Tarn Light Railway
Encyclopedia
The Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn (CFTT), or Tarn Light Railway, is a narrow-gauge light railway near the village of Saint-Lieux-lès-Lavaur
, in the vicinity of Saint-Sulpice
in the department of Tarn, France
. It is run as a heritage railway
by a French association, the ACOVA (Association pour la Conservation Occitane de Véhicules Anciens ) incorporated in 1975 and based in Toulouse
. It operates on a gauge and the line was reconstructed from 1974 over a length of 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) on the platform of the former line from La Ramière to Saint-Sulpice
which operated only from 11 April 1925, to 20 June 1931.
The line starts from the Saint Lieux-lès-Lavaur terminus at the former station ex-TVT and follows the streets of Saint-Lieux till a 132 metres (433.1 ft) long viaduct over the river Agout
. Then it runs in the Tarn countryside and woods before arriving at the present terminus at les Martels.
The ACOVA owns five steam locomotive
s, among which three are operating and four are considered as Monument historique
. One of them is coming from New Caledonia and was originally in the 500mm gauge (DECAUVILLE 020T) and the others have been adapted from 600 mm gauge hardware.
The Tarn Railway is operating from April to the end of October, on Sundays and holidays, and every day of the week in August. The trains perform a one hour travel between the Saint-Lieux station and the Les Martels terminus.
It is planned to extend the line to reach the hamlet and chapel of Saint-Cyriaque.
As of 2008, the current ridership is 24,000 per year.
Saint-Lieux-lès-Lavaur
Saint-Lieux-lès-Lavaur is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
, in the vicinity of Saint-Sulpice
Saint-Sulpice, Tarn
Saint-Sulpice is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
in the department of Tarn, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is run as a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
by a French association, the ACOVA (Association pour la Conservation Occitane de Véhicules Anciens ) incorporated in 1975 and based in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. It operates on a gauge and the line was reconstructed from 1974 over a length of 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) on the platform of the former line from La Ramière to Saint-Sulpice
Saint-Sulpice, Tarn
Saint-Sulpice is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
which operated only from 11 April 1925, to 20 June 1931.
The line starts from the Saint Lieux-lès-Lavaur terminus at the former station ex-TVT and follows the streets of Saint-Lieux till a 132 metres (433.1 ft) long viaduct over the river Agout
Agout
The Agout is a 195 km long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Tarn River. Its source is in the southern Massif Central, in the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc...
. Then it runs in the Tarn countryside and woods before arriving at the present terminus at les Martels.
The ACOVA owns five steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, among which three are operating and four are considered as Monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
. One of them is coming from New Caledonia and was originally in the 500mm gauge (DECAUVILLE 020T) and the others have been adapted from 600 mm gauge hardware.
The Tarn Railway is operating from April to the end of October, on Sundays and holidays, and every day of the week in August. The trains perform a one hour travel between the Saint-Lieux station and the Les Martels terminus.
It is planned to extend the line to reach the hamlet and chapel of Saint-Cyriaque.
As of 2008, the current ridership is 24,000 per year.
Steam engines in working order
| CFTT Registration | Engine | Builder | Year | Serial number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 030T COUILLET | Couillet | 1910 | 1576 |
| 3 | 020T DECAUVILLE | Decauville Decauville The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville , a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported... |
1947 | 1132 |
| 4 | 020T DECAUVILLE | Decauville Decauville The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville , a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported... |
1929 | 1111 |