Tramways de Royan

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Tramways de Royan
Locomotive vapeur de Tramway de Royan.jpg
Tramway de Royan 107 (cropped).jpg
Route on an old map
Technical
Line length41 km (25 mi)
Track gauge 600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in)
Operating speedResidential: 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
Rural: 20 km/h (12 mph) [1]
Route map

Contents

km
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to La Tremblade, since WWII
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from La Pointe Espagnole
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Wye
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La Bouverie
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La Combe
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to the quarry La Combe à Massé
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13.2
La Grande-Côte/Forest tram
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Wye to and from the forest tram
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Puits de l'Auture
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Concié
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Puyraveau
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10.4
Saint-Palais
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St-Palais-Plage
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Tré la Chasse
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9.5
Vaux-Nauzan
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Les Fées
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Les Ajoncs
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7.5
Malakoff
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6.7
Pontaillac
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6.3
La Falaise
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Le Pigeonnier
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5.5
Le Chay
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Le Fort
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Les Tennis
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Foncillon
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4.2
Le Port
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La Rampe Lessore
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4.0
Boulevard Lessore
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3.8
Boulevard Botton
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Croix-Blanche
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to the Dépôt
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3,3
Casino Municipal [Note 1]
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3.1
Rue de l'Etat
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2.8
Le Grand Hôtel
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2.5
Le Paradou
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2.1
Parc Oasis
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+0.6
Parc Façade
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Valliéres
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1.3
Parc de Sports
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Plume la Poule
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0.6
Le Coca
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+2.1
Saint-Georges (Port)
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0.0
Saint-Georges (Ville) [2]
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Double-track station with water
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Double-track station without water
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Single-track request stop

The Tramways de Royan were two narrow-gauge railways that provided mainly passenger transport in and around the coastal resort town of Royan in western France.

History

Steam tramway, ready to depart from Grande-Cote, 1904 Tram a la Grande Cote - Tramway de Royan - 1904.jpg
Steam tramway, ready to depart from Grande-Côte, 1904
A steam train at the Casino de Foncillon Tramway de Royan 368 - Royan (Charente-Maritime). The Casino and the train Decauville, about 1880-1890 (photo Leon & Levy via Roger Villet).jpg
A steam train at the Casino de Foncillon
Steam tramway in the sea-side resort of Pontaillac BR 241 4241 - ROYAN-PONTAILLAC - Les Chalets - L'Arrivee du Tramway.JPG
Steam tramway in the sea-side resort of Pontaillac
Steam tramway at Cafe des Bains in Royan, 1930s Le Guiastrennec 2470 - ROYAN - Le Cafe des Bains (cropped).JPG
Steam tramway at Café des Bains in Royan, 1930s
Inauguration of a Campagne petrol railcar (Automotrice) by Gaston Nougarede, director of the SGTR on the left in front of the railcar with black cap. View of the inaugural train departing from Ronce-les-Bains for the return journey of the guests, 1924. Tramway de Royan 113.jpg
Inauguration of a Campagne petrol railcar (Automotrice) by Gaston Nougarède, director of the SGTR on the left in front of the railcar with black cap. View of the inaugural train departing from Ronce-les-Bains for the return journey of the guests, 1924.

In Royan, the Société Générale de Tramway de Royan (SGTR), a subsidiary of the Société Centrale des Chemins de fer et des Tramways, had a 600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in) gauge steam tramway built by the Decauville company on behalf of the town and operated it until 1894. Trains ran on the first sections in the urban area from 1890, but the branch to the railway station was only used until 1893. At the start of the 1891 bathing season, the railway extended to the north-west as far as the suburb of Pontaillac and to the south-east as far as Saint-Georges-de-Didonne. In the summer season, the trains, which were mainly used by the many tourists, ran every half hour.

Initially, 0-4-4-0 Mallet tank locomotives built in 1889 with and an unladen weight of 9.5 t were used, which had run on the Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle of 1889, for which the Eiffel Tower had been built. They were named Kairouan, Australie and Madagascar and were later passed on to the Chemins de fer du Calvados in 1892.

