Guignicourt–Rethel railway

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.

Guignicourt–Rethel
Guignicourt-sur-Aisne

Rethel
Technical
Line length35 km (22 mi)
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in)
Route map

km
0
Guignicourt[1]
Menneville
Neufchâtel-sur-Aisne
Évergnicourt
Avaux-le-Château
from Reims
Vieux-lès-Asfeld
Asfeld
Blanzy/Aire/Balham
Château-Porcien
Nanteuil-sur-Aisne
Acy-Romance
from Reims
Rethel
35

History

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The GuignicourtNeufchâtel 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.[1]

Rail track

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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.[4]

Rolling stock

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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[4]

Train stations

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References

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