Association des amis du Petit Anjou

The Association des amis du Petit Anjou (AAPA) is a French non-profit association founded in 1983 by Michel Harouy and Michel Raclin. Its purpose is to perpetuate the memory of the Petit Anjou, a metre-gauge departmental railway that served the Anjou region until its closure in 1948. The association collects, preserves, and restores railway equipment and documents, and organizes exhibitions and commemorations. It is based in Saint-Jean-de-Linières, Maine-et-Loire, on the site of the former La Roche station, which it acquired in 2014. The AAPA publishes books and bulletins, and maintains a collection of locomotives, carriages, and wagons, some of which are operational. It is a member of the Fédération des Amis des Chemins de Fer Secondaires (FACS) and participates in heritage events. The association is run by volunteers and is funded through memberships, donations, and grants.

The Association des amis du Petit Anjou (AAPA) was founded in 1983 by Michel Harouy and Michel Raclin, two railway enthusiasts who had been researching the Petit Anjou metre-gauge railway since the 1960s. They met in 1972 at a flea market while searching for period postcards, and began collaborating on a collection of postcards and testimonies from former railway workers. In 1983 they established the association to share their passion and research. In 1986, the association published a book with Éditions Cheminement and acquired its first rolling stock, the AC 21 carriage. The municipality of Saint-Jean-de-Linières provided land for a short metre-gauge track to store the carriage. In 1991, the Compagnons d'Emmaüs lent a plot of land at Sauloup, also in Saint-Jean-de-Linières, where members built a hangar and laid about 50 metres of track. Between 1992 and 1994 they restored a lorry and a petrol draisine. The facilities were extended in 1995 to shelter more vehicles, including the B 111 carriage. In 1997 a second track was added. In 2001, Emmaüs Angers reclaimed the land, and the association moved to a new site at La Maladrie, in the industrial zone of Saint-Jean-de-Linières, provided by the municipality. A new workshop was built in summer 2001, and the site was inaugurated in September 2002. In 2004 the workshop was enlarged with a second covered track. Restoration work continued: the B 111 carriage (started 1995, completed 2000), a Dujardin diesel locomotive from the Trélazé slate quarries (restored 2001), an East German LKM V10C locomotive (restored 2005-2006), a tipper wagon (2005-2007), and a covered wagon and a postal van. The AC 21 carriage was completed in 2008 and inaugurated during the association's 25th anniversary. In 2009 a private individual lent a steam locomotive and two wagons. Since 2013, the association has studied a project to install a museum at the former La Roche station and create a tourist line. In June 2014, the AAPA acquired the La Roche station through a subscription under the aegis of the Fondation du Patrimoine, to rehabilitate the historic station and transfer all preservation activities there. In November 2016, all activities were transferred to the La Roche site. In 2022, the upper floor of the station was converted into a meeting room. In May 2023, during the association's 40th anniversary, the De Dion Bouton JM3 railcar (still under reconstruction) moved under its own power for the first time.

• 2023

  40th anniversary; De Dion Bouton JM3 railcar moves under own power.

• 2016

  All activities transferred to La Roche station.

• 2014

  Acquisition of La Roche station.

• 2008

  Completion of AC 21 carriage and 25th anniversary.

• 2002

  Inauguration of La Maladrie site.

• 2001

  Move to La Maladrie site.

• 1991

  Move to Sauloup site lent by Compagnons d'Emmaüs.

• 1986

  Publication of first book and acquisition of AC 21 carriage.

• 1983

  Association founded by Michel Harouy and Michel Raclin.

Heritage railway preservation association

Product categories. railway preservation · exhibitions · publications · heritage railway operations

1. 1Accueilpetit-anjou.fr
2. 2Association des amis du Petit Anjoufr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Association des amis du Petit Anjouwikidata.org