Empress Eugénie de Montijo climbs to the summit. A granite obelisk is erected to commemorate the event.
The idea of building a railway line is conceived.
Start of the construction work.
The railway company La Société Anonyme des Chemins de Fer Basques is formed.
It changes its name to VFDM (Voies Ferrées Départementales du Midi).
The First World War breaks out. The track is laid as far as Trois Fontaines but with no power supply line. The construction work is suspended until 1919.
The work restarts: progress is fast because no engineering structure is needed.
Accident during construction.
The steam locomotive's cogwheel disengages from the cog rail.
It rolls down the track for 100 m and derails.
Official opening of the first section (3 Fontaines).
Official opening of the line up to the summit.
Reforestation initiative: 40,000 seedlings of 15 varieties of tree are planted.
The train stops operating during the winter.
Second World War: soldiers occupy the area. Smugglers enable the French to cross the Spanish border. A weather radar is installed on the summit. The tourism activity starts up again.
Motor vehicles become common enough to warrant the building of a car park.
The French national broadcasting agency ORTF uses La Rhune to relay television broadcasts for channel 1.
Transmitter for channel 2. ORTF installs the transmitter in the former Hôtel Imperator.
The railway company VFDM builds a waiting room and a pathway up to the summit of La Rhune.
ORTF constructs a new building and a 60m transmission mast.
The French side is listed as a "classified site".
A third train is entered into service.
SHEM (Société Hydroélectrique du Midi) becomes the concession holder.
CFTA becomes the operator with an 18-year contract.
A fourth train is entered into service.
More than 350,000 travel on Le Petit Train.
La Rhune is the most popular tourist attraction in the region !
Le Petit Train de La Rhune celebrates its 75th birthday.
The ecological status of the La Rhune massif is recognised in collaboration with the LPO (Bird Protection League); La Rhune, Basque Mountain.
Le Petit Train de La Rhune celebrates its 80th birthday.
Exhibition about cog railway technology.