The Compagnie du Tramway de La Grande-Côte à Royan was granted a concession for the 6 km (3.7 mi) long extension to the coastal area of La Grande-Côte in the municipality of Saint-Palais-sur-Mer, which opened in 1897. From the outset, the SGTR managed the operation here and also became the owner from 1903. In 1905, the network had reached a length of 17 km (11 mi) with the La Grande-Côte-Saint Palais-Royan-Didonne line, which mainly ran along the coast, with the new branch from Royan-Paradou to the port of Saint-Georges-de-Didonne.

The 27 km (17 mi) long forest tram of the Tramway de Grande-Côte à Ronce-les-Bains (GCR) company along the Côte Sauvage (Wild Coast) began at La Grande-Côte station. It was opened in 1892 by the forestry commission as a metre-gauge (3 ft 3+38 in) gauge horse-drawn tram line and was converted to 600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in) gauge in 1913. In 1925, the SGTR took over operation, so that its network then covered a total of 42 km (26 mi).

In 1933, the Département Charente-Maritime took over from the town of Royan. Instead of forest railway trains, the line from La Grande-Côte was served by buses from 1939. The entire operation, which suffered severe damage during the Second World War, was finally closed to passenger traffic in 1945 and to freight traffic in 1947/48.

Locomotives

Normally, the trains of the Royan steam tramway consisted of a 0-4-2 locomotive (with two coupled axles and one trailing axle) and three open carriages. The more powerful 0-6-2 locomotives could also pull four carriages. Trains with four carriages were a rarity, as there were only two or three of these locomotives. According to the numerous reports from people familiar with the Royan tramway, one of the more powerful locomotives was normally stationed in Pontaillac on peak days as a reserve and possible reinforcement.

The first metre-gauge Decauville railcars (Automotrice) were procured around 1903. [4] From 1924, six petrol-powered Campagne railcars from the 1910s were used on the 600 mm forest railway lines, both of which ran on the Groupe Laborie narrow-gauge lines in 1914 after the outbreak of the First World War and were finally used as light railcars on the metre-gauge lines from Cormeilles to Glos and Montfort-sur-Risle in the Eure department around 1933. [5] [Note 2] [6]

Operation

Driver, mechanic, conductor and chief controller of a steam train at Le Chay Tramway de Royan 021.jpg
Driver, mechanic, conductor and chief controller of a steam train at Le Chay

Several water supply points were accessible along the line, at which the water tanks attached to the sides of the steam locomotives could be filled: Water towers with a water crane were each at the Bureau de Saint-Palais and Casino stations on the Place des Acacias, while only a simple hose was used for this purpose at Pontaillac and Grande Côte. [3]

In the first season, there were fifty trains a day, departing every 15 minutes. By 1 October 1890, 160,000 passengers had been transported and in the following year, traffic even doubled to 357,000 passengers. [1]

Proposal to re-install the forest tramway

In 2020, the association Les Sept Sentinelles (The Seven Guardians) gave serious thought to re-installing the forest tramway and putting it back into operation. [7] It proposed building a 12 to 13-kilometre line along the Vélodyssée route with three stations and six on-demand stops: Pointe-Espagnole - Les Clônes - Négrevaux - Passe Blanche - La Bouverie - Phare de Coubre - Bonne Anse - La Palmyre. [8]

Stations of the forest tramway and steam tramway

From north to south, there were the following stations with a water supply, double-track stops and single-track stops on demand (as well as other landmarks listed in brackets): [2]

