Les Chemins de Fer de la Baie de Somme: Le Resea des Bains de Mer

This metre gauge railway linked both sides of the Somme estuary and can be easily reached by English visitors. Today’s CFBS preserves in its entirety the former Reseau des Bains de Mer, which was a distinct part of the larger Reseau de Somme. In addition to carrying holidaymakers, the railway transported flint pebbles, sugar beet, chicory and shellfish. The history of the railway, beginning with a standard gauge branch line from Noyelles to St Valery, has never been fully told before, in French or English; of special interest is the role of the railway in both World Wars, the introduction of ‘autorails’ in the 1930s, and the chronicle of decline, closure, and preservation. Presented in an A5 format, with 176 pages with 170 photographs/plans, etc., it has a full colour laminated card, with a square-backed spine.