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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