Stations of the forest tramway (Tram forestier) steam tramway (Le tramway Decauville) [1]
PhotoStationComment More
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Stations of the forest tram line
Tramway de Royan 369 - Tramway forestier - Une automotrice et sa remorque au terminus de Ronce-les-Bains.webp Ronce-les-BainsRonce-les-Bains was the northern terminus of the forest railway. From there it was possible to take a boat to the Île d'Oléron. [9] [10] More
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Tramway de Royan 372 - Detailed map of the 'Tramway forestier'.jpg To La TrembladeThe Tramway forestier (normally spelt with a capital 'T' and a small 'f') was extended to the road from Ronce-les-Bains to Tremblade by 1913 at the latest. From 1923, it led to the southern outskirts of Ronce-les-Bains. The Organisation Todt extended the line with a military light railway on the road to La Tremblade during the World War II. [11] [Note 3] [12]
Tramway de Royan 071.jpg Le Galon d'OrThe forest tramway station Galon d'Or was located on the beach at a long, wooden jetty from which boats could be loaded with wood that was felled in the forest of La Coubre and transported to the jetty by forest railway. [9] More
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s
Tramway de Royan 361 - Foret de la Coubre - Arret du Tram a la Pointe Espagnole.jpg La Pointe EspagnoleApproximately 1.2 km (0.75 mi) north of the forestry house Maison Forestière des Clones, a branch line merged the main line from the east. It served the forest area la Pointe Espagnole not far from the beach. [Note 4] [13] [14] More
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Tramway de Royan 306.jpg La BouverieFor the construction of the forest railway and the reforestation of "La Coubre", 48 oxen were used, which were housed in the "Bouverie" (oxen stable), whose name is still preserved today in the "Maison Forestière de la Bouverie" and the "Tranchée de la Bouverie". The Bouverie buildings were owned by the water and forestry authorities. [15] [9] More
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Tramway de Royan 305.jpg La CoubreThe reforestation of La Coubre began in 1867. The sand was first to be fixed by marram grass and then pines were to be planted where the sand layer was very thick, and aspens, alders or poplars in the old marshes that had just silted up. Initially, the work was carried out on private or communal initiative and only subsidised by the state. However, as the reforestation did not progress quickly, the Water and Forestry Administration took over the project in 1862 and laid a metre-gauge forest railway to carry out the work. [9] More
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Tramway de Royan 375 - Environs de la Tremblade (Charente-Inferieure) - Foret de la Coubre - Le Clapet.jpg (Le Clapet)At the beginning of the 19th century, the Bréjat marsh (marais de Bréjat) was converted into pastureland. A drainage canal was dug, equipped with a sluice gate (Le Clapet) to prevent salt water from entering at high tide, and the beach was named "Plage du Clapet". From 1824, the dunes were planted with maritime pines. The marsh of Bréjat was eventually flooded by the sea and a sandbank formed at the Pointe de la Coubre, creating the bay of Bonne Anse, which closed, silted up and silted up by the currents. [16] More
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Tramway de Royan 353 - Charente-Inferieure - Environs de Royan - Foret de la Coubre et le Phare de Bonne Anse (avec Tramway forestier metrique).jpg (Phare de Bonne Anse)The forest restaurants at the lighthouse of La Coubre, also known as the Phare de Bonne Anse, and on the beach of Mathes to the south were popular excursion destinations in the post-war period, which could be reached by forest railway at moderate prices. [10] More
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Tramway de Royan 352 - Environs de Royan - Charente-Inferieure - Tramway forestier de la Coubre - Une Gare en Foret (La station du Tramway forestier, voie metrique, a la Palmyre).jpg La PalmyreThe forestry house Maison Forestière La Palmyre was located in the area of today's seaside resort of La Palmyre near Les Mathes, not far from the main entrance to today's Zoo de la Palmyre. More
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Tramway de Royan 068.jpg La CombeThe metre-gauge forest railway originally started at the La Combe à Massé quarry in 1868. Initially used mainly by workers and employees for silvicultural work, the forest railway was also used by summer visitors after reforestation was completed. In the newspaper Le Gaulois of 21 July 1884 and 11 August 1884, an advertisement appeared for "visits by forest railway to La Palmyre, La Coubre, the Pavillon Bonne-Anse, the Pointe Espagnole, the Galon d'Or, the forest and dolmens of Combots, the forest of Arvert, etc." [4] [17]
