This beautiful dirt path was created from the site of an old industrial railway, known as Decauville, named after the engineer who invented this type of rail transport in the 1870s, Paul Decauville. In the 1920s and 1930s this railway on the Rochemolles torrent was used for the construction of the Sallarce dam and was part of the works that would lead to the electrification of the Frejus railway. To cross the Almiane river there is a notable wooden bridge.

Translated by Google •

Befembeker

August 30, 2023

The term Decauville is associated with the type of portable narrow gauge (600 mm) railway, presented to the world in 1878 by Paul Decauville.
The works for the construction of the road on which the small Decauville railway was to travel began in 1919 and ended in 1921. At the same time as the laying of the dirt road, a diversion channel was built, parallel to the road surface, which had the indispensable function of carrying the water to the three basins located in Frejusia. The cable of the dam-basins telephone line ran anchored inside the canal. The tracks were laid directly on the dirt road and stability was ensured by burying the sleepers. Due to the high risk of avalanches, the "railway" was only used in the summer period. The bridge over the Rio Almiane, still in operation in 1964, was completely dismantled and transported on small wagons to the Basins where it stopped for the whole winter. During this period, supplies and changes of guards took place inside the diversion canal which was emptied to allow passage.

From the book “Rochemolles – La Decauville, the dam, the road and the light” by Edoardo Tripodi and Walter Re

Translated by Google •

Enrico Maccarini

July 5, 2020

A slight slope along a part of the old industrial railway of Rochemolles (1915) with a narrow gauge (Decauville) built by the State Railways for the construction of the Sallarce dam, as part of the electrification of the Frejus railway

it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovia_di_Rochemolles

Translated by Google •

In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

Details

Informations

Distance 5.90 km

Uphill 380 m

Downhill 330 m

Weather

Today

Wednesday 29 October

5°C

0°C

70 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 0.0 km/h

Most visited during

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See rides here

Take Me There

Location: Bardonecchia, Torino, Piedmont, Italy

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Forte Föens

Fort Jafferau

Lac de Rochemolles

Rochemolles Dam

Cappella Cotarlau, Rochas

Château Beaulard

Sentiero Lungo la Dora di Beaulard

Punta Colomion

Redoute Marie-Thérèse

Bardonecchia

Lac de Rochemolles

Cappella Cotarlau

Decauville Trail (Bardonecchia – Val Fredda)

1. Bivio Decauville – Rochemolles Dam loop from Bardonecchia

2. Rochemolles Dam – Bivio Decauville loop from Bardonecchia

Other Popular Places to Check Out

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️