Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme


The Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme, is a preserved railway in northern France. The railway is managed by a non-profit organization, which runs from March to December between the towns of the Baie de Somme area: Le Crotoy and Cayeux-sur-Mer via Noyelles-sur-Mer and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, on metre gauge tracks. The association was founded in 1970 and over the years it has become a major player in tourism development in the Picardy coast and is also responsible for the preservation, safeguarding and enhancement of the fleet full of cars, wagons, steam locomotives and diesel locomotives. The line is one of the closest French heritage lines to the UK, Noyelles is from Boulogne-sur-Mer and from Calais. A part of the line has dual gauge track, and although forming part of a group of five lines, at least a part of it has always been open to traffic.

Origins and route

The standard gauge line to Saint-Valery

A branch to Saint-Valery had been proposed as early as 1845. In 1853 the Chemin de Fer du Nord was granted permission to build a single track branch from Noyelles to Saint-Valery. This long line crossed the River Dien by means of a long wooden trestle bridge. The original passenger station at Saint-Valery stood at the site later occupied by Saint-Valery Canal station. The line opened to traffic on 5 June 1858. It was 1885 before the CF du Nord was able to get permission to use steam locomotives at Saint-Valery's docks, horse power having to be used before them.

The metre gauge lines

In the 1880s, there were various schemes to build narrow gauge lines of either or metre gauge in the Somme département. Eventually, a metre gauge line nearly long was built by the Société générale des chemins de fer économiques from Noyelles to Le Crotoy, opening on 1 July 1887. A second metre gauge line opened on 6 September 1887 from Noyelles to Cayeux, from Noyelles, with stations at Saint-Valery Ville and Lanchères-Pendé. The line between Noyelles and Saint-Valery being laid between the rails of the standard gauge branch, which was also extended into Saint-Valery Ville. The line between Noyelles and Saint-Valery kept its Intérêt Général status, and the other lines had Intérêt Local status, with separate tickets being issued for each part of the route.
The railway carried holiday-makers to seaside resorts, and transporting local freight of galets, sugar beet, chicory and shellfish. Running around the entire length of the Somme Bay in the Somme département, in Picardy, northern France, it connected Le Crotoy with Noyelles-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and Cayeux-sur-Mer, including the sands at Brighton-Plage. Other minor stations or halts were provided near assorted villages, hamlets and farms. In its literature, the operating Association claims that past passengers have included Colette, Jules Verne, Anatole France, and Toulouse-Lautrec.

The ''Réseau des Bains de Mer''

These lines, with two others were grouped together as the Réseau des Bains de Mer. The other two lines were one from Noyelles to Forest-l'Abbaye and one from Abbeville to Dompierre-sur-Authie, which had a junction with the line from Noyelles at Forest-l'Abbaye. The Réseau des Bains de Mer was a part of the :fr:Chemins de fer départementaux de la Somme|Chemins de fer départementaux de la Somme.

Wars

The CFBS line was affected by three wars; The Franco-Prussian War, the First World War and the Second World War.

Franco-Prussian War

France declared war on Prussia on 19 July 1870. Saint-Valery was a strategic port, and thus its capture was an objective of the Prussians. In October 1870 the French requisitioned Jules Verne's boat Saint-Michel I for the defence of the Baie de Somme. The boat was crewed by Crimean War veterans. In December 1870 horses and equipment were requisitioned for use by the French cavalry. A consignment of six hundred saddles left Saint-Valery by train for Noyelles on the 30 December. The Prussians occupied Saint-Valery from February 1871 until September 1873.

First World War

The CFBS line was particularly involved towards the end of the First World War, starting with Operation Michael on 21 March 1918. It was realised that the German advance threatened the Allies' ability to use railways in the area, and that there was a lack of line capacity in certain places. Therefore, a double track standard gauge line was constructed, linking the main line from Calais with the Abancourt-St. Omer line. The engineer, Raoul Dautry, claimed he could build the line in 100 days. Work began on 15 May 1918 and the line opened to traffic on 15 August 1918, just 106 days later. Thus, the line was known as "La Ligne de Cent Jours" or The Line of One Hundred Days. The line was last used on 1 January 1919 and the track lifted in March and April of that year, thus ending the short life of the line.

