In 1976, a group of friends who were railway enthusiasts noticed the imminent disappearance of the heritage and equipment not only of the former Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord dating from the interwar period, but also of the secondary and industrial railways of the Aisne department. This group decided to form the CFTV, an association whose acronym has a double meaning : Cercle Ferroviaire et Touristique du Vermandois - Chemin de fer Touristique du Vermandois (Vermandois Railway and Tourism Circle & Vermandois Tourist Railway). The association was formed on 1 January 1977, a declaration to that effect being published in the Official Journal on 21 January 1977

At that time it was not possible for CFTV trains to run on the tracks of the SNCF tracks. However, the CFTV reached an agreement with the Régie des Transports de l’Aisne (RTA), to run trains on the Saint-Quentin – Origny-Sainte-Benoite line, which was then operated by the RTA. Accordingly, on September 16, 1979, the first CFTV tourist train travelled on the line, this being X 5800 railcar.

In 1981, a big event in the history of the CFTV took place, this being the first steam-hauled train. This train was hauled by an 0-6-0 tank engine obtained from the Iwuy sugar factory (Nord departement). Built in 1933, this locomotive had been patiently restored by our pioneer volunteers.

On 21 May 1994, after 6 years’ refurbishment, locomotive 140 C 314, built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow and owned by our partner the FACS (Federation of Friends of the Secondary Railways), was put back into service. This locomotive not only ran on the RTA line, but, with the approval of the SNCF, also ran on the national rail network. This allowed the 140 C to travel to Paris, Lille, Dunkirk, Reims, Baie de Somme and many other destinations !

In December 1995, the CFTV acquired one of its other key items : the CIWL restaurant car n°3585 which was built in 1928 and which ran on prestigious trains such as the Simplon Orient Express. After being refurbished by an integration project, it has since run on almost all our trains.

In 2000, with the support of local authorities and of Europe, our current depot was built in the Saint Lazare industrial estate. It now has 3 roads 45m long, allowing us to keep some of our collection of heritage rolling stock under cover.

In 2009, the CFTV was recognized as being of ‘intérêt général’ which effectively means ‘in the public interest’. This was an important step in our development as it allows us to benefit from charitable donations, as well as corporate sponsorship and volunteer assistance

In 2017, the association held a major event on our line, with activities taking place in Itancourt, Mèzières-sur-Oise and Ribemont stations. This event was organised to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the CFTV and the centenary of locomotive 140 C 314. Unfortunately this locomotive has been out of service since as it requires major repairs to its boiler.

Since 2023, after a break because of Covid lockdowns and some major trackwork, we can once again run our trains (although temporarily only as far as Mézières-sur-Oise). Our volunteers still continue the activities necessary for the proper functioning of the CFTV and the preservation of Saint-Quentin’s railway heritage !