Narrow-gauge railways of France explained

See main article: Rail transport in France. The French National Railways used to run a considerable number of 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 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 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 gauge.

Narrow-gauge funiculars

• Funiculars of Lyon

• Funiculaire du Perce-Neige
• Funival

• Funiculaire de Thonon-les-Bains

• Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat funicular;^{[1] [2]} operating

• 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)
  • Chemin de fer de la Baie de Somme
• 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)

• CF Economiques Forestiers des Landes (1907-34)

• ; 6.1 km, operating

• Chemin de Fer de la Vallée de l'Ouche;^[3]
• Chemin de Fer de Saint-Eutrope;^[4] 2.5 km, defunct
• ; 5.5 km, operating
• Chemin de Fer des Combes;^[5] operating
• ; 4 km, operating
• ; 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
• ; 2.5 km, operating
• ; 6 km, operating
• ; 3 km, operating
  • ; 2.5 km, operating
• ; 3 km, operating
• ; 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 Royan
• Tramway du Cap-Ferret; operating
  • Trianon tramway; (1906-11)
• Towing tramway along the Marne-Rhine Canal between Arzviller and Niderviller.^[6]

• Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn; original gauge
• Jardin d'Acclimatation railway
• Petit train d'Artouste

• Train de l'Andorge en Cevennes

See also

• Decauville
• Trench railways
• Voie ferrée d'intérêt local
• Voie Sacrée, see Le Chemin de Fer Meusien

References

Bibliography

• Book: Organ, John. Vivarais Narrow Gauge: featuring Mallets in the Massif. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. 1999. Middleton Press. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK. 1901706311.
• Book: Organ, John. Southern France Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. 2000. Middleton Press. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK. 1901706478.
• Book: Organ, John. Northern France Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. 2002. Middleton Press. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK. 1901706753.
• Book: Organ, John. Vivarais Revisited: featuring the Ardèche and Haute-Loire regions. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. 2007. Middleton Press. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK. 9781906008086.
• Book: Organ, John. Majorca and Corsica Narrow Gauge . Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. 2014. Middleton Press. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK. 9781908174413.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Trams of the World 2017. Blickpunkt Straßenbahn. January 24, 2017. February 16, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170216202427/http://blickpunktstrab.net/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/tramsderwelt2017.pdf. February 16, 2017.
2. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/CapFerrat/funicular-002.jpg Image of Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat funicular
3. http://cfvo.blogspot.fr/ Le bulletin du CFVO
4. http://jpmk.chez-alice.fr/Essonne1.htm Le Chemin de Fer de Saint-Eutrope
5. http://www.connexionfrance.com/historic-train-rides-routes-france-steam-trains-10697-news-article.html France's historic train routes
6. https://web.archive.org/web/20060811215527/http://www.feldbahn.de/vorbild/geschichte/h-towe.html Towing tramways