Le Train d'Artouste, 90 ans d'histoire.....

The Artouste Train is closely linked to the history of hydroelectricity in the Ossau Valley.

In 1924, a service cableway was built on the slopes of the Pic de la Sagette and a single 50 cm gauge railway track was laid.

The Compagnie des Chemins de Fer used these ten kilometres of narrow gauge track for purely industrial purposes to transport men and equipment to the construction site for the dam at Lac d'Artouste.

It was the first dam to be built and the largest in the Pyrenees. Work lasted 7 years and it was brought into service in 1929. Once built, the train was only used for maintenance. Following a request from the prefecture, the Compagnie du Midi opened the site to the public in 1932, building a cable car between the Artouste factory and the departure station. For the first few years, the excursion only operated on Sundays in July and August.

In 1960, major work began to improve the railway line.

A dozen red and yellow locomotives and 72-seater wagons were later acquired by Société Hydro Electrique du Midi. Initially run by retired SNCF railwaymen, the business grew from strength to strength.

Several managers have succeeded one another up to the present day. Today, the site is managed by the Régie d'Artouste, in the municipality of Laruns.