[2] Bénouville – Caen opened to traffic on 4 July 1893, having been held up by the financial situation of the Société Decauville.

[1] With the demise of Decauville, the Société Anonyme des Chemins de Fer Du Calvados (CFC) took over the lines on 1 August 1895.

The CFC used rails laid on wooden sleepers, and Westinghouse continuous braking, quite an advanced piece of technology on such a small gauge.

[1] Decauville referred to the line as the Tramway du Calvados but the new company were quite sure that they were running a railway, offering 1st, 2nd and 3rd class accommodation on its trains.

[1] On 18 January 1904, a short extension opened between Falaise-Château and Falaise Gare, connecting with the standard gauge main line.

[1] This left two isolated systems, which were joined by laying a dual gauge track on the standard gauge Chemin de fer de Caen à la mer for 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) between Luc-sur-Mer and Courseulles, with a passing loop at St. Aubin-sur-Mer.

There were frequent proposals to reopen the mine, but it was not until 1941 that an exploratory pit was opened by the Société Métallurgique de Normandie.

Long sidings were laid to enable the transport of iron ore to the blast furnaces at Caen, which was developed c1910 by the Société des Hauts-Fourneaux de Caen, which later became the Société Métallurgique de Normandie (SMN).

The Chemin de Fer du Nord proposed a standard gauge line to carry the traffic.

The CFC argued that they could carry all the traffic and proposed to double the line south of Caen, but later decided against this.

The CFC agreed to handle 25% of the traffic and accept compensation of 35 centimes per tonne carried by the SMN for "lost" revenue.

The line was transferred to the Société des Courriers Normands, which was primarily a bus company, in 1937.

Trains were to be restricted to 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph) with a maximum length of 60 metres (200 ft).

[2] On one occasion, the driver of a train failed to see that Pegasus Bridge was open, and the locomotive went over the edge into the Orne, fortunately without serious damage or injury.

There were two couverts surbaissés, which were low floor bogie wagons for conveying cattle or horses.

Instead, Calvados built small but efficient and practical buildings in a mock Norman style.