The Museum

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Our  museum was created as a private initiative. It gives you the opportunity to learn about the former local train of the „Département du Doubs“ in the first half of the 20th century.

Pictures, documents and objects have been brought together here to retain the memory of one of the numerous secondary and local railways that used to run in France. They were built in the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th to connect peripheral areas with the main rail network. Here in the Doubs, local train lines reached the whole length of nearly 300 km. To reduce construction costs (allow e.g. sharper bends), a gauge of 1 meter was chosen instead of the normal gauge of 1,43 m. Steam engines and wagons were much smaller too. Because of these details, their low speed and the maintenance that was sometimes neglected, the nickname of „Tacot“ has been given to these local trains, a term that means bad and slow vehicle. Nevertheless, they contributed to take rural areas out of their isolation and greatly intensify trading, like exports of wood and agriculture products. Regarding passenger service, motor railcars were developed after World War I and replaced steam trains in the 30s. You can see the scale model of the famous railcar called „L‘Oiseau bleu“ (the blue bird), which reached a 100 km/h speed on tests, probably a world record then on metric-gauge tracks.

Local trains still did essential services during World War II, but after that they were again confronted with competition from motor road traffic. In spite of modernisation attempts with diesel engines, the authorities of the Département refused a larger investment project and wouldn‘t pay anymore for deficits. It was decided to close all lines between 1951-53. Nearly the whole rolling stock was scrapped. Only one wagon was saved and stands beside the museum.

After your visit we invite you for a tour on our „low speed train“ hauled by a railcar of the 30s, which runs round the museum over a distance of 500 m.

We wish you a very pleasant visit

                                                 C.Lornet.

Manifestations:

The first Sunday of August,

Accompanied walk and Commented by

Claude Lornet And Bernard Simon

On the path of Tacot

Path following the former plan of the way of Fertans to Cléron on 6 Km.

Easy drive of duration about of two hours.

You can admire all along the route very beautiful panoramas

On the valley of Loue it. Both viaducts and path of the Tacot keep

The memory of this small train in the landscape.