Second World War

Baie de Somme area

On 21 May 1940, German troops invaded the Baie de Somme area. Noyelles was the scene of Allied air strikes on various occasions. In September and October 1942, coastal defences were constructed in the Baie de Somme area. In February 1944, the Germans flooded the low-lying land near Noyelles by blocking the River Dien where the railway to Saint-Valery crossed it by a long embankment. In April and May 1944, preparations were made to prevent the Allies from using the area to invade France.

CFBS line

On 24 October 1941, a train was attacked at Noyelles and the locomotive was destroyed. In November 1941, one of the metre-gauge trains was attacked between Noyelles and Saint-Valery, with several railway workers wounded. Cayeux saw much increased traffic in galets, temporary -gauge lines being laid on the beach and down the streets of the village. A metre-gauge line was laid along the road from Lanchères to Ault, on the standard gauge line from Woincourt to :fr:Onival|Onival, with a branch line at Hautebut to a quarry near the coast. The Germans brought in a number of locomotives to work these lines, and after the war, nine of them were dumped just outside Saint-Valery, where three still remain.
On 2 December 1942 the water tower at Saint-Valery was destroyed. On 4 May 1944, the depot at Saint-Valery along with two rail cars and a locomotive, were destroyed by fire. In June, the Saint-Valery area was bombed as a diversion from the D-Day landings. On 19 August, the Resistance blew up the water tower at Noyelles, followed by an ammunition train on 1 September. English and Polish troops relieved Saint-Valery on 2 September, and proceeded to bombard the Germans across the bay at Le Crotoy.

Freight

The main types of freight carried by the railway were:

Chicory

A chicory processing works was built at Saint-Valery Canal. A siding was laid in 1929 to serve it. The derelict building was demolished in 1998.

Sugar beet

The main sugar beet season was from October to January, thus providing useful income out of the tourist season. A raperie was built at Lanchères. It had its own railway system and locomotives, which also worked on the CFBS line to Noyelles.

Galets

Before the railway came, the port of Saint-Valery handled galets brought on rafts from Cayeux. The galets were used in the building and ceramics industries.

Shellfish

Local shellfish taken from the Baie de Somme were sent to market at Abbeville. Shellfish not available locally were also brought in to Le Crotoy for use in a restaurant there.

Other goods

Saint-Valery handled timber, jute, textiles, soap, phosphates and coal. Phosphates were mined at Crécy-en-Ponthieu and transported via a metre gauge line from there to Noyelles, and thence to Saint-Valery. Freight between Noyelles and Saint-Valery was sometimes carried in standard gauge wagons, but hauled by the metre gauge locomotives. This practice continued until 1973.

