he wrote a book on the history of the train in Dordogne

“When the rail crossed Périgord” (1): this conjugation in the imperfect tense puts into perspective what the railway network of the department was, decades ago. Rudi Molleman, based in Dordogne for more than twenty years, took the time to dig into the archives and travel along lines that are now abandoned in order to tell the great history of the train. The author – also correspondent for “Sud Ouest” in the Payzac sector – slips: “It’s a world of enthusiasts. My goal was to address the general public. »

Saint-Michel-de-Rivière

Rudi Molleman has therefore decided to abandon technical jargon in order to favor the traces – tracks, stations and other viaducts – left in the landscape by rail. “In the department, there is not only prehistory and good food, there are also trains,” teases the person concerned.

This great story begins in 1852, when the Angoulême-Bordeaux line was put into service. Did you know? The first Périgord village to have welcomed the train into its territory was Saint-Michel-de-Rivière (municipality of La Roche-Chalais).

“In the department, there is not only prehistory and good food, there are also trains”

The development of the network, in the second half of the 19th century, had disrupted the eternal travel habits of locals. “The train was an opening to the world and we were finally able to move around more easily in Périgord. We could, for example, take the train from Nontron to Sarlat,” illustrates Rudi Molleman, who made a point of documenting each of the lines crossing the department. He adds: “The first closure occurred in 1938. Some networks had been poorly built, notably the Angoulême-Marmande. We went there, section by section. It took twelve hours to go there, and we couldn't go back. »

This narrow gauge rural tram

The rise of the car and the cost of maintaining the tracks have ended up condemning certain lines. “The road killed the rail,” slips Rudi Molleman. The paradox is that the heritage linked to the train has been revived for several years. “Many stations have become residential homes and greenways are being developed nearby,” describes the author of the work. The redevelopment of the Carlux station into a cultural space called Robert-Doisneau is part of this movement.

“The public who is interested in the world of rail is quite young,” continues Rudi Molleman. The latter began writing this work after the success of his book on the Tacot, this sort of narrow-gauge rural tramway. “After mentioning the Tacot, many readers told me that I should continue by writing about the biggest train,” jokes the person concerned.

He knows that part of what he depicts is over: “The ways gone will never return. » Hence the interest in writing this great story.

(1) From Éditions du Perce-Oreille, 25 euros.

Dedications

Rudi Molleman will dedicate his work this Sunday, December 22 in Marbot, in Périgueux, as well as Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 at the Leclerc cultural center in Trélissac.