Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest

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Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
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Locale Normandy, Paris and Brittany
Dates of operation 1855 – 1909
Track gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Paris

The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest (CF de l'Ouest), often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Birth of the company

The Compagnie de l'Ouest was created in 1855 by the merger of various small railways established in Normandy and Brittany.

St Germain en Laye train station. The station is now underground.
St Germain en Laye train station. The station is now underground.

Ouest's oldest line (still open to this day) is the Paris to Saint-Germain-en-Laye line, opened on 24 August 1837 by Émile Pereire. It is now part of the RER line A. On 9 July 1835 the French Government "accepte l'offre du Sieur Émile Pereire d'exécuter à ses frais, risques et périls un chemin de fer de Paris à St Germain". Émile Pereire and his brother Isaac started the Compagnie Chemin de Fer de Paris à St Germain. The wording "risk and perils" although used in financial terms does reflect the mentality of the time. There was a genuine fear and disinterest in the railway. At the time of Pereire's growing interest in the railway, Thiers said "les chemins de fer, bons tout au plus à remplacer les coucous de banlieue, n'auraient jamais d'application pratique". It granted Pereire's request for a concession but warned him of his sure demise. On the day of the opening, the Queen Amélie tooks part and made the inaugural trip to St Germain. Pereire won, he proved that safe rail passenger transport was possible. On its first week of opening, the line saw 37,000 passengers, and on the second 60,000. This success attracted much financial backing, and Pereire formed a larger company. The line from Paris to Rouen was immediately voted for. The price for the trip was 5.5 Francs on the weekend and 2.5 Francs during the week.

The Companie des Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest was formed by the merger of the companies of:

The Imperial Government also imposed the construction of several lines:

The Government also imposed several secondary lines.

Because of the company's financial situation due to the region it served (agricultural for the most part), the law of 13 July 1908 saw the integration of the Companie des Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest into the Chemin de Fer de l'État. On 1 January 1909, Ouest became part of the Chemins de fer de l'État.


[edit] Accidents

  • On a Sunday in May 1842 one the worst accidents in French railway history happened near Meudon: 164 victims, 55 deaths, burnt alive. After this incident the company no longer locked doors on passenger coaches.
  • On 22 October 1895 an express train originating from Granville traversed Montparnasse station, plowed into the buffers, wrecked the station building's front wall and dropped to the ground on the street below. The only victim was the news agent who was squashed by the locomotive.
  • In 1881 there were 2064 railway related accidents: 185 derailings, 190 collisions, 692 accidents on the line. 512 passengers died in these accidents, 10 times less than on stagecoaches.

[edit] Paris stations

L'Ouest built several stations within Paris; the two main terminals St Lazare and Montparnasse as well as Pont Cardinet at the beginning of the line to Auteuil.

In 1851, St Lazare station, Ouest's Parisian station was enlarged to comprise six groups for each main destination the station served:

[edit] La Ligne d'Auteuil

Courcelles-Levallois station now part of Paris' RER C line but originally part of La Ligne d'Auteuil.
Courcelles-Levallois station now part of Paris' RER C line but originally part of La Ligne d'Auteuil.
L'Ouest was the first company to pioneer suburban transport. St Lazare station was by 1931 dealing with 13.2 million passengers annually compared to merely 3 million in average in the other Parisian stations. In 1854 L'Ouest opened a typically Parisian line; 'La Ligne d'Auteuil'. This line started within Paris and ended in Paris, serving the Parisian inhabitants mainly for work purposes. The line was 7 kilometres long (4.3 mi) and served St Lazare, Bâtignoles, Courcelles-Levallois, Neuilly Porte-Maillot, Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, Avenue Henri-Martin, Boulainvilliers, Passy and Auteuil. The line was built in a cutting, removing the need for any level crossing, which was the first line of its kind. The line also boasted elegant station buildings such as the Auteuil terminus and Courcelles-Levallois station. All stations were built above the line with access to the platforms. The line was part of the circular line Petite Ceinture, which linked all Parisian termini for freight purposes.

