Kodza Déré Decauville Railway


The Kodza Déré Decauville Railway was a long narrow-gauge military railway, which was built and operated by French troops during World War I from 1917 to 1918 at Paionia near Polykastro in Makedonia.

History



The valley of the Kodza Déré River was of strategi­cal im­por­tance to the Allied Forces of World War I because the French headquarters were based near Axioupolis and a camp of the 122th Division and military hospital was located near Pigi. The front line was just a few kilometers above on the height of the Skra-di-Legen Canyon, where the Battle of Skra-di-Legen was fought. Similar to the nearby Battles of Doiran in 1917 and 1918 there were lengthy battles with heavy losses in the area.

Route





The Decau­ville railway with a gauge of started from the railway station Axioupolis. The station was known until 1927 as Goumentja. The railway crossed the town of Axioupolis, historically known as Bohemitsa passing two churches and a mosque. To gain height quickly, it went through an elaborately built Vróncho Spiral, to Pigi, then known as Isvor. From there it followed the valley of the Kodza Déré River to the terminus Black Tree below the Koúpa Mountain, to supply the Allied Forces at the Macedonian front with supplies and ammunition. The track and most of the bridges were lifted after the war, but the route with its deep cuts and high embankments is partially still recognisable in the countryside.