Tramway de Royan 355 - Charente-Inferieure - Environs de Royan - La Grande-Cote - Le Depart du Tram forestier.jpg Terminus de Tram ForestierSouthern terminus of the forest railway. Passengers could change to the steam tramway here. There were no direct trains (without changing at La Grande Côte) from La Coubre or Ronce-les-Bains to Royan. Although the lines were connected by a switch that was normally padlocked, the tracks were several dozen metres apart. [18] The petrol railcars were too weak on the mountainous routes of the steam tramway and the steam locomotives could not be used in the forest areas due to the risk of forest fires. More
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Stations of the steam tram line
Tramway de Royan 174.jpg La Grande-CôteNorthern terminus of the steam tramway. Here, passengers could change to the petrol railcars of the Waldbahn. [19] More
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Environs de Royan - Les Puits de l'Auture et vue de la Grande-Cote.jpg Les Puits de l'AutureClose to the Terre Nègre lighthouse, there was a stop at the Puits de l'Auture, a landmark in the landscape. It was a natural bridge over a washout in the cliffs where the waves broke. More
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ConciéA single-track railway stop above the deeply incised bay of Le Concié.
Tramway de Royan 320.jpg PuyraveauTo the east of Terre Nègre stood the villa Tutta-Mia directly beside the track of the steam tramway. More
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Tramway de Royan 135.jpg Saint-Palais The most important station Le Bureau with diverter track, water tower, siding and pastry shop on the beach of Bureau (Plage du Bureau). The name comes from two offices that were set up there to combat smuggling: an agricultural office (Bureau des Fermes) was set up there in 1729, which was replaced by the customs office (Bureau des Douanes) in 1840. [20] More
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St-Palais-Plage Leon Trotsky lived during his exile in the villa Les Embruns (the sea spray), a solitary house in the middle of a large garden overlooking a cliff and close to the beach, whose name, where the sea was churning, was well justified. When he first arrived there on 25 July 1933, a fire caused by sparks from a steam locomotive had set fire to the nearby bushes, delaying his arrival and worrying those who came. [21]
Tré la Chasse
Tramway de Royan 209.jpg Vaux-NauzanThe 250 metre long Promenade Forestière de Trez-la-Chasse is one of the few places that have remained as they were at the time of the tramway. Between Nauzan (also Nausan or Nauzant) near Vaux-sur-Mer and Pontaillac, the line was laid on its own track. The gradient was 40 ‰ over a length of around 250 metres. More
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Les FéesDie Halte stelle wurde auch Deffé genannt
Les Ajoncs
Malakoff
Tramway de Royan 338.png PontaillacPontaillac was the northern terminus of the steam tramway from 1890 to 1897. The station had three tracks, which were accessible via a three-way railroad switch. A wagon with coke sacks could be parked on a siding. [22] More
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Tramway de Royan 029.jpg La Falaise
Le Pigeonnier
Tramway de Royan 098.jpg Le ChayAt Chay station there was a double-track passing loop but probably no shelter for passengers. The railway ran through an extensive residential area. More
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Charente-Inferieure - Royan - Quartier du Chay - Le Fort (les annees 1890).jpg Le Fort
Le tournoi de Royan sur la plage de Pontaillac a maree basse en 1908. (Archives D. Lawton).jpg Les TennisThe request stop was close to the courts of the Royan Garden Tennis club. The Royan Tournament, however, took place in 1908 on Pontaillac beach at low tide, very close to the steam tramway that can be seen in the background at the top left corner of the picture.
Foncillon
Tramway de Royan 012.jpg Le PortThe jetty built in 1898 gave passengers travelling by steamship to or from Bordeaux the opportunity to transfer to the steam tramway at the "Port" station on Boulevard Thiers. [23] More
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Tramway de Royan 367 - Cafe des Bains.jpg (Le Café des Bains)The Café des Bains was located at the upper end of La Rampe Lessore. Pablo Picasso captured it in a colourful painting, albeit without the steam tram. [24] [25]
Tramway de Royan 037.jpg (La Rampe Lessore)At the upper end was the Café des Bains, from where the ramp led down to Boulevard Lessore. Many publications mention a maximum gradient of 40 ‰. More
