Réseau Guerlédan was a short-lived railway in
Côtes-du-Nord (now Côtes-d'Armor) which operated from 1978 to 1979.
History
The Réseau Guerlédan was in length, laid to a gauge of . It ran along the abandoned
metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...
trackbed of the
Réseau Breton The term réseau derives from a French word meaning "network". It may mean:
*a network of fine lines on a glass plate, used in photographic telescopes to make a corresponding network on photographs of the stars: see Réseau plate
*a system of weat ...
(RB). Statutory powers to operate the line were inherited from the RB because lengths of rail had been left in place where there had formerly been level crossings. With the opening of the line, the Réseau Guerlédan became the smallest (in terms of track gauge) public railway in the world, taking the title from the
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR) is a gauge light railway in Kent, England, operating steam and internal combustion locomotives. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St. Mary's Bay, New Romney and Romn ...
.
A fleet of British-built
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
s, based on famous
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
designs were produced for use on the line, however only two steam locomotives saw service on the line.
Closure
The reason for the railway's closure was the occupation of the station at
Caurel by the local mayor who subsequently let the facility to a member of his family. This seriously compromised the railway operation and as a result, the railway was cut back to terminate from Caurel.
There is a myth that the railway was closed after a kidnap attempt on the owner's son and that the operating capital for the following season was employed in effecting his return. However, the son himself, Shôn Ellerton, has stated that he has no recollection of this.
Locomotives
Four steam locomotives were built in the UK for the railway, all of which survive on the
Fairbourne Railway
The Fairbourne Railway () is a gauge Ridable miniature railway, miniature railway running for from the village of Fairbourne on the Mid-Wales coast, alongside the beach to the end of a peninsula at Barmouth Ferry railway station, where there ...
. Only ''France'' and ''Jubilee'' were shipped to the Réseau Guerlédan - the remaining two were stored.
After closure, ''Jubilee'', ''France'', the Galloping Goose railcar and the rolling stock returned to the UK and were kept in storage until the Ellerton family purchased the Fairbourne Railway in North Wales in 1984. The stock has been in service there ever since.
''Jubilee'' was renamed ''Yeo''
and ''France'' was renamed ''Sherpa''. ''Odd Job'' was left in France.
Other locomotives
These locomotives were built for the line, however were never shipped to France.
Rolling stock
The Réseau Guerlédan operated a number of carriages. As of 2011, three of these were located on the
Evesham Vale Light Railway
The Valley Railway Adventure (formerly the Evesham Vale Light Railway) is a Minimum-gauge railway, gauge railway that operates in Evesham Country Park in Worcestershire, England.
Route
The railway operates over a total distance of just over , ...
in
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
, United Kingdom.
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reseau Guerledan
12¼ in gauge railways in France
Fairbourne Railway