Brittany: A new Narrow Gauge 60cm line !!

A track laying operation will be organized on Saturday, December 28th at 9.0 AM. We will lay a few lengths of track at the end of the second point/switch.
The aim is to have the connection between the 3 tracks of the station (when they will be laid) and move rolling stock from one place to an other.
It will also align track for laying in direction of Gouarec.
On Dec 27th, Christian will be at Bon repos at 11.00 AM to place the new fish plates.
Joel le Guen is not involved as much these days, now Christian Labettoule is back in France and thus more actively involved. Numbers swelled? not really its just that most of those involved were there that day.... Like Ken, I have not been down as often due to working on our house.

 

Been a while since I posted anything - not been able to get on site....but there is activity with the acquisition of several metre gauge points...joined up to the track which has the Swiss Coach and RB Van - see photo

The 'quays' have been dug out, graded and leveled - all the spoil from the N164 was dumped on site when the railway was closed and the Route National improved. It is possible to see some of the edge stones still in place.



The driver for the project has issued the following statement:

A few words to give you some news about me as I will leave the "Navy" on DEC, 31st, 2014. I will physically out of my office by the beginning of July as I have many days of vacation before! I took this decision as I had a good proposal for leaving (full pension 9 years before the day I would have it) and because I knew that now was the right time to be full to be involved in the CBR project and that I must not wait for the next 10 years to "jump".

2015 will probably be the first year of running on a stretch of the line as many people will be around as the lake of Guerledan will be emptied. The last time, in 1985, 3 millions of visitors came and see the lake. The General Council (of Cote d'Armor) is organizing parking places all over the lake and Bon Repos will be part of this scheme so a lot of people will be next to the station.

To succeed in that opening, I am working on a agreement for building and running the BR railways with Mr Bertarnd Lacarrière, the former technical director of the reborn Vivarais railway. He is the man that bring back to life the Vivarais railways between 2009 and 2013 and provided us the 100 meters of tracks we laid in Bon Repos by the summer of 2012.

When the trains will run (and even before), running will be based on the UK organization (a non profit society closed to the commercial company) and things will not change for volunteers (except that they will have now a better view on future!)

 

Thanks for the update. Although I was over last week, with a tree (and another hefty branch) down in the Winter storms, I was somewhat busy. However, it's all fuel for the wood burner.

Nevertheless, I did get to see the Gouarec end and there appears to be a couple of rolling stock acquisitions.

As for the draining of the Lac, I've seen photographs taken when such was done previously. They used to be on the wall in the Sports bar in Laniscat.

A local 'girl' at the time, whom we bumped into last year, and is now probably in her forties (just) previously commented that, having seen from the 1985 draining, how deep the water was (would be), "would never swim there again".

Perhaps something may have been lost in translation but, I am intrigued by,

Would I be correct in assuming that the intention of the structure (of the organization) to 'mirror' the UK model of Heritage railways rather than the enterprise being UK Registered so as to, for example, benefit for Taxation reasons? Which, knowing France, would invariably be a 'non-starter'.

 

Hi Ken,

We lost a beautiful sweet Chestnut tree - pity, it was just old enough to start producing decent sized nuts.... ah well, as you say, more fuel for the woodburner!

It will not be a UK Registered Company - Just using the UK Heritage railway Model... A holding company with a Volunteer Organisation. The holding company is the existing Society, and that has the property tied to the Society, not an individual....

Yes there is more 60cm gauge stock at Gouarec.... Also the Society now 'owns' the whole of the large shed at the back of the site, and will set up a workshop with fabrication, machining and carpentry areas...

 

More track laying this last weekend.... Gouarec here we come...... (well in a year or two!)



This is the view looking West- away from the Halte de Bon Repos - the RB Van (previous photo) is behind the camera

 

Two questions if I may.....

1) Has the ACBR now given up on opening a 60cm gauge railway, or perhaps a siding or two?

2) How much is annual membership of the Association for UK residents, and are regular Newsletters sent to members?

Chris

 

1/ Well, at present the Metre gauge work is given priority... 60cm track exists in panels salvaged from Ireland - and there is some 60cm stock.....
2/ Currently there is no Membership charges, and hence no formal newsletters - just the emails on irregular basis.

I havn't been down to Bon Repos for over a year as I have had an exterior project that demands all my time = Renovation of my house!

arry

 

Many thanks for that. Please continue to keep these pages updated.

Chris

 

[
I've just moved to Brittany and so am very interested in volunteering. I have belong to several UK preserved railways and have been an active member on most. Most recently being part of the track team at Bodmin & Wenford. I also have many years experience driving and firing and maintaining traction engines and steam rollers. I would be willing to assist in any work now that I'm in France and reasonably fit. Please let me know if I could be of assistance. Is there any progress?

 

Back to the future....after 60cm gauge, then metre gauge, the Bon Repos site has gone back to 60cm with an extremely enthusiastic motivation and a opening date of May 1st this year, this obviously depending on the inspection visit and it's outcome !....nonetheless there are now five 60cm loco's on site and around 400 metres of track has been laid...major changes have occured at the highest level and there's been an obvious improvement on the numbers of volunteers, all are welcome, the more the better.....

 

You've been too close to Americans with all this talk of meter gauge!

 

....Baldwin ..;

 

Which is better than Moelwyn!

 

Hi,

How can one volunteer please? Retired in Brittany and wanting to help!

 

PM sent ....

 

Opening day at Bon Repos

 

Congratulations.

I'm amazed to see how far you have progressed. We should be over next month and will definitely visit again.

We also want to view le Lac now that it has been drained. I think the local Tourism Board are expecting 2 million visitors to the area over the coming months. I've already seen some photographs taken since the water level has been reduced and I can remember the photographs of when it was last emptied in....1985? which were on the wall of the Bar in Laniscat.

Is there adequate parking or would it be best to use the large layby on the other side of the former N164?

 

We usually park in the Abbey car park and walk.......

 

Any progress on this line please? Hoping to visit it in August.

Thanks!