Decauville railway in Delphi

Decauville railway in Delphi
Decauville railway being used during the excavations of Delphi, 1892–1903 Decauville V skip waggons similar to those used during the construction of the Panama Canal Topographic route map by the French engineer Henry Convert
Technical
Line length	3 km (1.9 mi)
Track gauge	500 mm (19+3⁄4 in)
Route map Archeological excavations Several zig-zags Wooden slide to the dump

The Decauville railway in Delphi was a 3 km (1.9 mi) long 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) gauge light railway used from 1892 to 1903 on the archaeological excavation site of the ancient temple complex of Delphi in Greece.

History

The Great Excavation of Delphi (French: La Grande Fouille de Delphes) began in 1892 under the auspices of the French School of Athens (École française d'Athènes). To facilitate the transport of spoil from the excavation sites to the dumps, a narrow-gauge railway network with a total length of 1.8 km (1.1 mi) and a track width of 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) was built between July and September 1892. A further 1.2 km (0.75 mi) of track was gradually built by 1897, bringing the total length of the network to 3 km (1.9 mi). The zig-zag route was necessary as the tracks were laid on terrain with large differences in height. The Decauville railway of Delphi and its extensions are shown on the sophisticated topographical plan by French engineer Henry Convert, as highlighted in red. After the end of the excavations in 1903, the portable track was dismantled and transported to the island of Delos, where it was used in combination with the V tip waggons for the excavations that had just begun.

The Decauville railway in Delphi during the excavations, 1892-1903

The excavation of the sanctuary of Apollo was only possible after the expropriation and relocation of the village of Kastri. It is one of the most important sites of Greek cultural heritage and has gained its place at the top of the list of ancient sites. The excavation brought to light many astonishing remains, including around three thousand important inscriptions describing public life in ancient Greece. Today, the Greek Archaeological Service, in collaboration with the French School of Athens, continues to explore, excavate and preserve the Delphic sanctuaries.