pompidou before being bought by… Coca-Cola. Nice nod to history, when we know Charles de Gaulle’s “passion” for the symbols of American imperialism…
This Alsatian railcar transformed into command equipment is a true piece of history due to the attachment de Gaulle had to it. We know that he used it more than thirty times between 1959 and 1969, during…
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