Societe Anonyme Des Chemins de fer
d’Interet Local de Vallee de la Yeres

A history

 

Touffreville-sur-Eu Sept-Meules Fallencourt St Riquier

 

For ease of research the layouts are set within easy drive of Calais hence the Societe Anonyme Des Chemins de fer d’Interet Local de Vallee De La Yeres (VdlY) [Yeres Valley Light Railway].
The VdlY was built to develop the valley and ran from an interchange with a meter gauge line, closed in 1938, at Foucarmont to Criel Plarge on the English Channel. The VdlY's main interchange is at La Maladrerie were it meets the SNCF. The transport planning law of 1938 and subsequent nastiness had a major impact on the railway. However, by the early 1950’s, the railway has recovered and to meet the post war boom in traffic help had to be obtained from SNCF. In 1968, the passenger and general freight services ended and the railway closed in 1973. he layout is set in the prosperous 1950’s to mid 1960’s when the line was served by a frequent train service.
In practise, the Valley has developed without the help of a railway. The Coastal railway from Dieppe to Le Treport existed, losing its passenger service in 1938 and closed to freight in 1973. The route is now partly used as a footpath.

Secondaire railways are very roughly the French equivalent of light railways. They were developed to stimulate the rural economy particularly farming and graded general, local and tram. Funding came from central government, departments and communes (parish). Their history is both interesting and contradictory! They grew twelve fold between 1870 and 1912. At the end of 1912 an additional two and a half thousand kilometres were under construction or authorized but most of these were prevented from coming to fruition by the First World War. The War had a major impact on existing lines with war damage, deferred maintenance, mobilization of staff and the removal equipment, in certain cases entire railways. After the War secondaire continued to expand reaching their peek mileage in about 1925 with the last secondaire opening in 1928. Improving road transport meant the next decade was one of rapid decline. In 1938 the transport Co-ordination law caused many secondaire to closed or lose their passenger service. The Second World bought the same problems as the First but to already run down railways. Services on the lines that survived the 1938 law were as far as possible intensified and some freight only lines reintroduced passenger services. At the end of the War many lines were in a rundown state and closed. By 1947 mileage was down to a third of it peek and by 1962 it was the similar to 1870.

Back to layouts page