La Chaux-de-Fonds – Les Ponts-de-Martel railway line

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La Chaux-de-Fonds – Les Ponts-de-Martel railway line
Timetable field : 222
Route length: 16.23 km
Gauge : 1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system : 1500 V  =
Maximum slope : 40  ‰
La Chaux-de-Fonds-Sagne-Les Ponts-de-Martel
Legend
            
SBB from Le Locle
            
Parking facility, former roller stool facility
            
0.00 La Chaux-de-Fonds 994  m above sea level M.
            
CJ to Le Noirmont
            
0.67 La Chaux-de-Fonds-Grenier 1014  m above sea level M.
            
            
La Combe towards Biel (254 m)
            
La Combe towards Neuchâtel (230 m)
            
            
SBB to Biel
            
SBB to Neuchâtel
            
2.67 Le Reymond 1066  m above sea level M.
            
Reymond (322 m)
            
4.22 Culminating point 1120  m above sea level M.
            
5.02 La Corbatière 1115  m above sea level M.
            
7.60 La Sagne-Eglise 1045  m above sea level M.
            
9.33 Lasagne 1031  m above sea level M.
            
10.94 Les Coeudres-Est 1020  m above sea level M.
            
11.89 Les Coeudres 1014  m above sea level M.
            
13.23 Petit Martel Est 1012  m above sea level M.
            
14.30 Petit martel 1010  m above sea level M.
            
15.20 Le Stand 1007  m above sea level M.
            
16.23 Les Ponts-de-Martel 1009  m above sea level M.
            
Depot and workshop

The La Chaux-de-Fonds – Les Ponts-de-Martel railway is a meter-gauge Swiss narrow-gauge railway in the Neuchâtel Jura . It is operated by the Transports Régionaux Neuchâtelois (TRN) and has been connecting the municipalities of Les Ponts-de-Martel and La Sagne in the high valley of Vallée des Ponts , also known as Vallée de la Sagne , with La Chaux-de- Funds .

Route description

Railcar from the TRN's Vallée de la Sagne entering La Chaux-de-Fonds station

The railway line was built by the then Ponts – Sagne – Chaux-de-Fonds-Bahn (PSC) in meter gauge and measures a little over 16 kilometers. It is single-lane and today only has an intersection in La Sagne. In La Chaux-de-Fonds there has been a connection since November 28, 1893, and a joint station facility with the meter-gauge Saignelégier – La Chaux-de-Fonds-Bahn (SC), which has been part of the Chemins de fer du since January 1, 1944 Law (CJ) is.

With a steep gradient of 40 per thousand, the route leaves the La Chaux-de-Fonds station (at 994 m above sea level) and through a tunnel on the Reymond reaches the apex at 1120 meters. From there the route sinks into the high valley with an initial gradient of 31 per thousand. At the foot of the armrest, which it has just crossed, the route leads in an almost straight line to La Sagne and from there with an incline of only 16 per thousand to Les Ponts-de-Martel, with a short counter-ascent of 10 per thousand. The multi-track facility in Les Ponts-de-Martel is related to the depot facility there.

As early as May 1915, the Saignelégier – La Chaux-de-Fonds-Bahn started rolling bogie traffic with a reloading station in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The same roller bolster system was also used from 1966 by the Chemins de fer des Montagnes Neuchâteloises, which began transporting standard-gauge railway wagons on the route to Les Ponts-de-Martel. However, the CMN gradually stopped all freight traffic. The roller stool pit has not been used by the CJ for several years and is no longer there today.

Connecting lines

The standard gauge section of the station in La Chaux-de-Fonds has existed since July 2, 1857; it was the brief end point of the line to Le Locle , which was opened by the Compagnie Jura industriel (JI). The continuation to Convers was opened by the same company on November 27, 1859, from there the connection to Neuchâtel followed until mid-1860 , while the line to Biel / Bienne through the Jura Bernois (JB) was opened in mid-1874 . On December 17, 1888, the Jura – Bern – Lucerne Company (JBL) opened the direct route from Biel to La Chaux-de-Fonds through the Crosettes tunnel; the Renan – Le Convers connection was finally closed in 1895.

See also

literature

  • Sébastien Jacobi: Centenaire des Chemins de fer des Montagnes neuchâteloises . Without publisher, La Chaux-de-Fonds 1990.
  • Hans G. Wägli: Swiss Rail Network . AS Verlag, Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-905111-21-7 .
  • Hans G. Wägli: Railway Profile Switzerland 2005 . Diplory Verlag, Grafenried 2004.