Demise and re-birth

After the Second World War, a plan was put forward to extend the standard gauge to Le Crotoy and Cayeux, with a new line to :fr:Le Hourdel|Le Hourdel at a cost of some FRF150-200 million. In 1963 another proposal was made to extend the dual gauge track to Lanchères at a cost of some FRF93 million. Even as late as 1968 plans were being proposed to extend the standard gauge to Cayeux, this time with the closure of the branch to Le Crotoy.
The line from Saint-Valery Ville to Cayeux was relaid with rails recovered from the standard gauge Woincourt-Orival line, which closed to passengers in May 1939 and completely from 1 January 1947. In 1949 the CFBS acquired some second hand steam locomotives after the closure of the Réseau Albert. Three second-hand railcars were acquired in 1955 and a new railcar was acquired in 1957, along with two second hand diesel locomotives. A third diesel locomotive was acquired in 1960. In 1971 a pair of De Dion-Bouton type OC1 bogie railcars were acquired from the Réseau Breton, having been previously used on the Chemin de Fer des Côtes-du-Nord. X158 was subsequently transferred to the Chemins de Fer de la Corse, and is now preserved by the CdN Society at Langueux. A trailing railcar was also acquired from the RB in 1971, having previously been built as a powered railcar.
The CFBS steam locomotives were mainly confined to the sugar beet trains after the war. The very last CFBS steam train running on 5 April 1959. The steam locomotive from the raperie at Lanchères worked until 1965. The raperie itself closed in 1966, at the end of the '65-66 season.
Even as late as 1958, the CFBS lines were carrying some 50-55,000 tonnes of freight, including 35-40,000 tonnes of sugar beet and 10,000 tonnes of galets. In that year, a railcar caught fire at Cayeux, and the fire destroyed the loco shed, which was rebuilt. In 1961, the SE merged with the Compagnie Générale de Chemins de Fer et de Transports Automobiles. The CFTA had interests in road transport, and instigated a system of rationalisation and cuts. The company livery changed from green to red and cream. Both goods and passenger traffic declined during the middle '60s and the line from Noyelles to Le Crotoy closed with effect from 31 December 1969. CFTA worked the line to Cayeux for three more years, galets being carried by rail as late as 1970. The line from Saint-Valery to Cayeux closed with effect from 31 December 1972. The SNCF continued to use the standard gauge line between Noyelles and Saint-Valery for occasional freight trains. The SNCF line between Noyelles and Saint-Valery was last used on 6 February 1989 and closed with effect from 1 January 1993.
Local opposition to the closure of the line to Le Crotoy was strong, and a preservation group was formed on 13 November 1969, initially under the name of Association Ferroviaire Picardie, and from 14 March 1970 the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme. The initial aim of the society was to preserve the line from Noyelles to Le Crotoy as a tourist line. The first tourist trains ran on 4 July 1971, but although the railway had permission from SNCF to run into Noyelles, they were not allowed to drop or collect passengers there under an agreement with the local bus company. This arrangement lasting until 1986.
With the announcement that the Cayeux line was to close, the CFBS set up a new company, the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Touristiques et Industriels de Picardie, which was founded 17 April 1973. From 1973 to 1981 it was the CFTIP rather than the CFBS which was responsible for running the trains. The CFTIP was unsuccessful in its bid to take over the freight traffic from Noyelles to Saint-Valery from SNCF. In 1976, there was a split within the CFBS/CFTIP, a splinter group, the Chemin de Fer Touristique de la Côte d'Opale running trains between Saint-Valery Ville and Cayeux. The CFTO folded in December 1977 and the Cayeux line reverted to the CFTIP. By the late 1970s, the growth in the numbers of passengers meant that more coaches were needed, but those inherited from the SE/CFTA were in poor condition. Nine coaches were acquired from Switzerland between 1978 and 1984.
The CFBS again suffered a drop in passengers in the early '80s, but in 1982 the CFTIP was wound up, and the CFBS confirmed as its successor in an agreement with SNCF and the Somme Département.
At the end of the operation of the public service by the CFTA, an association of volunteers passionate about railways, the nonprofit Association of Railway Bay of Somme, established on March 13, 1970 decides to operate as a tourist railway line Sea Baths group linking Noyelles-sur-Mer in Crotoy, closed since December 31, 1969. The operation of the line is then only during the summer. Winter is conducive to maintenance of the line and equipment.
Thanks to the financial support of different institutions enabled the CFBS to perform maintenance of the tracks, stations and equipment. All this caused a continuous increase in the number of visitors in the mid- 1990s, which increased from 20 000 to 100 000 per year. In 2011, the association exceeded the symbolic threshold of 150,000 passengers and there were more than 162 000 passengers carried in 2013.
Although the whole line is preserved, the section from Saint-Valery to Cayeux is operated only on certain days between April and September, including all save 4 days in July and August. Five of the minor stations or halts are still in use, in addition to the stations in the above named towns.

The staff

The SFBC is an association made up of over 400 members, including at least 80 active volunteers, and employs the equivalent of 22 full-time employees. The CFBS self-finances its operating costs and participates in investments

Railway installations

The CFBS operates its network with meter-gauge track, but dual-gauge track remains between the station Noyelles and Saint-Valery Port. Transhipment facilities for cargo still exist in Noyelles that are used in every Steam Festival.
The various lines are single track, with passing loops in the station, allowing trains to cross.
Except Noyelles station, equipped with a mechanical signaling system of the old SNCF type, there is little signalling on the line, and traffic safety is ensured by instructions. A Line Manager ensures the operational use of the network and can communicate by "ground-to-train" radio with all trains. Automatic level crossings are installed at intersections with major roads and unguarded crossings to other crossings.
The workshop equipment is installed in Saint-Valery Canal Station. Turntables exist at Noyelles, Saint-Valery Ville and Port, Le Crotoy and at Cayeux. However, the locomotives can travel in both directions of traffic without being rotated. E.332 is the only CFBS locomotive which cannot be turned on any of the turntable except Saint-Valery Port.
There is still a track connection with the SNCF which is commonly used during the Steam Festival.

