Did you know that at the beginning of the 20th century, a small steam train nicknamed the “Tacot” used to stop at Château le Verdoyer? We look back at the history of the Périgord Vert railway—a forgotten piece of heritage, buried beneath the woods and meadows of the Dordogne.
The Périgord Tacot: A train like no other
Like many regions in France, our area saw the development of the railway at the start of the 20th century, known by the locals as the “Tacots du Périgord“…
Extremely useful for the market in Piégut—still the largest in the area today, well worth a visit on Wednesday mornings—the ‘tacot’ running from Saint-Mathieu to Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière was inaugurated in 1912. It served as a vital link between the villages of the Périgord Vert, in this corner of the Dordogne where winding roads made travel long and tiring.
The route: from Saint-Mathieu to Saint-Pardoux… via the château
An old timetable dating from January 20, 1913 reveals that it left Saint-Mathieu at 6:55 AM, reached Piégut at 7:40 AM or Abjat at 8:15 AM, to stop at 8:37 AM… at Château le Verdoyer!
Indeed, it arrived on our grounds by what is currently pitch 17, stopped at the corner of the building—near the washrooms—before heading straight toward the parking area. It is for this reason that this track was cut into the rocks, a trace that remains visible today for those who know where to look.
It then passed in front of the white chalets and crossed the dam of the neighboring pond to reach Saint-Saud-Lacoussière.
It did not cross through the village center, instead stopping at 8:44 AM in front of the ostriches, at the Station that still exists—now used as a public weighbridge—next to the Hôtel de la Gare…
The Tacot crossed the road there toward Champs-Romain, arriving at 8:56 AM. The station building is still standing. In Champs-Romain, there was the Hôtel des Voyageurs, as well as a restaurant very popular with tourists and neighbors from Charente, managed successively by the Treny, Faure, and Fredon families.
The end of the journey was Saint-Pardoux at 9:25 AM, exactly 2 hours and 30 minutes after its departure!
The Tacot at Château le Verdoyer
Château le Verdoyer had a designated stop—an optional one on the return trip—which was frequently used by the various families living at the château or in the village. Another stop was made near the Gravoux pond, at the sentry box, before continuing its journey through the Périgord Vert.
The sawmill near the Champs-Romain station also took advantage of the railway to ship chestnut wood for the tannery. In addition to passengers, the departmental train transported large quantities of wood for tannin, which was then shipped via the river, much like all the metals worked in the numerous forges of the Périgord Vert… but that is another story!
Life around the railway
The Abjat-sur-Bandiat station—or at least what remains of it, at the bottom of the village, facing the house and the former sawmill of Mr. and Mrs. Andrieux—still preserves the memory of this era. Mrs. Andrieux served as the station master throughout the entire operation of the Saint-Pardoux–Saint-Mathieu line. Every day, summer or winter, regardless of the weather, at 5:00 AM, the station master would take her storm lamp and head off to work.
The end of the Tacot
On the return journey, the schedule was not always respected: if the train was overloaded, it would pull the carriages up the Champs-Romain hill one by one. Sometimes, passengers were even asked to get off and walk—an image that makes us smile today, but perfectly encapsulates the endearing nature of this little Dordogne train.
The Tacot eventually disappeared, like so many other secondary French lines, leaving behind stations that became public weighbridges, tracks carved into the rock, and stories passed down from generation to generation.
Want to walk in the footsteps of the Tacot? Discover ‘La Boucle du Tacot’, a 5 km trail starting from the campsite—the old railway line, the Saint-Saud station, the ostriches, and a mysterious cow tunnel await you.
And I hear the train whistle blow…