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Streckenverlaufsplan Tramway de Royan, Innenstadt.png Croix-BlancheCroix-Blanche (White Cross) was a stop at the points of a turning loop in the city centre. From the turning loop there were branches to the Dépôt and to the station forecourt of the standard-gauge state railway.
Tramway de Royan 363 - Royan (Cote d'Argent, Charente-Inferieure) - Le depot en ruines apres les bombardements de 1945.jpg DépôtInitially, the address was given as "Depot de la Rue de l'Ecluse", although on the 1888 plan it is about 50 metres away (today Rue Colonel Desplats), as Rue des Combes de Mons did not yet exist at the time the specifications were drawn up in 1894.
Tramway de Royan 281.png Boulevard BottonThe boulevard is named after Augustin Botton (* 1818 in Marennes, † 30 April 1882 in Royan), a civil engineer from the road and bridge construction department who was the first to propose a beautification plan for the coastal town after the casino was built in 1847. He was responsible for the structural improvement of the town and harbour of Royan, the construction of the Pontaillac lighthouse and the planting of the dry sand dunes in Pontaillac and Le Parc. He presented his urban development plan on 21 August 1847, describing a new town with a garden, which later became the Cours Botton. [26]
La gare de Royan.jpg Gare de RoyanThe standard-gauge railway to Saintes began at Royan station.
Tramway de Royan 314.png Casino Municipal [Note 1] At the station in front of the Casino Municipal on the Place des Acacias, there was a water tower where the steam locomotives could collect water and one and a siding for the SGTR's only covered goods wagon, in which coke was transported from the gas works to the Place des Acacias to heat the locomotives. The locomotives required around 10 kg of coke and 50 litres of water per kilometre. [27] [1] [28] More
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INCONNU 1 - ROYAN - A vol d'oiseau.jpg Rue de l'Etat
LL 92 - ROYAN - Le Grand Hotel, Boulevard Saint-Georges.jpg Le Grand HôtelThe double-track Grand Hôtel stop was opposite the hotel of the same name on Boulevard Saint-Georges. The similarly named Grand-Hotel de Paris was also on the tram line, but did not have a stop named after it. [29] More
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Stations on the south-western steam tram line
Tramway de Royan 030.jpg Le ParadouThe station Paradou was named after the villa of the publisher of Emile Zola, whose garden gate can be seen on the right of the photo. When the new line was built in 1890, the line that had previously run in a curve to St. Georges de Didonne (Ville) was extended in a straight line to St. Georges de Didonne (Port) at the harbour near Le Paradou. More
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Tramway de Royan 095.jpg Parc FaçadeThe station Parc Façade had a wooden shelter Boulevard de Saint-Georges (now Boulevard Frédéric Garnier)
Tramway de Royan 265.png VallièresNear the holiday resort Oceanic Parc, which was occupied by German forces in 1941 and subsequently blown up.
Tramway de Royan 220.jpg Plume la PouleAt the Plume la Poule stop in the vineyards of La Crête de Vallières, the line had to overcome a height difference of 18 metres.
St-Georges-de-Didonne - Cote d'Argent - Le Port - Arrivee du Tramway de Royan - BR - 2914.jpg Saint-Georges (Port)The line to Saint-George (Port) was only put into operation in 1906 as a branch from the south-eastern steam tramway line, which had been in operation since 1890/1891. More
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Stations on the south-eastern steam tram line
Charente-Inferieure - 60 - Royan, Decauville sortant du Parc (cliche MTIL).jpg Switch at branch from Le­Paradou to Le­Parc.The road to St Georges de Didonne (Ville) turns off the coastal road into the park at "Le Paradu" with a small radius.
Tramway de Royan 026.jpg Le Parc, später Parc-OasisIn the first half of the 19th century, the town council decided to fortify an area of dunes that had previously not been used for agriculture or forestry by planting trees in a park-like manner. With the growth of the population and the development of seaside tourism, the forests were gradually parcelled out from 1885 onwards. The Le Parc stop was renamed Parc-Oasis when the new railway line to Saint-Georges (Port) was opened. More
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Le petit pont de la Tramway de Royan situe entre Royan (Paradou) et St Georges de Didonne-ville.jpg (Riveau de Belmont)A small bridge over the Belmont drainage canal (French: Le Riveau, Riveau de Boube, Riveau de Vallières or encore Canal de Boube-Belmont).
Parc de Sports
Le Coca
Tramway de Royan 166.jpg Saint-Georges (Ville)The line to Saint-George (Ville or Bourg) was put into operation in 1890/1891. More
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List of Locomotives

