Jura industriel

The Compagnie du Jura industriel received a concession from the canton in 1854 to connect Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds to the Swiss network in Neuchâtel.

The line from Neuchâtel follows a steady climb of 2.7% to the zig zag in Chambrelien and then along the slopes of the Val de Ruz and through two tunnels up to La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The company fell into financial difficulties shortly after the completion of the line, not least due to large interest charges, and went bankrupt on 3 January 1861.

Ten years later, the Neuchâtel voters rejected the repurchase of the railway and the company decided on 1 May 1875 to sell itself to the Chemins de fer du Jura bernois (JB), which was founded on 30 April 1874.

The Jura industriel rolling stock consisted exclusively of Engerth locomotives, which had proven their worth elsewhere on steep grades.

Trains still have to reverse in Chambrelien to overcome the difference in altitude between Neuchâtel and Convers.
The train, which was taken in Convers, is on its way to Neuchatel. On the right, a locomotive of the Jura–Bern–Luzern is waiting to attach some carriages from La Chaux-de-Fonds to begin a journey to Biel.
Lithography
Arrival of the Industrial Jura train in 1863 at La Chaux-de-Fonds for the federal shooting.