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Guignicourt–Rethel railway

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Railway line in France
Guignicourt–Rethel
Guignicourt-sur-Aisne

Rethel
Technical
Line length35 km (22 mi)
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Route map

Legend
km
Reims–Laon railway from Laon
0 Guignicourt
to Soissons
Reims–Laon railway to Reims
Menneville
Neufchâtel-sur-Aisne
Évergnicourt
Avaux-le-Château
from Reims
Vieux-lès-Asfeld
Asfeld
CA-line to Montcornet
Blanzy/Aire/Balham
Château-Porcien
Nanteuil-sur-Aisne
Acy-Romance
Canal des Ardennes
Aisne
from Reims
Rethel
35 tp Charleville-Mézières

The Guignicourt–Rethel railway was a 35 kilometres (22 miles) long narrow gauge and metre gauge railway in the north of France, commissioned in 1904/05. Three sections were closed in 1940, 1947 and 1961, while the remainder was re-gauged in 1971 and operated as a standard gauge railway until 1987.

History

The Guignicourt–Neufchâtel section of the secondary railway line of the Chemins de fer de la banlieue de Reims with a track gauge of 1000 mm was opened in 1904 and extended to Rethel in 1905.

The Évergnicourt-Vieux-lès-Asfeld section was closed in 1940, the Vieux-lès-Asfeld-Asfeld section in 1947 and the Asfeld-Rethel section finally in 1961. Only the remaining Guignicourt-Evergnicourt section was converted to standard gauge in 1917 and operated until 1987.

Rail track

Vignol rails with a weight per metre of 25 kg/m on wooden sleepers were used for the superstructure of the Rethel-Asfeld line, while Vignol rails with a weight per metre of 22 kg/m on wooden sleepers were used for the neighbouring Asfeld-Dizy metre-gauge line of the Chemins de fer départementaux des Ardennes, which opened in 1909.

Rolling stock

In 1958, the following rolling stock was used on the line by the sugar factory at Acy-Romance:

  • Six Corpet-Louvet 1'C 19.5 tonne steam locomotives from the CA (Nos. 61, 71, 77, 79, 81).
  • Two Corpet-Louvet steam locomotives C with 18 t from the CBR
  • One Corpet-Louvet steam locomotive 1'C with 19.5 t from the CBR
  • Two three-axle diesel locomotives with 180 hp Willème engines and Minerva six-speed transmission 0-3-0 with 16 t (no. 651 and 652) and one 0-3-0 with 18 t (no. 301), all formerly Compagnie Générale des Voies Ferrées d'Intérêt Local (VFIL) in Pas-de-Calais
  • A light HAWA railcar (Hannoversche Waggonfabrik in Hannover) of the CA.
  • Approximately 150 open freight wagons and about 30 closed wagons with an empty weight of 5 to 6 t for 10 t to 15 t load capacity

Some German bogie wagons with an empty weight of 12 t and a carrying capacity of 20 t

Train stations

  • Neufchatel-sur-Aisne Neufchatel-sur-Aisne
  • Évergnicourt Évergnicourt
  • Asfeld-la-Ville Asfeld-la-Ville

References

  1. ^ Jean Randé and Francois Librini: Archéologie ferroviaire – Atlas des lignes de chemins de fer disparues: Guignicourt–Rethel. Version 2.
  2. Jean Randé and Francois Librini: Archéologie ferroviaire – Atlas des lignes de chemins de fer disparues: Soissons–Guignicourt & Cuiry–Pontavert, Version 2.
  3. Jean Randé and Francois Librini: Archéologie ferroviaire – Atlas des lignes de chemins de fer disparues: Asfeld–Montcornet. Version 2.
  4. ^ Hubert Mozaive: Les Chemins de fer départementaux des Ardennes. Loco-Revue, Nr. 174, Mai 1958. S. 139.

49°26′09″N 3°58′00″E / 49.435833°N 3.966667°E / 49.435833; 3.966667 (Guignicourt train station)

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