Somme Bay Railway

The Somme Bay Railway is a preserved railway in northern France that runs along the Bains de Mer network, which opened in 1887. It uses both standard and narrow gauge. Located on the coast of the English Channel between Calais and Dieppe, the Bains de Mer network carried passengers for bathing but it also carried freight, including agricultural produce, beach pebbles and shellfish, and it was utilised during both World Wars. The railway has been operated by a non-profit organisation, the Somme Bay Railway Association, since 1971. Passengers travel on steam or diesel locomotives, all dating from between 1889 and 1954. The railway runs alongside waterways lined with trees and past salt-water and fresh-water marshes, revealing the Somme’s special scenery, much of which cannot be accessed by road.