In May 2015 Vickie and Mark Gottlob were staying in Sarlot, a restored
16th century town in the Dordogne region in southwest France. One of their
day trips was to the town of Martel in the Haut Quercy region to check out an
excursion railroad. Their plan was to watch the
train take off on an excursion, but they arrived just as it was loading and quickly bought very reasonable tickets. They joined the large crowd on open cars
pulled by a Polish steam locomotive. Haut Quercy is near the Massif
Central and is made up of limestone bluffs cut by the Dordogne River. The
railroad was originally built in the 1880’s to haul truffles out of the
mountains to the cities below. The train traveled along a series of
bluffs, through tunnels, and over viaducts, with magnificent views of agricultural
land and castles. Photos from their journey appear below.
Poster advertising the excursion
Ticket Office
The steam locomotive (0-6-0 tank) acquired
from a Polish potato glue factory in 2000
Cab
Engineer
Coal
Views of walnut groves and a castle with moat
Approaching the Courtilis Viaduct
Viewing stop at the Mirandol Tunnel
