The Chemins de fer du Morbihan (CM) was a
metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
railway in
Morbihan
Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastli ...
, France, with some track in
Loire-Inférieure
Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population of ...
. The first lines opened in 1902 and the system had a total extent of .
History
The CM was a ''Voie Ferrées d'Interêt Local'' system. In 1892, the ''Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Morbihan'' was given permission to build a network of metre gauge lines in Morbihan.
The first lines opened in 1902, with further lines opening in 1903, 1905, 1906, 1910 and 1921. The first closures were in 1935. Although railcars had been introduced in the 1930s, all rail passenger traffic ceased in 1939, along with another series of line closures. The passenger service was provided by buses from then on.
[ Most of the surviving lines closed in 1947 and the final closures were in 1948.
]
Lines
The main line was Gourin - Lorient - Meslan - Lochminé - Vannes - La Roche-Bernard.
Branches were from Meslan - Pontivy - Ploermel. Surzur - Port Navalo, Baud - Port Louis, La Roche-Bernard - Herbignac - Piriac-sur-Mer - Guérande, Herbignac - Saint-Nazaire, Pontivy - Moulin Gilet, Pontivy - Guémené-sur-Scorff.
Rolling stock
Steam locomotives
* 14 Pingueley 0-6-0T
* 101 Pingueley 0-6-0T works number 165/1905. To Forges de Gueugnon
Gueugnon () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
Population
Economy
The primary industry in the town is a stainless-steel factory run by Aperam. A huge part of Gueugnon ...
after closure. Preserved on the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme.Corpet-Louvet
Corpet-Louvet was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Paris, France.
History
Founded in 1855 as Anjubault, based in the Avenue Phillippe-Auguste in Paris, the firm was taken over by Lucien Corpet in 1868. Corpet's daughter Marguerite married ...
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrangemen ...
T locomotives delivered in 1922. Works numbers 1605-07.
Railcars
* One petrol railcar is preserved at the Musée des Tramways à Vapeur et des chemins de fer Secondaire français (MTVS).
Passenger stock
* B153, a bogie carriage, is preserved at the MTVS.[
]
Freight stock
The line today
The station building at Préfailles survives, recently restored.
References
External links
Rail Bretagne
A site for all railways in Brittany, forums have photos of old postcards of the line.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chemins De Fer Du Morbihan
Buildings and structures in Morbihan
Buildings and structures in Ille-et-Vilaine
Metre gauge railways in France
Transport in Brittany