[ RURAL RAILWAYS IN FRANCE ][ CHEMINS DE FER RURAUX DE FRANCE ]

[ Digoin - Toulon-s-Arroux - Etang, Toulon-s-Arroux - Bourbon-Lancy ]

[ narrow gauge lines in the Saône-et-Loire, closed in 1953 and 1939, respectively]

( Photos by Patrick Bennett, 1/2005 )

Welcome to a page about a small network of secondary railways in the department of Saône-et-Loire.  The first line was opened in 1893, principally to provide rail access to the Forges at Gueugnon.  The metre gauge line followed the valley of the Arroux, for 53km between the PLM stations at Digoin and at Etang.  The main depot was at Toulon-sur-Arroux, 30km from Digoin. There were three bridges over the river and the line was often constructed along the road side.

Traffic was strong on the new line and in 1900 a 45km long branch line was opened from Toulon-s-Arroux to Bourbon-Lancy, to the west.  This second line was much less successful, as it served no industrial centres and stations were sited far from the rural localities they were supposed to serve.

This little network was operated by the powerful Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Départementaux (CFD)

The population affectionately called it the "tacot", slow and noisy.

Many traces remain of this little secondary railway network, long closed, in particular most of the stations have survived and are occupied as private homes.

Here, we see, in January 2005, one of the two original engine sheds at the main depot at Toulon-sur-Arroux.  The network was worked initially with eight 2-6-0T tank engines built by Société Alsacienne de Construction Mécaniques.

These are the original stations and halts along the line from Digoin to Etang:

Km  0Digoin PLM

Km  3Neuzy (halt)

Km  8Rigny-Clessy

Km 12     Chazey (halt)

Km 17     Gueugnon ( connection to industrial network of the Forges )

Km 19     Vendenesse-sur-Arroux

Km 23     Uxeau

Km 30     Toulon-sur-Arroux ( depot, branch to Bourbon-Lancy )

Km 36La Boulaye

Km 42Charbonnat

Km 45St-Nizier-Dettey

Km 49La Tagnière

Km 53Etang PLM

These are the original stations and halts along the line from Toulon-sur-Arroux to Bourbon-Lancy:

Km  0Bourbon-Lancy-le Fourneau PLM

Km  3Bourbon-Lancy Ville

Km  9Diotin (halt)

Km 12Maltat

Km 16Cressy-sur-Somme

Km 21Grury

Km 24Montperroux (halt)

Km 29Issy-l'Eveque ( largest village)

Km 34Corcelles (halt)

Km 38Lacour (halt)

Km 40Montmort

Km 45Toulon-sur-Arroux

The former station building at Toulon-sur-Arroux, now converted to appartments.

The invaluable source of information for this page is provided by the 1985 book;

Les petits trains de jadis - Sud-Est de la France by Henri Domengie, published by Les Editions du Cabri.

In this book we can discover various timetables of this network, for example, the timetable of summer 1914 just before the Great War.

It is interesting to discover the connections provided at Toulon-s-Arroux between the services to and from Digoin and Etang and the services to and from Bourbon-Lancy

The first train in the morning left Bourbon-Lancy-le Fourneau PLM at 06.29, crossed the 05.29 from Toulon at Cressy-sur-Somme and reached Toulon at 08.26 ( an average speed of 22kph or 14mph with 10 stops).  A quick connection was provided to the trains waiting; the 06.05 from Digoin which had reached Toulon at 07.22 departed at 08.32 for Etang PLM which it reached at 09.25; the 07.20 from Etang had reached Toulon at 08.12 and departed at 08.28 for Digoin, reached at 09.34.

So Toulon station must have been an active scene between 08.15 and 08.30 with the three passenger trains together briefly and passengers scurrying to change trains.  The return service to Bourbon-Lancy departed at 08.42 so good connections were thus provided also from Etang and Digoin for the branch line.  This train reached Bourbon-Lancy Ville at 11.10 and returned at 11.55 reaching Toulon at 14.26.( only 18kph, probably a mixed train with shunting at Issy )

Meanwhile the locomotive that had taken the 05.29 from Toulon spent the day shuttling between the PLM station at Le Fourneau, and the town station of Bourbon-Lancy.  This part of the line was in fact dual gauge, the metre gauge inside the standard gauge.

Then the locomotive returned to Toulon with the 19.02 passenger service from Bourbon-Lancy, crossing the 18.50 from Toulon which arrived at Le Fourneau at 20.58.  Its locomotive slept in the shed there so as to operate the first morning train.

Here is the former engine shed at Bourbon-Lancy-le-Forneau PLM where the "tacot" locomotive stayed overnight.

And here is the former PLM station at Bourbon-Lancy-le-Forneau on the standard gauge line from Gilly-sur-Loire to Cercy-la-Tour.

Between Etang and Digoin there were three trains a day in the summer of 1914 each taking between two and two and a half hours for the 53 km( 33 miles). Two other trains in each direction terminated at Toulon-s-Arroux.

Trains had 1st, 2nd and 3rd class carriages.   Passenger trains on the branch to Bourbon-Lancy were suspended from 1932 except on market days and replaced by autocars.  The branch line was completely closed in 1939, except for the short 3 km section between Le Fourneau and Bourbon-Lancy Ville which survived a little longer.

As for the busiest line between Etang and Digoin, this remained open until the end of 1953.  In the final years, three comfortable Billard A 80 D diesel railcars with matching trailors were acquired.  There were five daily return services on weekdays in 1949.  The best journey time was one hour forty minutes ( an average 32 kph ).

Many stations on the line have been preserved by conversion to private residences, like this one.

One of the bridges over the Arroux,

Pont de Gourmandoux.

The tacot was constructed alongside the D994 and a large border remains.

Not much remains at Digoin except for this building, now Bourse de Travail.

But this was a big station in the past with another narrow gauge network to the south.

During the final three years of its existence CFD, operators of the Digoin - Etang service, used the Billard A80D railcar of the type seen above on the Vivarais.  The Billard railcar offered exceptional comfort with 32 seats and excellent suspension.  But it was not enough to save the line.

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Bibliography: Les petits trains de jadis - Sud-Est de la France by Henri Domengie published in 1985 by Les Editions du Cabri

The invaluable source of information for this page is provided by the 1985 book;

Les petits trains de jadis - Sud-Est de la France by Henri Domengie, published by Les Editions du Cabri.

In this book we can discover various timetables of this network, for example, the timetable of summer 1914 just before the Great War.

It is interesting to discover the connections provided at Toulon-s-Arroux between the services to and from Digoin and Etang and the services to and from Bourbon-Lancy

The invaluable source of information for this page was provided by the 1985 book;

Les petits trains de jadis - Sud-Est de la France by Henri Domengie, published by Les Editions du Cabri.

In this book we can discover various timetables of this network, for example, the timetable of summer 1914 just before the Great War.

It is interesting to discover the connections provided at Toulon-s-Arroux between the services to and from Digoin and Etang and the services to and from Bourbon-Lancy

| all rights reserved | text J.G.Skinner | photos P.Bennett | 2005

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