Steam and internal combustion locomotives [30]
PhotoNo
Quantity
Name Type Manufacturer
Seller
Works NoBuilt inCommis­sio­ned at RoyanPrevious ownnerDecom­mis­io­ned at RoyanSubsequent owner
Un Decauville hegemonique.jpg Ma CamaradeB n2t Couillet 90318871890 Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle, 1889 De Malzine, Carrieres de Rogeries, Nord (new name: Marc Seguin)
Decauville 56
Tramway de Royan 365 - Locomotive de 020-020T type Mallet, employee lors l'exploitation initiale par Decauville en 1890-1891 (Collection Richard Verger etHenri Domengie, Les Petits Trains de Jadis, Ouest page 284).jpg Ville de LaonB’B n4vt
Mallet
Tubize 71318881890Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle, 18891896Via the Decauville sales representative Ayulo & Cie to the sugar plantation Pardo in Peru (new name: Diego Ferre)
Decauville591889
Decauville locomotive 020+020 T nommee 'Kairouan', datees de 1890, seule annee de sa circulation, en provenance direct, avec ses voitures, de l'exposition universelle de 1889 tenue a Paris.jpg KairouanB’B n4vt
Mallet
Tubize73618891890Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle, 18891892 Chemins de fer du Calvados (Nr. 6, new name: Varaville), later: Dussus Dompmartin in Nauroy-le-Bavard(?), [31] later: Turat, Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret
Decauville72
Tramway de Royan 049.jpg AustralieB’B n4vt
Mallet
Tubize75118891890Possibly Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle, 1889um 1892 Chemins de fer du Calvados (Nr. 1, new name: Cabourg), since 1906: Cie Algerienne de Phosphates
Decauville74
Villa Cordonair, Station du Tram, Pontaillac - La Falaise - A Mallet locomotive supplied by Tubize-Decauville to the Tramway of Royan, 1892 (cropped and retouched).jpg MadagascarB’B n4vt
Mallet
Tubize75218891890Possibly Decauville railway at Exposition Universelle, 18891892 Chemins de fer du Calvados (Nr. 2, new name: Sallenelles), later: Bourillon & Pelleron
Decauville75
Tramways de Royan Decauville locomotive No.1 has been adorned with a face to promote the film 'Train de Plaisir' released in 1936.jpg 1RoyanB’1 n2t Weidknecht 18911891approx 1948Scrapped
Decauville137
021T Decauville Ndeg 138 of 1891 as Ndeg 2 'LE CHAY' of Tramway de Royan.jpg 2Le ChaiB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville138
A completed 600mm gauge locomotive at the Decauville works, Corbeil-Essonnes.jpg 3St GeorgesB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville139
Locomotive 'Pontaillac'des tramways de Royan.jpg 4PontaillacB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville140
Decauville Ndeg 141 of 1891 as No. 5 'ST. PALAIS' of Tramway de Royan at the Depot in Royan.jpg 5St PalaisB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville141
Tramway de Royan, 1909 Le Decauville bd Garnier par Galup, Amelie.png 6FoncillonB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville142
Tramway de Royan 147 b.jpg 7VallieresB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville143
Une locomotive Weidknecht de type 'La France' produite en parallele a la fois par Weidknecht et Decauville.jpg 8Le ParcB’1 n2tWeidknecht18911891um 1948Scrapped
Decauville144
Tramway de Royan 097 (cropped).jpg 9MarieC’1 n2tDecauville23518961896approx. 1948Scrapped
Decauville locomotive Type Ndeg 10 de 10 Tonnes a vide (13,5 Tonnes en march) - Catalogue 1897-1900 (cropped).jpg 10FernandeC’1 n2tDecauville23418961896um 1948Sold to the Société des Mines de Bormettes in Var departement. Scrapped
Decauville Ndeg 267 of 1998 as No deg 11 'ELENA' at Tramway de Royan.jpg 11ElenaC’1 n2tDecauville26718981898um 1948Scrapped
Tramway de Royan 337.png 10IILa CoubreB’1 n2tWeidknecht18951907um 1948Scrapped
Decauville locomotive with side skirts at Royan (cropped).jpg 12
(ex 1)
Alsacienne [5] (ex Paramé)B’1 n2tDecauville2151896um 1925Tramway from Paramé to Rothéneuf um 1948Scrapped
Tramway de Royan 348.png 13
(ex 2)
Italienne [5] (ex Rothéneuf)B’1 n2tDecauville2161896um 1925Tramway from Paramé to Rothéneufum 1948Scrapped
Tramway de Royan 374 - Charente-Inferieure - Foret de la Coubre - Une panne du Tram forestier.jpg 2 Pieces Metre gauge rail car, 8 hp, 24 km/h (15 mph), 24 seated and 6 standing passengersBDecauville1923 re-gauged to 600 mm gauge
Tramway de Royan 378 - Automotrice Campagne reconnaissable a sa longueur plus genereuse pouvant transporter 24 voyageurs y compris le conducteur.jpg 6 Pieces600 mm railcar, 40 hp at 1000 rpm, four-speed transmission with reversing gear, 24 leather seats [Note 5] [5] B Campagne um 19231952-1954
Tramway de Royan 349.png B Billard 1939–1945 Organisation Todt um 1948
1 Piece600 mm Benzene locomotive [32] B O&K 1939–1945 Organisation Todt
OME117 FB Deutz 3623019. Juni 19411945Organisation TodtChemin de fer Touristique de la Forêt de Mervent-Vouvant, Hotel de Pierre Brune, Mervent, Vendée. [33]
2 Pieces600 mm Benzene locomotive [32] B Deutz 1940 1939–1945 Organisation Todt
1 PieceDraisine with Gasoline motor [32] BJapy 1939–1945 Organisation Todt

