The Chemin de Fer du Côtes du Nord is situated at Boutdeville near St. Brieuc in Brittany France. Its "raison d`être" is to resurrect
part of the metre gauge system that once linked Saint-Brieuc with Yffiniac.
On its site is a shed containing rolling stock which will one day run on the restored section of the CdN which once comprised
452 Km of metre gauge railway in Brittany. It has an impressive track layout with other stock displayed in the open.
The on site trailer is the ticket information office with shop selling railway books & memorabilia.
Also on site is the Tramway de Boutdeville which runs on a 400mm track around the site of le musée de la Briqueterie -
a musuem devoted to brick making once carried out here.
Here one of the electrically powered trams passes the engine shed of the 400mm system and returns to the park.
"La Petite" is a steam outline battery powered loco.
When I arrived on site there was only the tramway open, the metre gauge stock has not operated regularly since 2013.
However I noticed that the storage shed was later opened and two workers disappeared inside! I poked my head round the door
and was warmly welcomed, in French, with "entrez, entrez".
Fortunately I speak a little French and one of the workers spoke good English, being a member of the K&ESR. I was treated to
a private viewing of their collection starting with the De Dion autorail OC2, originally used on the Réseau Breton.
Above is De Dion Bouton autorail of 1938 and used on the Réseau des CdN.
The Billard draisine no 103 originally used on the Réseau Breton. This vehicle attended the CdF Baie de Somme
Fête à Vapeur in 2013.
The draisine carries an ingenious "portable turntable" seen across the running line. Using steel ramps on each rail the vehicle is
driven onto the device which the allows the whole raised vehicle to be turned for return travel.
The Brimont-Latil TL locotracteur was originally standard gauge and used at Loudéac.
It has been converted to metric gauge and still uses rubber tyres.
The 0-6-0 diesel shunter, of German origin, was started and run over the siding for a group of visitors to see.
Nothing was too much trouble for the volunteers!
1928 built Orenstein & Koppel 0-6-0 bought by the CdN in March 2001. It awaits funding before
restoration begins. Behind it is one of two Swiss coaches bought by the railway in 2013.
The railways website: http://chemin-fer-baie-saint-brieuc.fr/
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