The Miliana-Margueritte Tramway or Zaccar Mines Tramway was a long steam and diesel powered gauge railway from PLM's Miliana-Margueritte station to the iron ore mines on Mont Zaccar in Miliana, Algeria.

Historical background and foundation On 16 September 1874, the governor granted a 17-year general mining concession to Messrs. Dupin and Allemand.Jean-Pierre Vergez-Larrouy: Miliana–Marguerite: l'autre ligne francaise en voie de 75 In: Voie libre N° 15 of April, May, June 2001 p. 11 and p. 12-13

On 5 March 1888, the brothers Giraud, two bankers from Oran, received an extension of this concession until 1 July 1906.

On 22 March 1904, the public company Société des Mines du Zaccar was founded in Paris.Constitution Mines du Zaccar. Cote de la Bourse et de la banque, 7 June 1904. The purpose of the company was the exploitation of mineral deposits and the construction and operation of all railways required for the transport of ores and metals for a period of 60 years.

Operation

The operation started on 7 October 1904, with an initial production of an average of 300 tons of iron ore per day.Le trafic de la houille et des minerais de fer à Alger L’Écho des mines et de la métallurgie, 7 September 1905. The production in 1905 already 87 879 tonnes.Mines de fer de Fillols. Le Journal des finances, 16 June 1906. The railway was accepted for public use on 18 September 1908 and publicly operated from 14 October 1909. The transport volume rose until 1912 to a maximum of 227,000 tons per year.Mines du Zaccar. 5, r. Jules-Lefebvre, Paris. In: Auguste Pawlowski: Annuaire des mines et minerais métalliques de France et d’Algérie, Annuaires industriels Heudelot, Paris, 1919, S. 128. In 1927, as a record even 293,870 t were reduced.Mines de fer de Fillols. In: Le Journal des finances, 14 June 1929.

The steam locomotive Jeanne could pull six large, funnel-shaped iron wagons filled with ore. These cars had a movable floor and transported 5 to 10 tons each.Les Mines du Zaccar. The Societe Anonyme des Mines du Zaccar took 1912 one of the first eight-wheel Garratt locomotives in operation.Pictures of Garratt Locomotives - 1.Aktie der S.A. des Mines du Zaccar. On 4 August 1926, a decree was passed, according to which the concession and modification of the operating conditions of the tram from Miliana to Margueritte by the Prefect of Algiers of 24 December 1925 were approved.Algérie Lois, décrets, arrêtés. In: Les Annales coloniales, 12 August 1926.

The underground mine employed up to 2,000 workers, or about every fourth worker in the city of Miliana. The mine and its railway were decommissioned on 31 December 1975.Mohamed Landjerit: Miliana se raconte… Boq Lermiz (La sirène de la remise).(WayBackMachine) The mines and their railway closed on 31 December 1975.Latifa Abada: 18 September 2017

Locomotives

No Name Manufacturer Works No Year Type and Power 1 Miliana Saint-Léonard N° 1379 1903 0-4-0T steam locomotive 2 Château-Ronsin Saint-Léonard N° 1380 1903 0-4-0T steam locomotive 3 Jeanne Saint-Léonard N° 1430 1904 0-4-0T steam locomotive 4 Zaccar Saint-Léonard N° 1510 1910 0-4-0T steam locomotiveJ.D.H. Smith: Mines du Zaccar steam locomotives. 5 Marguerite Saint-Léonard N° 1781 1912 0-4-0+0-4-0T Garratt steam locomotive 6 Kerr, Stuart and Company N° 3121 1918 0-4-0T steam locomotive 7 Kerr, Stuart and Company N° 3122 1918 0-4-0T steam locomotive 8 Adélie Haine-Saint-Pierre N° 1752 1936 0-4-0+0-4-0T Garratt steam locomotiveA.E. Durrant (übersetzt und bearbeitet von Wolfgang Stoffels): Garratt-Lokomotiven der Welt. Springer-Verlag, 2013. S. 23 und 99 9 Pierre-Noire Haine-Saint-Pierre N° 1783 1937 0-4-0+0-4-0T Garratt steam locomotive130-1 Gmeinder N° 4040 1943 Diesel locomotive130-2 Gmeinder 1943 Diesel locomotive130-3 Gmeinder 1943 Diesel locomotive200-1 CFD workshops in Montmirail N° CFD C 106 A 1949 Upgrade of an 0-4-0T steam locomotive with a 180 bhp Willème diesel engine200-2 CFD workshops in Montmirail N° CFD C 106 B 1949 Upgrade of an 0-4-0T steam locomotive with a 180 bhp Willème diesel engine200-3 CFD workshops in Montmirail N° CFD C 106 C 1949 Upgrade of an 0-4-0T steam locomotive with a 180 bhp Willème diesel engine250-4 CFD workshops in Montmirail N° CFD C 125 1952 250-5 CFD workshops in Montmirail N° CFD C 180 1953 250-6 CFD workshops in Montmirail N° CFD C 870 1961 Upgrade of an 0-4-0T steam locomotive with a 300 bhp Poyaud diesel engine

Literature and art Abdelkader Hadj-Hamou (born 1891 in Miliana, died 1953) described in 1925 a ride on the tram in his book Zhora, la femme du Mineur.. He was son of the judge of the city of Miliana, court interpreter, professor of Arabic and almost 20 years chairman of the Grand Mosque.Gadames: Le petit train de Miliana. 9. Februar 2018.

The Dutch painter Bart van der Leck has produced a large number of studies of the mines and their rail vehicles, which have been purchased, archived and exhibited by the German-Dutch art collector Helene Kröller-Müller.Bart van der Leck: Kröller-Müller-Sammlung: 'Mijnen bij Zaccar, Noord Afrika' (39 works).

References

External links Les Mines du Zaccar (WayBackMachine, with several photos)