The first volume of a new two-part work tracing the complete history of the famous metre gauge Réseau Breton network that mainly served the interior and west of the Breton peninsula.
In this first volume, the authors trace the history of the network from its inception to the immediate post-war period. The historical account is accompanied by archive photographs, maps, plans and other reproduced documents that illustrate and further explain the development of the railway.
About half of the book is comprised of a comprehensive study of the locomotives and rolling stock of the period. This includes a detailed look at all the main steam locomotive classes and a survey of coaching stock and wagon types. Includes many illustrations and scale diagrams of several locomotive types.
The book concludes with a look at the railway’s infrastructure, including stations, steam motive power depots, other buildings and signalling installations. Includes several track layout diagrams of key stations on the network.
Le Réseau Breton Tome 1: De la Création aux Années 1940 is a comprehensive account of this classic railway network, compiled over many years with much original research. It contains approximately 300 previously unpublished photos, plans and archival documents to illustrate the 300 plus pages of this first book. 318 pages. Hardback. French text.
Special Note: The second volume of this work is currently in preparation. It will deal with the history of the network from the post-war period to the present day and look at the locomotives and rolling stock used on the railway in this period.