Literature

Notes

  1. 1 2 From 1890 to 1894: Champ de Foire, since 1894: Royan-Casino, since 1928: Casino Municipal
  2. The first batch of Campagne railcars had 24 seats, while the second batch only had 20 seats, albeit with upholstered seats. The sidecars were classic Decauville steam tramcars (Baladeuse, type "KE") with 56 seats (including 48 seats), in their original condition with minor adaptations. There were also short sidecars that the SGTR workshops had built themselves on the chassis of an old closed Decavuville carriage (type "IS"). The railcar pulling the inaugural train of the 600 mm forest railway had been re-gauged from metre gauge to 600 mm gauge in order to operate the re-gauged forest railway lines as an extension of the steam tramways.
  3. The forest tramway and its planned extension to La Tremblade on an Sea Chart of 1896 Admiralty Chart No 2648 France west coast sheet 3 Pointe de la Coubre to Les Sables d'Olonne, Published 1859 (cropped).jpg
    The forest tramway and its planned extension to La Tremblade on an Sea Chart of 1896
    Surprisingly, a British Admiralty Chart of July 1896 shows already a branch line to La Tremblade and beyond.
  4. The Maison Forestière de la Pointe Espagnole was, according to contradictory information, probably either identical with the Maison Forestière Roître des Bassets or with the Maison Forestière les Roseaux. In total, there were the following twelve forester's lodges to the right and left of the forest railway from north to south: 1. La Palmyre, 2. Bonne-Anse, 3. Le Requin (demolished), 4. La Grande Courbe (washed away by the sea), 5. La Bouverie, 6. Le Pavillon, 7. Les Brisquettes 8. Roître des Bassets (washed away by the sea), 9. La Passe Blanche, 10. Nègrevaux, 11. Les Clones, 12. Les Roseaux (demolished).
  5. All Campagne railcars had two driver's cabs, a petrol engine, a transmission with reversing gear, a cone coupling and a chain drive that acted on both axles. A vacuum pump supplied the brakes for the sidecars. The weight was 5 tonnes when empty and 6.5 tonnes in operation and they could pull two tramcars of the Royan tramway (Decauville, type KE with 56 seats). Due to their low power, they could not be used on the Royan tramway, but were taken to the depot for repairs and maintenance during the off-season.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Inventaire des Réseaux Spéciaux et Particuliers: Le tramway du Parc et Le tramway Decauville. 5 March 2017, especially pages 22, 28 and 30.
  2. 1 2 France, Charente, Secondary Railways (based on Chemins de Fer Regionaux et Urbains, CFRU). 3/1999.
  3. 1 2 Erick Mouton: Le tramway de Royan.
