The Decauville company, created in 1875, is a former French manufacturer of railway and handling equipment, cycles and automobiles.
The Decauville company was founded by Paul Decauville, son of a farmer from Courcouronnes (Essonne) specialized in the production of sugar beet and its distillation into alcohol. In 1875 he invented a new type of narrow gauge railway track (from 400 to 600 mm) which very quickly took the name "Decauville".
The track is made of all-metal elements (rails and sleepers) that can be dismantled and transported easily. This invention found applications in many fields: mining and industrial operations, military works, etc. The wagons were first pushed by hand or pulled by horses. Later, motorized cars and small locomotives made "Decauville" a real railway system. The appearance of the Decauville narrow gauge, but also of other manufacturers, constituted a major evolution by making it possible to move heavy loads easily at a time when the wheelbarrow and the tombereau dominated.
Known throughout the world, Decauville was one of France's industrial flagships from the 1880s until the 1970s.
Railway - Industry
Good condition, traces of folds
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