[edit] Line openings

Date Section Length (km)
26/08/1837 Paris St Lazare - Le Pecq 19
02/08/1839 Asnières - Versailles Rive Droite 18
10/09/1840 Paris Barrière du Maine - Versailles Rive Gauche 17
09/05/1843 Paris St Lazare - Rouen Saint-Sever
22/03/1847 Rouen Saint-Sever - Le Havre 94
14/08/1847 Le Pecq - Saint-Germain-en-Laye 3
01/08/1848 Malaunay - Dieppe 50
12/07/1849 Viroflay - Chartres 73
28/04/1851 Asnières - Argenteuil 4
20/07/1852 Viroflay - Porchefontaine 1
07/09/1852 Chartres - La Loupe 36
16/02/1854 La Loupe - Nogent-le-Rotrou 25
02/05/1854 Les Batignoles - Auteuil 7
01/06/1854 Nogent-le-Rotrou - Le Mans 63
01/07/1855 Mantes-la-Jolie - Lisieux 133
14/08/1855 Le Mans - Laval 89
29/12/1855 Lisieux - Caen 49
25/02/1856 Beuzeville - Fécamp 20
15/03/1856 Le Mans - Alençon 52
01/05/1857 Laval - Rennes 73
01/05/1857 Through Caen 2
01/02/1858 Alençon - Argentan 43
01/07/1858 Lisieux - Pont-L'Évêque 18
17/07/1858 Caen - Cherbourg 133
20/11/1858 Through Fécamp 2
01/02/1859 Argentan - Mézidon-Canon 43
01/11/1859 Falaise 7
01/05/1860 Lison - St-Lô 19
07/07/1862 Pont-L'Évêque - Honfleur 25
23/03/1863 Le Mans - Sablé 48
07/07/1863 Pont-L'Évêque - Trouville-Deauville 10
07/12/1863 Sablé - Angers 47
15/06/1864 Saint-Cyr - Dreux 59
27/06/1864 Rennes - Saint-Malo 81
24/07/1865 Serquigny - Oissel 57
02/07/1866 Argentan - flers 43
01/10/1866 Dreux - L'Aigle 60
05/11/1866 L'Aigle - Conches 40
06/11/1866 Laval - Mayenne 20
23/04/1867 Saint-Pierre-du-Vouvray - Louviers 7
05/08/1867 L'Aigle - Surdon 41
23/08/1867 Glos-Montfort - Pont-Audemer 17
16/09/1867 Flers - Vire 29
04/10/1867 Pontoise - Gisors 40
09/11/1868 Flers - Berjou-Pont-d'Ouilly 19
28/12/1868 Gisors - Pont-de-l'Arche 54
15/07/1869 Gisors - Vernonnet 36
14/02/1870 Rouen - Petit-Quevilly 3
15/05/1870 Vernonnet - Vernon 2
03/07/1870 Vire - Granville 57
25/01/1872 Fougères - Saint-Brice 18
10/05/1872 Louviers - Evreux 26
10/10/1872 Saint-Brice - Moidrey 29
01/05/1873 Vernon - Pacy-sur-Eure 19
06/05/1873 Alençon - Condé-sur-Huisne 66
10/05/1873 Caen - Berjou-Pont-d'Ouilly 46
02/06/1873 Lisieux - Orbec 18
02/08/1873 Chartres - Dreux 42
22/12/1873 Neufchâtel-en-Braye - Dieppe 34
15/04/1874 Falaise - Berjou-Pont-d'Ouilly 28
18/05/1874 Flers - Domfront 21
21/09/1874 Domfront - Mayenne 38
15/08/1875 Louviers - Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf 18
14/01/1876 Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf - Elbeuf 1
01/07/1876 Motteville - Clères 22
01/10/1878 Harfleur - Montivilliers 5
30/12/1878 Saint-Lô - Coutances 29
30/12/1878 Avranches - Dol-de-Bretagne 43
15/06/1879 Mézidon - Dives-sur-Mer 28
29/12/1879 Coutances - Lamballe 112
11/06/1880 Motteville - Cany 38
19/09/1880 Alençon - Pré-en-Pail 27
22/11/1880 Sainte-Gauburge - Gacé 17
03/01/1881 Mamers - Bellème 20
11/04/1881 Redon - Châteaubriant 45
26/05/1881 La-Ferté-Macé - Coutnerne 15
26/05/1881 Pré-en-Pail - Domfront 41
20/06/1881 Bréauté-Beuzeville - Bolbec 5
20/06/1881 Barentin - Duclair 14
20/06/1881 Through Courbevoie 2
27/06/1881 Questembert - Ploërmel 34
09/10/1881 Gacé - Ticheville-le-Sap 13
16/10/1881 Bellème - Mortagne 18
23/10/1881 Pré-en-Pail - La Selle-en-Luitré 86
13/11/1881 Plouarët - Lannion 16
22/12/1881 Echauffour - Bernay 46
28/12/1881 Châteaubriant - Vitré 98
28/12/1881 Mortagne - L'Aigle 37
29/12/1881 Mortagne - Sainte Gauburge 35
24/07/1882 Auray - Quiberon 26
31/07/1882 Duclair - Caudebec-en-Caux 15
31/07/1882 Bolbec - Lillebonne 9
04/09/1882 Achères - Versailles-Matelots (GC) 23
18/09/1882 La Trinité-de-Réville - Orbec 13
18/09/1882 Dives - Beuzeval (Houlgate) 2
18/09/1882 Trouville-Deauville - Villers-sur-Mer 9
08/01/1883 Gare de Rouen Rue Verte - Elbeuf 23
30/06/1883 Through Rouen (Gare de Rouen Saint-Sever - Gare de Rouen Rue Verte) 2
22/10/1883 Pontorson - Mont-Saint-Michel 1
27/01/1884 Sottevast - Coutances 72
06/04/1884 Ploërmel - La Brohinière 41
06/04/1884 Miniac - La Gouesnière 12
05/05/1884 Saint-Cloud - L'Etang-la-Ville 15
26/05/1884 Sablé - Sille-le-Guillaume 44
20/07/1884 Beuzeval (Houlgate) - Villers-sur-Mer 9
18/05/1885 Châteaubrilliant - Saint-Nazaire 72
18/05/1885 Saint-Mars-la-Jaille - Nantes 49
22/08/1885 Eu - Dieppe 37
27/07/1886 Verneuil - Damville 28
22/08/1886 Caen - Aunay-Saint-Georges 32
18/04/1887 Saint-Brieuc - Légué 6
10/07/1887 Dinan - Dinard 18
21/08/1887 Dreux - Maintenon 25
18/12/1887 Mortain - Vire 30
20/12/1887 Saint-Aubin - Evreux 7
02/01/1888 Evreux - Le Neubourg 24
01/07/1888 Le Neubourg - Glos-Montfort 24
01/07/1888 Saint-Aubin-du-Viel-Evreux - Damville 20
02/12/1888 Pouancé - Laval 58
01/05/1889 Javel - Puteaux 12
08/06/1889 Pont-Audemer - Quetteville 16
16/06/1889 Pontaubault - Mortain-le-Neufbourg 39
11/07/1889 Saint-Georges - Prey 24
11/11/1889 Verneuil- La Loupe 39
01/06/1891 Aunay-Saint-Georges - Vire 40
03/04/1892 Auneau - Maintenon 25
03/04/1892 Saint-Lô - Guilberville 25
01/06/1892 Argenteuil - Mantes 52
12/11/1893 Domfront - Romagny 27
08/07/1894 Carentan - La Haye-du-Puits 22
08/07/1894 Fougères - Saint-Hiliaire-du-Harcouët 36
22/06/1895 Les Ifs - Etretat 15
31/05/1896 Saint-Pierre-duVauvray - Les Andelys 17
26/07/1896 La Brohinière - Dinan 38
09/08/1896 Châteaubriant - Messac 41
14/08/1896 Rolleville - Montivilliers 6
24/12/1896 Rolleville - Les Ifs 22
20/02/1898 Dieppe - Saint-Vaast-Bosville 37
12/04/1900 Courcelles - Champ de Mars 4
12/04/1900 Champ de Mars - Invalides 4
30/08/1900 Epône - Plaisir-Grignon 18
25/10/1900 Cany - Fécamp 24
01/07/1901 Issy-les-Moulineaux - Meudon-Val-Fleury 4
19/08/1901 Blain - La Chapelle-sur-Erdre 29
31/05/1902 Meudon-Val-Fleury - Viroflay Rive Gauche 6
03/08/1902 Coutances - Régneville 8
05/04/1903 Messac - Ploërnel 51
13/07/1907 Charvenal - Vascœuil 10

