The Réseau de la Woëvre was a 149 km (93 mi) long metre-gauge rail network that operated from 1914 to 1938 in France. A 66 km (41 mi) branch line to Commercy branched off from the 61 km Verdun-Montmédy main line at Vaux-devant-Damloup.[14]

Réseau de la Woëvre
SE N°3807 (Decauville N° 668/1913) after World War I
Technical
Line length149 km (93 mi)
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in)
Route map


Former route superimposed onto a modern map[1][2][3][4]
Metre gauge railway (lines),[5] narrow gauge railways
(broken lines)[6] and trench railways (dotted lines)[7]

Montmédy-Échange[8]
D 981 (ex N 381)
D 643 (ex N 47)
Montmédy-Ville
Han-lès-Juvigny
Juvigny
Louppy-Remoiville
(Connection to trench railway)[6]
Siding Jametz[6]
Bréhéville
Marcq/Saint-Juvin – Baroncourt
Lissey-Écurey
(Connection to trench railway)[6]
Damvillers
Moirey-Flabas
Azannes
Ornes[13]
Bezonvaux
Vaux-devant-Damloup
Fleury-devant-Douaumont
Eix-Abaucourt
D 603 (ex RN 406)
Meuse (Pont de la Galavaude)
LérouvillePont-Maugis from Lérouville
Verdun
LérouvillePont-Maugis to Pont-Maugis
Moulainville
Châtillon-sous-les-Côtes
Haudimont
D 903 (ex RN 3)
Manheulles
Fresnes-en-Woëvre
Combres-sous-les-Côtes
Herbeuville
Hannonville
245 m
Thillot
Saint-Maurice-sous-les-Côtes
Viéville-Billy
RN 408
Vigneulles-lès-Hattonchâtel
(Connection to trench railway)
D 908 (ex RN 408)
D 901 (ex RN 401)
Heudicourt-sous-les-Côtes
Buxières
Woinville
(Connection to trench railway)
Varnéville
Apremont-la-Forêt
Liouville
Boncourt-sur-Meuse
Canal de l’Est (Reinforced concrete bridge)
Commercy

History

edit

The network operator of the Réseau de la Woëvre was granted a concession for non-profit operation by a law of 13 June 1907, and began operating it in 1914.[15]

The Société Générale des Chemins de Fer Économiques (SE) took over the operation in 1922. The company had opened its own network in 1914, shortly before the start of the First World War.

Route

edit

The Réseau de la Woëvre, with a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in), was a railway network built in the department of Meuse and operated between 1914 and 1938 by the Société Générale des Chemins de Fer Économiques (SE). It comprised a series of lines with a total length of 149 km (93 mi).

There were four sections:

  • Metre gauge
    • Verdun - Vaux-devant-Damloup - Montmédy (61 km), opened in 1914, closed in 1938[16]
    • Vaux-devant-Damloup - Commercy (66 km), opened 1914, closed 1938[17]
  • Standard gauge
    • Robert-Espagne - Haironville (11 km), opened 1933, closed 1971
    • Aubréville - Varenne-en-Argonne (11 km), opened in 1918, closed in 1937[18]

Stations and bridges

edit
Stations and bridges Photos Condition
Montmédy-Ville   preserved
Louppy-Remoiville  
Brandeville  
Bréhéville  
Lissey  
Damvillers  
Moirey-Flabas  
Azannes
Vaux-devant-Damloup  
Fleury-devant-Douaumont  
Meuse, Pont de la Galavaude  
Verdun  
Stations and bridges Photos Condition
Vaux-devant-Damloup
Eix-Abaucourt  
Manheulles   preserved
Fresnes-en-Woëvre  
Combres   preserved
Thillot   preserved
Vigneulles-lès-Hattonchâtel   preserved
Buxières  
Boncourt-sur-Meuse  
Canal de l'Est  
Commercy  

References

edit

49°12′41″N 5°28′29″E / 49.21127°N 5.47467°E / 49.21127; 5.47467 (Chemin du Tacot)