Gauge

The line from Noyelles sur Mer to Le Crotoy is metre gauge.
The line from Noyelles sur Mer to Saint-Valery Ville is of dual gauge, with metre gauge tracks laid within standard gauge track, thus having four rails. At Saint-Valery there is a branch to the Saint-Valery docks which is dual gauge, but having three rails only. The line from Saint-Valery Ville to Cayeux is metre gauge.

The Festival of Steam

The Festival of steam was organized for the first time in 1988 on the occasion of the centenary of the Network de Bains de Mer. The CFBS organized a steam engine rally in Noyelles-sur-Mer, the point of correspondence between the Network Bains de Mer and that of the SNCF. It quickly became a major event, and the CFBS reorganizes it every three years, with many steam engines from all over the Europe. It has become a major event for lovers of railways but also for the people of the Somme bay and tourists. The railway is of course put forward, but also the tractors, buses, rolls, saws... and many other machines from the past are exhibited.
The last event took place on 27 and 28 April 2013. The association has set up a website dedicated to the event, which recounts the various steam events. For the 2013 event, many materials have come from other networks including seven steam locomotives, several carriages and a Sprague-Thomson of Paris metro owned by ADEMAS. This event welcomed nearly 21,000 visitors including 7,250 travelers.

Stations

From Le Crotoy to Cayeux the stations are:

Le Crotoy


This station is on the metre gauge branch from Noyelles, opened on 1 July 1887. There is a shed where the steam engines can be stored and light maintenance can be carried out.

Favières


A small halt serving the village of Favières.

Morlay


A small halt serving the village.

Noyelles-sur-Mer


A station was opened at Noyelles in 1847, being on the standard gauge line between Boulogne and Amiens. In 1858 a single track branch opened to Saint-Valery sur Somme. Metre gauge branches opened to Le Crotoy and Cayeux in 1887, the latter being laid between the rails of the standard gauge branch to Saint-Valery. The final line to be built to Noyelles was a metre gauge branch to Forest l'Abbaye which opened on 24 August 1892 and closed to passengers on 10 March 1947 and freight on 1 February 1951.

Saint-Valery Canal


This was the site of the original terminus of the standard gauge branch from Noyelles, opened on 5 June 1858. It is now the site of their depot, although some of the original buildings still survive.

Saint-Valery Port


This was the main station for Saint-Valery when the dual gauge line was opened in 1887, the station at Saint-Valery Ville then being a halt.

Saint-Valery Ville

This station opened on 6 September 1887. The station has always been dual gauge.

Pendé Routhiauville


A small halt serving the villages of Pendé and Routhiauville.

Lanchères Pendé


This station is on the metre gauge branch from Noyelles to Cayeux, it opened on 6 September 1887 and serves the villages of Lanchères and Pendé.

Hurt


This halt was opened in 1890 after local people called for a station to be built.

Cayeux (Brighton Plage)

This station is the terminus of the metre gauge branch from Noyelles. It opened on 6 September 1887. In 1912, a extension was built to serve a or gauge railway worked by horses to bring galets for onward shipment. Another short extension was also built at Cayeux after WWII to serve the Sansom factory; this was in use until the 1960s.

Rolling stock

The "Association du Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme" has restored a number of locomotives, railbuses, carriages and wagons to full use, others await overhaul or restoration. All vehicles are metre gauge unless otherwise denoted.

Steam locomotives

None of the original steam locomotives that worked on the Réseau des Bains de Mer have survived into preservation. The locomotive that most represents those that did work the line is the Haine-St.-Pierre loco, which carries works number 1316/1921. A group of eleven similar locos, works numbers 1304-14 inclusive were built in 1921 for the SE, and four of those are known to have worked on the Réseau des Bains de Mer system, including the CFBS lines.

Carriages

Carriages

The CFBS is twinned with the Kent and East Sussex Railway, a preserved standard gauge railway in England. The twinning agreement was signed on 27 April 1996 at Noyelles. The K&ESR's P Class locomotive was present. The railway is also twinned with the Association des chemins de fer des Côtes-du-Nord on the northwest coast.