Langres, France's first cog wheel railway

An electric motrice from 1935

The cog wheel (a.k.a. rack and pinion) railway of Langres in Haute-Marne was the first such line built in France, serving the "place-forte" (stronghold) of Langres, as the station of the Chemins de fer de l'Est was below, on the Marne.

Over 1.475 km (0.92 mile) it climbed 132 metres in altitude between the station of Langres-Marne and the upper town, using the Riggenbach rack and pinion system.

It was steam worked from 1887 to 1935 then electrified that year. In 1971 it was closed because of its age and replaced by a bus which operates today from the SNCF station. An old electric motrice was renovated in June 2007 in the municpal workshops and reinstalled in April 2010 in its original placement at the top.   More (in French) on this webpage

In the Google streetview at the top, you can discern the restored tramcar.

View Larger Map