in english....

This site in english ?  Wonderful !

Hum...not exactly..... at this time, I am not able to write many words in correct english, sorry.... But, a page, only one page,  Yes, we can !
Well, This note is for a short presentation of our web pages, for those who do not speak Moliere's language....
First, the aim of these pages is to maintain active the memory of some original transport solutions of iron ore, the iron mines were here located in south France, near the basin of Decazeville.  This coal basin was a major one  in the nineteens. Duc Decazes has created the activities, or developped, more exactly, in 1828 and later. Decazeville, the name of the city comes from name of Duc, becomes a very important center for coal and iron, and later steel. For example, the Company of railways Paris Orleans, one of the major old company of railways  up to 1936, was in the precedent century, a principal  user of rails made in the basin of Decazeville factories. Theses activities are out now and the last activity in coal extraction was in 1962. You can read more about the history of mines, coal and Decazeville, on this site : www.aspibd.org.

For our short lines and web pages, it is the story or elements of the story of three lines.

First,  you can read here the story of an aerial ropeway, on the Causse of Mondalazac. There where iron mines, used for blast furnaces activities at Decazeville and Firmi, a city at some kilometers. Situated at 20 km about of Decazeville,  the iron was transported to Marcillac, at 6 or 7 km, by road :  it was not very effective, difficult and often not possible if the weather is bad for example ! In 1909 an aerial  ropeway is constructed for this transport. The system was a two cables system, made first  by Otto Pohlig in Germany and Bleichert also. It was here about 7000 meters long. Now, in 2008, an exact  century later, nothing or almost nothing can be seen of these activities. Nothing ? Not exactly, and it is to show to all these tiny traces, that we have writed  this story. The memory of this ropeway is important to preserve....
We shall preserve also an other story, the second one, always in the causse of Mondalazac (named Causse Comtal nowadays).

It is the story of a narrow gauge railway, constructed in 1856, and dead twenty years later : the line of an other iron mine, near Cadayrac. This very short line was used for transport up to a station near Salles la Source, and there the iron  was put in wagons in the normal gauge line, for transportation to other installations near Aubin, at some kilometers of Decazeville. This narrow line , 1,0667 m gauge, was not usual at this time, not usual at all : constructed by the Paris Orleans  railways  company, who have the factories in Aubin, the line was  the exemple of a succeed line, important to develop at this time in France. I think it was the first line in this gauge at this time... On ground, in 2008, very few elements can be seen, and it is not very easy to find something ! Not very easy ? We give also some old maps of this line, maps never published up to now...The map of Cadayrac, a unique one, with nice and useful indications of this line, for example, is very beautiful...


The third nice walk is  from Marcillac, where the station was, to Firmy, as writed at this time, and Firmi now,  place where blast furnaces where made in 1828. It is on the site of an another narrow gauge line, 20 kilometers long, and 0,66m gauge. Here, no rails now on the ground, but a really nice walk  is possible almost without difficulties. On this way, the ruins of an important bridge, the bridge of ADY, or Malakoff as said in the country. This bridge was very particular. You can found, or not  !, very impressive its feodal design. The Conway's bridge, near the Britannia, in UK, was also of same design, and, here, the author of these pages think that the resemblance is not an hazard fact....These two bridges may have some links. Discover them....
In these web pages, there are also some diaporama, pictures...
There is also an iron book, not, it is  a gold book ! If you have some informations or other remark to say about our work, do not hesitate, it is made for !
Again, I apologize for this very bad introduction, but I think it is more than nothing at all, indeed....and I hope give you here enough informations : you want visit web pages immediately ? Thank you for visit !


    If you want more informations, you can mail your message to : jrudelle@ferrobase.fr

many thanks for reading

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