Metre Gauge Mallet

In Europe, almost one hundred years ago, before the coming of mechanized road transport, the narrow-gauge train was as familiar a sight as buses are today. Every country in Europe had its own network of privately owned narrow-gauge systems linking villages and towns too small or scattered to be served by the standard-guage main lines.

France especially was well served by such systems; one province where the narrow gauge flourished was Brittany, where the Finistere, Morbihan, Cotes-du-Nord and Breton railways between them owned 1,200 miles of metre-gauge track. By 1965 only the Reseau Breton still existed, and with 267 route miles still operated it was by far the largest secondary system in France.

Even in the winter months an average of twelve steam trains and thirty-six railcars every day arrived and departed on the five lines radiating from its principal station at Carhaix.

Twenty-one steam locomotives operated the traffic, among them eight imposing 0-6-6-0 Mallets built by Piguet in 1913.

The most powerful narrow-guage steam engines in France, they were genuine Mallet compounds with the front bogie driven by the big low-pressure cylinders and the rear by high-pressure ones.

With their 3ft 4in wheels they were normally used as freight trains only, but they were said to put many of the main line train services to shame with their highly polished dark-green livery. The picture on this page shows No. 417 at Carhaix.