The Tramway de Pithiviers à Toury (, TPT) was a gauge railway in the

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

department of France. It was built to carry sugar beet and was long.

History

Pithiviers Pithiviers () is a commune in the Loiret department, north central France. It is one of the subprefectures of Loiret. It is twinned with Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, England and Burglengenfeld in Bavaria, Germany. Its attractions in ...

and

Toury Toury () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Toury station has rail connections to Orléans, Étampes and Paris. Population History On 31 October 1908 Louis Blériot succeeded in making a cross-country flight, ma ...

are apart, and

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

is a major agricultural product in the area. The

Chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans Chemin or Le Chemin may refer to: Arts and media * ''Le Chemin'' (Emmanuel Moire album), 2013 album by French singer Emmanuel Moire * ''Le Chemin'' (Kyo album), 2003 album by French band Kyo ** "Le Chemin" (song), title song from same-titled Kyo a ...

passed through Toury. In 1892, the Société Decauville took a 15-year concession to build and operate a light railway linking Pithiviers and the surrounding villages to Toury. There were sugar refineries at Pithiviers and Toury, and the line connected these. The route of the railway generally followed local roads. The line opened on 25 July 1892. The failure of the Société Decauville in 1898 meant that the operation of the TPT was taken over by the department on 1 January 1899 and later by the ''Ponts et Chaussees'' on 29 March 1901. Traffic grew steadily until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coa ...

was introduced in 1922, and another followed in 1926, followed by two more acquired second-hand from the

Chemins de fer du Calvados The Chemins de Fer du Calvados () was a narrow gauge railway in the département of Calvados. History The railway was originally planned as a line. The département had actually accepted a tender for the construction of such a line but with ...

in 1937. After the war, traffic declined due to better roads in the area and increase in private vehicle ownership. The passenger service was withdrawn in 1951 but freight ran until 31 December 1964, with a final enthusiasts special running on 22 May 1965. However, this was not to be the end of the TPT.

Preservation

The ''Association du Musée des Transports de Pithiviers'' (AMTP) was formed to preserve at least part of the line. It was agreed that Pithiviers would be suitable as there was a depot and workshops there. The of roadside line to Ormes was saved, with an extension of to Bellébat being built to take the terminus away from the busy road. The preserved line reopened on 23 April 1966.

Rolling stock

The TPT operated the following rolling stock.

Steam locomotives

The TPT had a unique numbering system for its locomotives. The first figure denoted the number of driven axles, and the second figure denoted the individual locomotive number within that classification. Blaenau Mountaineer

*2-1

Decauville Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow-gauge track fastened to st ...

0-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. While the first locomotives ...

T (189/94 ), "Ormes" *2-2

T (184/93 ), "Outarville" *3-1 Decauville

0-6-0 is the Whyte notation designation for steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. Historically, this was the most common wheel arrangement used o ...

T (393/03), "Torville" *3-2 Decauville 0-6-0T (476/08), "Izy" *3-3 Decauville 0-6-0T (592/10), "Brandelon" *3-4 Decauville 0-6-0T built 1901. "Decauville" *3-5 Blanc-Misseron 0-6-0T built 1902. *3-6 Hunslet

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abs ...

T (1274/1917), ex War Department (WD) No.362 acquired in 1927, numbered 3-6 in 1930. Renumbered 3-11 in 1934. *3-6 (2)

Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876, in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. Ori ...

, 0-6-0T,(8083/15), preserved on the Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre railway. *3-10 Hunslet 4-6-0T works number 1238/1916, ex War Department WD no 328 and ''Société de Pithiviers le Vieil''. To TPT in 1933 and then ''

Râperie A râperie is a small factory depending on a central sugar factory. In a râperie sugar beet are grated and the juice is extracted before it is transported to a central sugar factory. By 2023 the Râperie de Longchamps, Éghezée, Longchamps connec ...

Lécluse Lécluse () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography The river Sensée flows through Lécluse. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department R ...

'' in 1947 and Société Anonyme des Chemins de Fer à Voie de 60 du Pas de Calais,

Vis-en-Artois Vis-en-Artois (, literally ''Vis in Artois'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a li ...

in 1945, scrapped 1958. *3-11 Hunslet 4-6-0T,WD 362, ex no. 3-6 renumbered. Scrapped at Pithiviers in 1957. *3-20 ALCO

2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie. Overview The maj ...

T,(57148/16), WD 1257 preserved on the Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre railway. *3-21 ALCO 2-6-2T, (57092/16), WD 1201 *3-22 ALCO 2-6-2T, (57131/16), WD 1240 preserved by AMTP. *3-23 ALCO 2-6-2T, (57156/16), WD 1265. Preserved on the

Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway () is a heritage railway based on Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia#Snowdonia National Park, Snowdonia National Park. The ...

as ''Mountaineer''. *4-1

0-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. Locomotives of this type are also referre ...

