Narrow-gauge railways of France
The French National Railways used to run a considerable number of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge lines, a few of which still operate mostly in tourist areas, such as the St Gervais-Vallorcine (Alps) and the "Petit Train Jaune" (little yellow train) in the Pyrenees. The original French scheme was that every sous-prefecture should be rail connected. Extensive 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge lines were also built for the sugar-beet industry in the north often using ex-military equipment after the First World War. Decauville was a famous French manufacturer of industrial narrow-gauge railway equipment and equipped one of the most extensive regional 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) narrow-gauge railway, the Chemins de fer du Calvados. Corsica has a narrow-gauge network of two lines following the coast line, that are connected by one line crossing the island through highly mountainous terrain. The petit train d'Artouste, a tourist line in the Pyrenees, uses 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) gauge.
Narrow-gauge funiculars
[edit]1,300 mm (4 ft 3+3⁄16 in)
1,200 mm (3 ft 11+1⁄4 in)
1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in)
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
- Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat funicular;[1][2] operating
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
[edit]
- Belleville funicular tramway (1891-1924)
- Chemin de fer d'Anvin à Calais (1881-1955)
- Chemin de fer de Boulogne à Bonningues (1900-48)
- Chemin de fer de La Mure (1888-2010)
- Chemin de fer des Côtes-du-Nord (1905-56)
- Chemin de fer du Blanc-Argent
- Chemin de fer du Cambrésis (1881-1960)
- Chemin de fer du Finistère (1893-1946)
- Chemin de fer du Montenvers
- Chemin de fer du Vivarais
- Chemins de Fer d'Aire à Fruges et de Rimeux-Gournay à Berck (1891-1955)
- Chemins de fer de la Corse
- Chemins de fer de Provence
- Chemins de fer du Morbihan (1902-48)
- Funiculaire de Pau
- Funiculaire de Saint-Hilaire du Touvet
- Funiculaire du Pic du Jer
- Funiculars of Lyon
- Ligne de Cerdagne
- Petit train de la Rhune
- PO Corrèze (1904-70)
- Réseau Albert (1889-1955)
- Réseau Breton
- Réseau des Bains de Mer (1887-1951)
- Saint-Étienne tramway
- Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway
- Train des pignes
- Tramway d'Avranches (1907-14)
- Tramway à vapeur d'Ardres à Pont d'Ardres (1902-55)
- Tramway du Mont-Blanc
- Tramways Électrique du Finistère (1903-32)
750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
[edit]- CF Economiques Forestiers des Landes (1907-34)
700 mm (2 ft 3+9⁄16 in)
[edit]- Chemin de fer d'Abreschviller; 6.1 km, operating
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
[edit]- Chemin de Fer de la Vallée de l'Ouche;[3]
- Chemin de Fer de Saint-Eutrope;[4] 2.5 km, defunct
- Chemin de fer des Chanteraines; 5.5 km, operating
- Chemin de Fer des Combes;[5] operating
- Chemin de fer du Haut-Rhône; 4 km, operating
- Chemin de fer touristique du fort de Villey-le-Sec; 1.3 km, operating
- Chemin de fer du Val de Passey at Choloy-Ménillot
- Chemins de fer du Calvados; (1891-1944)
- Compagnie du chemin de fer de Semur en Vallon
- Conservatoire provençal de patrimoine de véhicules anciens
- Froissy Dompierre Light Railway; operating
- Le petit train de Bligny sur Ouche
- Le petit train de l'Yonne; 2.5 km, operating
- Le p'tit train de Saint-Trojan; 6 km, operating
- Petit train du Port-aux-Cerises; 3 km, operating
- Rail Rebecq Rognon
- Tacot des Lacs; 2.5 km, operating
- Train de Rillé; 3 km, operating
- Train touristique du Musée de la Mine de Noyant-d'Allier; 1.8 km, operating
- Tramway de Deauville; (1876-1905)
- Tramway de Pithiviers à Toury; 80 km, part (30 km) operating as a heritage railway
- Tramway de Rothéneuf
- Tramway de la Trinité à Étel
- Tramway de Royan
- Tramway du Cap-Ferret; operating
- Tramway du Touquet-Paris-Plage
- Trianon tramway; (1906-11)
- Towing tramway along the Marne-Rhine Canal between Arzviller and Niderviller.[6]
500 mm (19+3⁄4 in)
[edit]- Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn; original gauge 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
- Jardin d'Acclimatation railway
- Petit train d'Artouste
400 mm (15+3⁄4 in)
[edit]- Train de l'Andorge en Cevennes
See also
[edit]
- Decauville
- Trench railways
- Voie ferrée d'intérêt local
- Voie Sacrée, see Le Chemin de Fer Meusien
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "Trams of the World 2017" (PDF). Blickpunkt Straßenbahn. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ Image of Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat funicular
- ^ Le bulletin du CFVO
- ^ Le Chemin de Fer de Saint-Eutrope
- ^ France's historic train routes
- ^ Towing tramways
Bibliography
[edit]- Organ, John (1999). Vivarais Narrow Gauge: featuring Mallets in the Massif. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 1901706311.
- Organ, John (2000). Southern France Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 1901706478.
- Organ, John (2002). Northern France Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 1901706753.
- Organ, John (2007). Vivarais Revisited: featuring the Ardèche and Haute-Loire regions. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781906008086.
- Organ, John (2014). Majorca and Corsica Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781908174413.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Narrow gauge railways in France at Wikimedia Commons