Gare du Crotoy, Railway station and tourist attraction in Le Crotoy, France
The Gare du Crotoy is the terminus of the metre-gauge Noyelles-sur-Mer–Le Crotoy line of the Chemin de fer de la Baie de Somme, in Le Crotoy, Somme. It stands at 5 metres altitude and is laid out as a dead end, with three tracks, a siding curving round the passenger building through the yard, a manual turntable, a locomotive shed and coal and water facilities for steam engines.
Opened on 1 July 1887 by the Société générale des chemins de fer économiques on the metre-gauge Noyelles–Le Crotoy line, the station was renovated in 1937. The line and station closed on 31 December 1969 despite local protests; volunteers founded the Chemin de fer de la baie de Somme and reopened it on 4 July 1971, carrying about 2,000 passengers that year.
The Gare du Crotoy is the departure point for the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme, a narrow-gauge railway pulled by steam locomotives. On the platform, visitors can watch the white steam rise and catch the smell of coal before the train sets off.
Arriving a little early is a good idea, as it gives time to look around the small station and watch the train prepare for departure. The station is accessible for people with reduced mobility, and information panels on site help with planning the journey.
Inside the station, old photographs and documents are on display that trace the history of rail travel in the area. The line that departs from here crosses salt marshes and embankments where sheep and birds can be spotted from the moving train.
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