Humboldt, DFB 883 *4-2 0-8-0 Schwarkopf, DFB 1986 *4-3 0-8-0 Henschel, DFB 1746 *4-4 0-8-0 Krauss, DFB 2031 *4-5 0-8-0 Henschel, DFB 1531 *4-10 Franco-Belge (2839/44)

, converted to 0-8-0T by TPT. *4-11 Franco-Belge (2838/44) 0-8-0, converted to 0-8-0T by TPT. *4-12 Franco-Belge (2843/44) 0-8-0, converted to 0-8-0T by TPT. Preserved by AMTP *4-13 Franco-Belge (2844/44) 0-8-0, converted to 0-8-0T by TPT. Preserved by Arvo *4-14 Franco-Belge (2836/44) 0-8-0, ex Sucrerie Ternynck, Coucy-le-Château, spares source. Now preserved on the

Froissy Dompierre Light Railway The Froissy Dompierre Light Railway (, CFCD) is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge light railway running from Froissy (La Neuville-lès-Bray), Froissy (a hamlet of La Neuville-lès-Bray) to Dompierre-Becquincourt, through Cappy, Somme, Cappy ...

. *4-15 Franco-Belge (2825/44) 0-8-0, ex Sucrerie Ternynck, Coucy-le-Château, spares source. *5-1 Borsig

0-10-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels on five axles and no trailing wheels. In the United Kingdom, this type is known ...

T. *5-2 Schwartzkopff 0-10-0T. *5-3 Orenstein & Koppel 0-10-0T works number 8285/1917, ex sucrerie Pithiviers le Vieil, preserved on the Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre railway.

Mallet

*22-1

0-4-4-0 In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotive wheel arrangement, an 0-4-4-0 is a locomotive with no leading wheels, two sets of four driving wheels, and no trailing wheels. The arrangement is chosen to give the articulation ...

Mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. General overview The term is descriptive of the ...

. *22-2

0-4-4-0T Mallet, works number 110/1891, ex

#7 ''Grandcamp'', acquired second-hand in 1929. *22-3 Decauville 0-4-4-0T Mallet. *22-4Decauville 0-4-4-0T Mallet. *22-5 Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-4-0T Mallet. Works number 1769/1905. To Chemin de Fer Touristique et du Montagne. Now preserved at Chemin de Fer Touristique du Haut Rhône, Montalieu, near

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. *22-6 Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-4-0T Mallet. *22-7 Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-4-0T Mallet. *33-1 Decauville

0-6-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a wheel arrangement refers to a locomotive with two engine units mounted under a rigid locomotive frame, with the front engine unit pivoting and each engine unit with six coup ...

TT (6009/1915) Mallet built 1916 and acquired in 1923.

Early locomotives

Other early locomotives include these Decauville designed 0-4-2Ts and 0-6-2Ts: *''Outarville'', 0-4-2T built by Weidknecht, works number 574/1892, later renamed ''Lutece''. *''Outarville(2)'', 0-4-2T built by Decauville 184/93 *''Bazoches'', 0-4-2T built by Decauville, works number 176/1893. *''Outarville'', 0-4-2T built by Decauville, works number 189/1893. *''Torville'', 0-6-2T built by Decauville, works number 393/1903. *''Izy'', 0-6-2T built by Decauville, works number 476/1907.

Railcars

The TPT had four railcars. * AT 1 Crochat petrol-electric railcar, built 1922. Preserved by AMTP * AT 2 Franco-Belge petrol-mechanical railcar, built 1927. * AT 3

bogie railcar built 1924, transferred from the

in 1944. In 1952 transferred to Cap Ferret (body rebuilt), then Chemin de fer touristique de Meyzieu (Rhône), actually on "Tramway touristique de Saint Trojan" (Ile d'Oléron). * AT 4 Decauville bogie railcar built 1924, transferred from the Chemins de fer du Calvados in 1944.

Passenger stock

Six Decauville type IS bogie coaches were supplied when the line opened. Five were rebuilt between 1931 and 1939 and carried numbers V1-V5. A sixth was built in 1942 to a similar design and numbered V6. This carriage is now preserved by AMTP. Three ''fourgons'' were also used.

Freight stock

The TPT had a large amount of freight stock, mostly open wagons but also some covered vans and cattle wagons. Decauville supplied the initial stock, but later the workshops at Pithiviers produced wagins for the system.

AMTP rolling stock

The AMTP operates, or has operated the following stock:-

narrow gauge

*3-5, 3-22 and 4-12 ex TPT, as above. *

''Type Progrès'' 0-6-0T, ex Toury sugar refinery. * Couillet 0-6-0T (1576/1910), ex

Maizy Maizy () is a commune in the Aisne department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 796 communes in the French department of Aisne. T ...

sugar refinery No. 1, later transferred to the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn, regauged to 50 cm. * Blanc Misseron 0-6-0T, 1902, ex Paramé-Rothéneuf * Schneider

0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...

T built 1870. * Decauville 0-4-0T built 1905. * Decauville 0-4-0T built 1919. * La Meuse

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. T ...

T built 1938, ex Maizy sugar refinery N°9. * Alco 2-6-2T, TPT 3-22 * Decauville ''Type Royan''

0-6-2 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 two trailing wheels on one axle. This type is sometimes known ...

T, built 1902. * Henschel

T built 1917. * Hartmann 0-8-0T built 1918. * Franco-Belge 0-8-0T TPT 4-12 * Crochat railcar ex TPT, as above.

Metre gauge

* Cail

T built 1895, ex Chemins de Fer des Charentes.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tramway de Pithiviers a Toury Heritage railways in France Loiret Railway companies of France 600 mm gauge railways in France Transport in Centre-Val de Loire Museums in Loiret Railway museums in France Tourist attractions in Centre-Val de Loire Tourist attractions in Loiret