Chemin de fer à vapeur des Trois Vallées

About the museum

The non-profit association Chemin de Fer à Vapeur des 3 Vallées was founded in 1973 on the initiative of Michel Pâques, a SNCB train driver who dreamed of bringing steam traction back to a real standard-gauge line. After lengthy negotiations with the coal mining companies, the SNCB and tourism bodies, the choice fell on the Nismes – Treignes line, now Mariembourg – Treignes, about 14 kilometres in the Viroin valley.

On 14 May 1975 an agreement with the SNCB granted the association permission, for fifteen years, to operate the Nismes – Treignes section for tourist purposes; a 1978 addendum added the Mariembourg – Nismes section. The association then built a boarding platform at Mariembourg, near its depot. It now has more than one hundred volunteer members, among them railway workers, former steam locomotive drivers and many enthusiasts.

The railway museum at Treignes, run by a separate association (MCFV3V), opened in 1994. It displays locomotives, carriages, a van and railway and industrial equipment. Trains run with steam traction, railcar or diesel locomotive according to an annual timetable, with a return journey between Mariembourg and Treignes via Nismes, Olloy-sur-Viroin and Vierves.

Highlights

• Journey by steam train, railcar or diesel between Mariembourg and Treignes
• Steam railway museum at Treignes, with a free visit to the workshop
• Line 132 crossing the Viroin valley via Nismes, Olloy-sur-Viroin and Vierves
• Events: Valentine's Day train, Easter train, restaurant train, Steam Festival, Halloween train and Santa Claus train
• Roundhouse, water pump and water tower, freely visible at Mariembourg

Permanent exhibitions

• Voyage en train Mariembourg – Treignes – Journey by steam traction, railcar or diesel locomotive on line 132 through the Viroin valley.
• Musée du chemin de fer à vapeur (Treignes) – Exhibition of locomotives, carriages, a van and railway and industrial equipment, with a free visit to the workshop.

Founded

1973

Operated by

C.F.V.3.V. asbl

Admission & discounts

Rates for the current season for the return journey Mariembourg – Treignes; they do not apply to the Steam Festival or to special days. Booking online gives better rates than at the ticket office. The workshop visit and the museum audio guide are free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The tourist site and the museum are accessible to people with reduced mobility. Not all trains are: the steam trains have one adapted carriage, which must be booked several days in advance; the Nismes and Vierves stops are not served for people with reduced mobility. Dogs are admitted under their owner's responsibility.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Child rate for ages 6 to 11; event trains (Santa Claus, Halloween, Easter) and a birthday package at the museum.

Getting there & parking

By car: N5/E420 Charleroi – Philippeville – Mariembourg – Couvin. The museum is at Treignes, Place de la Gare 101 (N97 Couvin – Nismes – Olloy – Vierves – Treignes).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Refreshment bar and a few snacks at Mariembourg; light meals (pasta, croque-monsieur, lasagne, cheese tartines) at the Treignes museum; souvenir shop. Food cannot be eaten on the train, except during the restaurant trains. Picnics are allowed, provided something is bought on site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Organisation of events with train, restaurant and museum, and team-building packages; the museum also offers hire.

Plan your visit