  4. 1 2 Les premières années du tramway forestier.. La Côte de Beauté, April/May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Marc-Andre Dubout: Decauville, et le chemin de fer de Royan.
  6. Jean Claude Lehoux: La baladeuse du milieu…
  7. Pascal Foucaud: Et si l'on (re)construisait un tram au milieu de la forêt de la Coubre, en Charente-Maritime? 16. Februar 2020.
  8. Stéphane Durand: Forêt de la Coubre : vers un retour du Tram forestier? 15. Februar 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Les tramways de Royan. 20. November 2015.
  10. 1 2 Tramway de Royan - Excursions en Foret de la Coubre, Saison Balneaire 1923.
  11. Tramway forestier (Detaillierte Handskizze). In: Le Tramway de Royan, S. 15.
  12. Admiralty Chart No 2648 France west coast sheet 3 Pointe de la Coubre to Les Sables d'Olonne. 1859–1896.
  13. Les maisons forestières de la Forêt de la Coubre (1869).
  14. Au nord de La Bouverie le tramway passait près de trois autres maisons de l'Administration des Eaux et Forêts: la Maison Forestière de la Passe Blanche, la Maison Forestière de Négrevaux, et la Maison Forestière des Clones…
  15. La bouverie (de bœuf) - Bâtiment destiné au logement des bœufs.
  16. Royan Atlantique: Les Mathes La Palmyre. Présentation des commune Les Mathes, La Palmyre, Communauté d'Agglomération Royan Atlantique.]
  17. Nombreuses et Pittoresques Excursions, Le Gaulois, littéraire et politique, Paris, 21. Juli 1884, S. 4.
  18. Timetable for the 1935 summer season.
  19. Streckenverlaufsplan: Tramway forestier, La Grande-Côte, Puits de l'Auture, Concie, Puyraveau, St Palais, La Chasse und Vaux-Nauzan.
  20. Histoire de Saint-Palais.
  21. Pierre Broué: Léon Trotsky
  22. Route map: Les Fées, Les Ajoncs, Dépôt Voie, Pontaillac, La Falaise, Le Pigenonnier, Le Chay, Le Fort, Les Tennis and Foncillon.
  23. Decauville, et le chemin de fer de Royan, 3/6
  24. Les Tramways de Royan.
  25. Streckenverlaufstplan: Foncillon, Le Port, Bd Lessore, Croix Blanche, Dépôt und Casino Municipal.
  26. Guy Binot: Augustin Botton. National Archive, Reference No F14.2177/1.
  27. Eric Mouton: Decauville Royan 2020 : 130 déja YouTube-Video, 24. Mai 2016.
  28. Route map: Casino Municipal, Grand Hôtel, Le Paradou, Parc Façade, Vallieres und St Georges Port and Le Paradou, Parc Oasis, Rav de Belmont, Parc des Sports, Le Coca und St Georges de Didone
  29. For comparison: Grand-Hotel de Paris in Royan.
  30. Dampflokomotiven der Straßenbahn Royan.
  31. Eric Fresné: Les Mallet Decauville.
  32. 1 2 3 P.A. Gala (Le P'tit Train de St-Trojan): Le Tramway forestier.
  33. Museal erhaltene Deutz-KHD-Lokomotiven.

45°39′05″N1°07′22″W / 45.65151°N 1.12264°W / 45.65151; -1.12264 (La Grande Côte)