Chemin de fer à vapeur des Trois Vallées
Belgium · Europe
About
The Chemin de fer à vapeur des Trois Vallées (English: Three Valleys Steam Railway) is a heritage railway in southern Belgium, created in 1973. It is a non-profit society that operates a railway from the town of Mariembourg, near Couvin to Treignes, near Viroinval. The length of the railway runs about 14 km (8.7 mi) over standard gauge track. The society's name comes from the three rivers followed by the line; River Eau Blanche, River Eau Noire, and River Viroin. The heritage railway connects with the greater Belgian rail network in Mariembourg. The society runs two main facilities. The society has constructed its own platforms near the old locomotive roundhouse and water tower in Mariembourg, and in Treignes, a former border station, a museum with a large workshop has been built. The last 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the line (partially established in France) are no longer usable, as its tunnel has been sold and turned in a mushroom growing plant. Founded by former rail employees, the society purchased many steam engines from the largely nascent coal industry in its early years. Since then, it has also acquired representative rolling stocks from Belgium and neighbouring countries, France and Luxembourg, and from countries where steam locomotives were still in use, such as Poland and East Germany.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.