Chemins de fer du Calvados

The Chemins de Fer du Calvados was a 600 narrow gauge railway in the département of Calvados.

The railway was originally planned as a 1000 line. The département had actually accepted a tender for the construction of such a line but with interest in 600 narrow gauge lines rising the département had a rethink and the line was built to 600 gauge. Paul Decauville was approached following his success at the Paris Exhibition. In October 1890 he was asked to build a line on a similar basis to that already under construction at Royan. Initially, two separate lines were envisaged. A line between Dives and Luc sur Mer and a line between Isigny and Grandcamp le Château. The coastal routes provided the CFC with good returns but the inland routes did not. Despite the introduction of railcars in the 1920s, the line from Isigny to Balleroy closed on 2 December 1929. The rails were lifted c.1933. and the stations sold to be converted to dwellings. Vierville station was burned down on 7 June 1944 during the D Day landings. The lines from Bayeux closed between 1930 and 1933, and the section south of Caen closed in 1930. The line between Bénouville and Dives closed in 1932 as the swing bridge needed replacement and it wasn't thought viable to lay tracks on the new bridge.

On one occasion, the driver of a train failed to see that Pegasus Bridge was open, and the locomotive went over the edge into the Orne, fortunately without serious damage or injury. 0 6 2T built by Decauville (system Weidknecht), works number 128/1891. Carried number 7, named Hermanville
0 6 0T built by Ateliers du Nord de la France, (Blanc Misseron), for Decauville in 1895. Carried the name Isigny
Six 0 6 0TR Bi cabine built by Blanc Misseron for Tubize in 1899 and 1900. Two 0 6 4TR Bi cabine built by Blanc Misseron in 1901. Six 4 6 0T built by Weidknecht between 1902 and 1909. Numbered 9–14. Ten 4 6 0 TR Bi cabine built by Blanc Misseron for Tubize between 1902 and 1909. One was numbered 106. Three 0 6 2TR Bi cabine built by Tubize in 1913. Decauville 0 6 2T (Systeme Weidknecht) works number 549/1893 Ville de Caen, acquired second hand in 1908. Carried number 7. Later rebuilt as 0 6 4T

Three Crochat four wheel railcars, supplied in 1925. Powered by Aster petrol engines. Numbered AU1 3. One preserved at the Musée des Transports de Pithiviers. Two Decauville railcars, ex Savoie lines, acquired second hand in 1936. Numbered DC11 and 12. Sold to the Tramway de Pithiviers à Toury before the closure of the CFC.

The CFC had the following passenger stock. Decauville KE, KG and IS type bogie carriages. These carriages were 1st/2nd, 2nd/3rd and all 3rd. There was one carriage from the Paris Exposition which was furnished with a bar. It was later converted to a 1st/2nd railcar trailer. The KE type coaches were originally all open, but later acquired glass end screens. Eighty Belgian built four wheel coaches. These were long on a wheelbase. They were classed as A (all 1st), AB (1st/2nd), AD (1st)/fourgon, B (all 2nd), C (all 3rd) and CD (3rd/fourgon). The closed vehicles seated 16 with 8 standing, and those with open sides seated 24. Two bogie Fourgons built by Decauville. Two bicycle carriers built by Decauville.

The CFC operated the following freight stock. Four wheeled open wagons and closed vans, with a capacity of 10 tonnes, but restricted to 7 tonnes on the lines laid with the lighter rails. also ten bogie lowside wagons by Decauville. There were some unsprung, dumb buffered ballast wagons and some bogie flat wagons. There were two couverts surbaissés, which were low floor bogie wagons for conveying cattle or horses. For mineral traffic four wheeled steel sided dropside open wagons were used. Some had brake huts. There were also ten bogie opens. Another fifty bogie wagons were ordered by the Mines de Barbery in 1914, but it is not known if these were delivered.

As many railway companies, Calvados adopted its own architecture. Due to relative small size of the company, despite its large network, the company never built large stations. Instead, Calvados built small but efficient and practical buildings in a mock Norman style. Calvados built stations in a range of sizes, some being nothing more than a bus shelter, others fully functional railway stations, similar to Ouest BV5 stations.

Station buildings survive at Luc sur Mer, which is used by the local Gendarmerie. St. Aubin, which is used as a bus station. Bernières sur Mer, which is used as the local tourist office. St. Côme and Sommervieu are private dwellings. Arromanches is used as a bus terminus. Bayeux station building also survives and is used as offices by a bus company. St. Laurence Englesqueville station survives, converted to a dwelling.