The Rhune Train

The Petite Train de la Rhune is a 1-m-gauge rack railway at the western end of the French Pyrenees, in the French Basque Country. It links the Col de Saint-Ignace for 4.2 km to the summit of the mountain called La Rhune. The purpose of the railway was tourism and it carried visitors to the spectacular views over the Atlantic from the 905-m summit. Facilities for refreshments were provided at the top and bottom of the railway. Construction began in 1912 but it was suspended during the First World War and the line opened fully in 1924. It is operated by electric engines powered through overhead cables and a third rail. One engine pushes two wooden coaches on the upward journey and leads them on the return downward. All the rolling stock is original and maintained to modern standards. The railway transports 350,000 visitors a year.