French Equipment
French equipment was largely designed on the initiative of Artillery Captain Prosper Péchot, among them 10 tonnes (22,000 lb) Fairlie articulated 0-4-4-0T locomotive named for him as Péchot-Bourdon. Along with engineer Bourdon a number of test equipment was realized since 1888 by the 5th engineer regiment (5e régiment du génie) in Toul. Until the outbreak of the war there were 150 km of military 60 cm track at Toul, along with 20 locomotives and 150 wagons.
The French military had 62 Péchot-Bourdon type built between 1888 and 1914. Baldwin Locomotive Works built 280 more during the war. The "Système Péchot" as it is named in French became the dominant system for trench railways with an estimated 7500 km of track built by the 5th engineer regiment.
Two-hundred-fifty 8 tonnes (18,000 lb) 0-6-0T of Decauville's Progres design were built for military service. Thirty-two 0-6-0T of American design and six-hundred 55 kW (74 hp) gasoline mechanical locomotives were purchased from Baldwin Locomotive Works.
The Maginot Line employed a 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) gauge supply system of gasoline-powered armored locomotives and underground electric locomotives pulling cars of World War I design. Two Péchot-Bourdon locomotives were preserved in the technical museums of Dresden and Prague. A portion of the Somme battlefield railway continued in operation and has been preserved as the heritage Froissy Dompierre Light Railway.
Read more about this topic: Trench Railways
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