Nouméa – Païta railway line

Nouméa – Paita
Former Railway station in Paita
Route length:	29 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Legend 0 Nouméa Rivière Salée Auteuil Tunnel de Tonghoué Col de Tonghoué La Ouanéoué 17th Dumbéa La Dumbéa Nondoué Tunnel de l'Erambéré Karikouié Mont Mou 29 Païta

The Nouméa – Païta line was, in addition to some narrow-gauge railroads, the New Caledonia meter- gauge line .

planning

The first plans for the construction of a railway line in New Caledonia were made in May 1884, the line should connect the capital Nouméa with the city of Bourail . It was decided to use a narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 1000 mm.

Building history

Construction work could only begin under Governor Paul Feillet on August 17, 1901, as the previous Governor Pallu de la Barrière had opposed the project. Because of the uneven terrain, it turned out to be more difficult and costly than originally planned. Among other things, the construction of a 200 m long tunnel at the Col de Tonghoué pass became necessary. The first section from Nouméa to Dumbéa with a length of 17 km was inaugurated on December 30, 1904. The extension to Païta began immediately, but was discontinued in 1906 due to financial problems and resumed in May 1910. In addition to a 79 m bridge over the Dumbéa River, several other bridges and a second tunnel were required. On January 1, 1914, the second section from Dumbéa to Païta was inaugurated. The outbreak of World War I meant the end of all planning and preparations for an extension of the route.

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  Narrow-gauge railway at the Nondoué coal mines

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  Terminus of the Dumbéa – Nondoué line

business

Excursion ride on a narrow-gauge railway ( gauge 600 mm)

For the 29 km long route from Nouméa to Paita, at which a total of eleven stations and stops were located, a train took an hour and 15 minutes. The route led through a sparsely populated area and soon proved to be unprofitable. In 1914, an average of 30 tons of freight was transported per week. In the hot, humid climate of New Caledonia, the costs of maintaining the rolling stock and maintaining the line were higher than the profit made.

Shutdown

The railway line was under the name "Petit Train" ( Little train known) and was operated until the end of the 1939th In November 1939, for financial reasons, it was decided to temporarily suspend operations on the entire route, which was meanwhile in poor condition. However, on January 1, 1940, operations were completely stopped. In April 1942, the US Army, which had occupied New Caledonia during World War II , was still using the route to transport ammunition and explosives to two depots located near Païta and Dumbéa.

Current condition

On the northern outskirts of Païta, in the Lotissement Scheffleras district, the remains of the railway systems can still be seen today, even though the tracks have been removed and the actual railway line can no longer be seen in the landscape. The loading ramp is well preserved, as are the foundations of various buildings. A locomotive known as MARGUERITE was set up on the site and was used until the line was closed. In the center of Nouméa, a memorial plaque near the former station area reminds of the Hotel de la Gare station hotel .

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  Former Railway station in Paita

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  600 mm MARGUERITE locomotive

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  600 mm MARGUERITE locomotive

Rail vehicles

Manufacturer	Factory no.	Construction year	drive	design type	Gauge	Empty weight	Surname	Remarks
Decauville	N ° 637	1911	steam	2'C n2t	1000 mm	27.5 t	I. Puech
Decauville	N ° 638	1911	steam	2'C n2t	1000 mm	27.5 t	C. Caulry
L. Corpet & L Louvet			steam	C n2t	1000 mm	approx. 25-30 t	Courbet
L. Corpet & L Louvet			steam	C n2t	1000 mm	approx. 25-30 t	P. Feillet
Orenstein & Koppel		1930	steam	C n2t	1000 mm	approx. 20 t		red
Orenstein & Koppel		1930	steam	C n2t	1000 mm	approx. 20 t		black
General Electric	USA 7755	May 1943	diesel	C.	1000 mm	25 t
General Electric	USA 7756	May 1943	diesel	C.	1000 mm	25 t
EE Baculey , Burton-on-Trent		1941	diesel	B.	1000 mm		No. 2
Brookville			diesel	B.	1000 mm			Two small diesel locomotives, mostly in double traction on the route
Self-made				B.	1000 mm			Switcher with a Jeep engine

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from September 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
5. ^ Yves Jacquier: Géographie de Nouvelle Calédonie , p. 71. Nouméa 2007
6. ^ Pierre Grundmann: Nouvelle Calédonie , p. 110. Paris 2012
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} A.N. Palmer: Railways of New Caledonia. June 1945. The NZ Railway Observer, pp. 39-45.

Web links

• Le Chemin de fer Calédonia at www.retrocaledo (French)