[edit] Architecture

[edit] A sense of identity

As with many other railway companies, Ouest adopted its own architecture. Stations in large cities such as Le Havre, Lisieux, Deauville and Paris are unique. More modest halts were graced with 'type' building, which are called 'type Ouest', the best-preserved examples can be found in Dives-sur-Mer and Houlgate. According to the size of the town or village close to the proposed site for the station, a station of a certain size was built. There are three generic types of station buildings; the BV3, BV5 and BV7. BV stands for Bâtiment Voyageur (station building) and the number, the number of doors accessible. The larger the town, the larger the station building.

As well as stations, infrastructure was also in mind when saving money so Ouest created a level crossing guard house template (see below).

[edit] Station photos

Paris St Lazare station from the Pont de l'Europe

Rouen Rue Verte station

Caen station

Blonville-Bénèrville station

Houlgate station

Pont L'Evèque station

Trouville-Deauville station (situated in Deauville)

Villers-sur-Mer station

A typical Ouest level crossing guard house

[edit] References

  • (French) Histoire du réseau ferroviaire français, 1996, Editions de l'Ormet / Imprimerie Bayeusienne Graphique. ISBN 2-906575-22-4
  • (French) Le tour du Calvados en 80 cartes, 1996, Direction Départementale de l'Equipement (Calvados).
  • (French) Paris et l'Île de France - Tome 1: Les réseaux Est, Nord et Saint-Lazare, 2002, Le Train. ISSN 1267-5008
  • (French) Electrification des lignes Paris-Caen-Cherbourg et Paris-Trouville-Deauville, 1996, Conseil Régional de Basse Normandie (Rémy Desquesnes).
 v • d • e Major constituent railway companies of the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français:

CF de l'Est | CF de l'État (CF de l'Ouest) | CF du Nord | CF PLM | PO-Midi (CF PO and CF du Midi)
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