Chemin de fer du Bocq (CFB), Belgium

Good news from this interesting line, just south of Namur.


Par OpenStreetMap contributors — http://openstreetmap.org, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1615558

A subsidy has been agreed from the tourist organisation of the Walloon region of EUR 1.3m to complete the rebuilding of the line. The track is in place, but worn out. It has been refurbished over the years from Ciney to Evrehailles -Bauche, and the subsidy covers the last 1/4 of the line (top left of the map) to Yvoir and the main line, thus completing Line 128 from one main line connection to the other. The line is 21 km long and has 5 tunnels and many bridges, it's quite stunning. Traction is mixed - rail cars, heavy diesels, and three steam locos (all currently under overhaul). The CFB is associated with the PTF organisation, which has been collecting ex SNCB locos and rolling stock in a former carriage workshop is St Ghislain, near Mons.

Breva volunteered on the line for a number of years while working in Belgium, and helped relay some of the track.
It's brilliant news for this dynamic little organisation

To illustrate. a pair of before and after pictures, taken between Purnode and Evrehailles-Bauche (which has now been reached)


Sleepers from the 1950s and 80lb FB rail. (above)


Relaid with modern FB rail and concrete sleepers (before the subsidy, pictures taken in 2011)

Go and pay them a visit!

Oh, and a video I took during an open day, from the lime kiln at Dorinne:

 

I heartily recommend a visit to this line. Some years ago, I went to a gala day and it was a great day out with varied steam and diesel power, great scenery and plenty of original station buildings. It will be even better when it joins Yvoir to Ciney, and the preservationists have been making steady progress.

 

Visited the line in 2019 . Had a lovely round trip with the green railcar starting at Spontin which is convieniently situated on thr Bruxelles to Luxembourg motorway, .