CorbignySaulieu

In the second half of the 19th century, the standard gauge lines built for the PLM company extended across the department of the Nievre from Clamecy to Nevers, from Clamecy to Cercy-la-Tour and from Nevers towards Montchanin and Autun. In the departments of the Yonne and the Côte d'Or, the line from Auxerre to Cravant-Bazarnes continued up the valley of the Cure to Avallon, and from this town a line circled the Morvan hills via Saulieu to Autun.

To satisfy the transport needs of the rural population of the Morvan at a time when motor cars and trucks hardly existed, the powerful Société générale des chemins de fer Economiques ("SE") completed an extensive narrow gauge network of more than 200km ( 125 miles).

The main route on the SE network was the metre gauge line from Nevers to Corbigny and on to Saulieu, connecting at all three points with the PLM standard gauge lines.

Corbigny ex-PLM station. This is the facade facing the station square. A few metres away and opposite, the SE narrow gauge station survives ( photo below). The line from Nevers crossed the PLM line north of the station. Here were the depot and workshops for the SE network. Opened in 1903, the SE railway was closed in March 1939.

The SE narrow gauge station at Corbigny, closed 1939, appears still structurally sound with a renovated roof, but is otherwise abandonned. This photo was taken in July 2003.

Unfortunately, the gable wall has been tagged since then.

From Corbigny, the line crossed the Morvan hills, through the forests and around the lakes serving many small communities for a total distance of 76km ( 47 miles). In 1914 the journey by steam train took 3 1/2 to 4 hours, an average of about 18km an hour ( 12 miles per hour). In 1937, the new diesel railcars took about

2 hours and 1/2, an average of about 30 kph or 19 mph. By that time road transport was much faster and more flexible. The time of the tacot was over. ( "Le tacot" was the affectionate name given to the little steam train which rattled and rolled along its circuitous route through the forest.)

The tacot served the following villages: Corbigny, Cervon, Lormes, Brassy-Gargogne, Razou, Ouroux, Montsauche, Les Settons, Moux, Alligny-en-Morvan, Saulieu.

Here are some of the stations which have survived as private homes or farm buildings:

In 1914 there were three trains a day in each direction. Each train was mixed and would shunt goods wagons as required along the way which partly explains the time spent on the journey.

The SE network acquired ten Corpet Louvet 2-6-0T locomotives, and seven 0-6-0T like the one above, which in fact belonged to the Côtes du Nord network in Britanny. The Morvan line used 30 passenger carriages on bogies with open platforms at each end, similar to the last one on the train above. The Morvan network had more than 300 goods wagons of various types. In 1936, near the end of operations, the railway acquired four De Dion Bouton autorails ( capacity 40 passengers).

Here is what remains of Saulieu narrow gauge station in 2004 - it was closed in 1939. The SE line from Corbigny over the Morvan hills crossed the Avallon - Autun line to the north of the PLM station at Saulieu and then curved around to join the narrow gauge line from Semur. The narrow gauge station at Saulieu was shared with the Réseau du Sud de la France( later Chemins de fer Departementaux de la Côte d'Or) which operated the line from Beaune to Saulieu and to Semur. But this line had little success and was closed in 1932.

The Avallon - Autun line can be seen in the foreground.

The rear of the building is in better shape, converted to a DIY store.( photo below)

On market days at Saulieu, in 1937, the train service on the SE network consisted of -

- an autorail departing from Corbigny at 08.00am reaching Saulieu at 10.23

- a mixed train departing from Corbigny at 14.50 reaching Saulieu at 18.35

in the opposite direction -

- a mixed train departing Saulieu at 06.50 reaching Corbigny at 10.36

- an autorail departing Saulieu at 14.25 reaching Corbigny at 16.48

an additional train from Corbigny and one from Saulieu served the stations to Ouroux in the early evening