Steam tram from La Baule

Steam tram from La Baule Until 1902 Le Trait d'Union , from 1904 La Navette
Final stop in Le Pouliguen
Bay of Pouliguen
Route length:	7.5 km
Gauge :	600 mm ( narrow gauge )
Top speed:	18 or 25 km / h
Legend Le Pouliguen La Baule Pornichet

The steam tram from La Baule ( French until 1902 Le Trait d'Union , from 1904 La Navette ) was a 7.5 km long steam tram from Le Pouliguen via La Baule to Pornichet in France from 1887 to 1914 .

history

Le Trait d'Union (1887–1902)

In July 1887, Monsieur Aubry, a landscape gardener from Nantes , laid a Decauville steam tram with a flying track with a gauge of 600 mm on the sandy beach between La Baule and Le Pouliguen . Operations began on July 19, 1877. In 1891, the line on the beach was extended to the outskirts of Pornichet , whereupon it was nicknamed Miss Pornichette . From June 21, 1891, two trains ran on the extended route and crossed at the former terminus. The path crossed the Marzy brook in a ford fortified with fascines , which only carried water in winter.

The route was temporarily relocated on the sandy beach during the three summer months on the basis of the so-called Union Treaty ( Trait d'Union ) and was very much appreciated by the passengers. A trip at the top speed of 18 km / h or 25 km / h cost 0.50 francs . The railway was criticized by the residents because of the smoke, the noise, the breakdowns and the derailments, which earned it the nickname Déraillard ( derailer ). In 1902, due to technical and contractual difficulties, the facility was shut down in a very poor condition and replaced by buses the following year.

La Navette (1904-1914)

In 1904 a new concession for a new tram with a gauge of 600 mm was applied for. Without waiting for the official concession, the new tram went into service on July 14, 1904. In order not to expose oneself again to the criticism of the smoke of the steam locomotives, two benzene railcars ( Automotrices à pétrole ) were procured from Decauville. But these were not powerful enough so that the cooling water kept boiling. They were taken out of service on August 4, 1904.

The operator, Monsieur Pavie, sues Decauville and then returns to steam operation. He converted the railcars into trailers, and in 1909 bought two box locomotives from the locomotive manufacturer Chantiers de La Buire in Lyon , which he called steam tractors ( Tracteurs à Vapeur ) because the residents had protested against the use of locomotives . The steam tractors proved to be unsuitable, so that they were replaced in 1910 by two 5 t Decauville locomotives, identical in construction to those used during the "Union Treaty".

The contractual difficulties could not be resolved, so that the railway was operated without a concession with a limited operating permit. On August 2, 1914, operations were stopped due to the First World War .

Locomotives

The villas of La Baule with the beach at Pouliguen in the background

Box locomotives ( Tracteur à Vapeur ) around 1909

Manufacturer	Factory no.	Construction year	design type	Name / designation
Decauville	N ° 50		B n2t	Francillon
Decauville	N ° 97		B n2t	Pornichette
Decauville	N ° 134	1892	B n2t	Le Pouliguen
Decauville	N ° 148	1892	B n2t	Pornichet
Decauville		1904		Automotrice à pétrole
Decauville		1904		Automotrice à pétrole
Chantiers de la Buire		1909	B n2t	Tracteur à Vapeur
Chantiers de la Buire		1909	B n2t	Tracteur à Vapeur
Decauville	N ° 574	1910	B n2t	Steam locomotive, 3.25 t
Decauville		1910	B n2t	Steam locomotive, 5 t

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Manuella Le Bohec: Bains de Mer-Plages: Le petit train.
2. ^ Petit Train. Pornichet, sa côte et son petit train (1895).

Coordinates: 47 ° 16 ′ 41.5 "  N , 2 ° 22 ′ 18.8"  W.