Chemins de fer de l'Ouest

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 which operated from the years 1855 through 1909.

Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest
Overview
HeadquartersParis
LocaleNormandy, Paris and Brittany
Dates of operation1855–1909
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

Birth of the company
Bond of the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest, issued 3. August 1892
St Germain en Laye train station. The station is now underground.

The Compagnie de l'Ouest was created in 1855 by the merger of various small railway companies active in the western outskirts of Paris, in Normandy and in Brittany. These were:[1]

Paris à Saint-Germain

The Ouest's oldest line (still open to this day) is the line from Paris to Le Pecq, built by Émile Péreire's Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Saint-Germain and inaugurated on 24 August 1837 by Marie-Amélie, wife of King Louis-Philippe. The line was 19 km (12 mi) long and the trip took 30 minutes. Initially greeted with fear and lack of interest, the railway was a success that paved the way for other new railways, for instance to Rouen. In 1847, the line to Le Pecq was extended to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The section between Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Nanterre – Université is now part of the RER line A. The section between Paris Saint-Lazare and Nanterre is part of the main lines to Rouen and Caen.

The old Ouest

While the line to Saint-Germain-en-Laye was being built, a line to Versailles, another popular Sunday destination, was projected. Two lines were built, one from Gare Saint-Lazare to the terminus Versailles-Rive-Droite, the other from Gare Montparnasse (Barrière du Maine) to the terminus Versailles-Rive-Gauche. James Mayer de Rothschild in conjunction with the Chemin de Fer de Versailles-rive-Droite, created in 1837, were given the concession to operate the lines. The line to Versailles-Rive-Droite, opened on 4 August 1839 and still in use today as Transilien line L, is 19 km (12 mi) long, branching off the line to Saint-Germain at Asnières-sur-Seine. The line to Versailles-Rive-Gauche is also still in use today. The part between Montparnasse and Viroflay is used by trains from Paris to Chartres and Brittany as well as Transilien line N. The part between Viroflay and Versailles is used by RER C local trains.

Paris à Rouen

Two lines to Rouen in Normandy were projected: one passing through La Garenne-Colombes and following the left Seine bank from Poissy, the other passing through Pontoise and following the high plateaux on the right Seine bank. Due to the lack of confidence in the second project, the first one was granted and the concession given to Charles Laffitte and Edouard Blount. Construction began in 1841 under the orders of engineer Joseph Locke and with the help of British workers. Inauguration of the line was on 9 May 1843. It was an immediate success, so much so that issues with the Chemin de Fer de Saint-Germain with platform allocation at Gare Saint-Lazare occurred.

Expansion

The Imperial Government imposed the construction of several lines:

The Government also imposed several secondary lines.

The network was rapidly expanded:[2]

To better use the Rive-Droite line, a 15 km (9 mi) long branch was built from Saint-Cloud to Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche at the cost of the French State. The line was declared of public utility in 1880 and the Chemins de fer de l'Ouest opened the line to l'Étang-la-Ville in 1884. Passenger services were extended to Saint-Germain Grande-Ceinture in 1889, services were then reported back to Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in 1894 when passenger services on the Chemin de fer de Grande Ceinture were stopped.

A second line from Saint-Lazare to Mantes-la-Jolie was opened in 1892, following the right Seine bank. The new line started at Argenteuil, and passed Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Triel and Meulan.[3]

Because of the company's bad 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 Chemins de fer de l'État on 1 January 1909.

Accidents
A painting of the 1842 accident
Train goes too far at Gare Montparnasse, Paris 1895
Gare de Paris-Montparnasse, Paris 2007
  • On a Sunday in May 1842, one of the worst accidents in French railway history happened near Meudon: 164 victims; the 55 dead were burnt alive (see Versailles train crash). After this incident the company no longer locked doors on passenger coaches.
  • Montparnasse derailment: On 22 October 1895 an express train originating from Granville traversed Montparnasse station, ploughed into the buffers, wrecked the station building's front wall and dropped to the ground on the street below. The only fatality was the wife of a newspaper vendor, filling in for her husband (who had gone to get the evening newspapers), who was killed by falling masonry from the wall.
  • In 1881 there were 2064 railway related accidents: 185 derailings, 190 collisions, 692 accidents on the line. 512 passengers died in these accidents, 1/10 of those who died in accidents on stagecoaches.
  • Lists of rail accidents

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 the Ouest's Paris terminus, the Gare Saint-Lazare, was enlarged to comprise six groups for each main destination served:

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 Petite Ceinture circular line, which linked all Parisian termini for freight purposes.

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

Architecture

A sense of identity

As with many other railway companies, the Ouest adopted its own architectural style. 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 the Ouest created a level crossing guard house template (see below).

Station photos
  • Paris St Lazare station
    Paris St Lazare station
  • Rouen Rue Verte station
    Rouen Rue Verte station
  • Caen station
    Caen station
  • Blonville-Bénèrville station
    Blonville-Bénèrville station
  • Houlgate station
    Houlgate station
  • Pont L'Evèque station
    Pont L'Evèque station
  • Trouville-Deauville station
    Trouville-Deauville station
  • Villers-sur-Mer station
    Villers-sur-Mer station
  • A typical Ouest level crossing guard house
    A typical Ouest level crossing guard house

Locomotives
CF de l'État 2-2-2T No 12-010, formerly CF de l'Ouest No 0134. The locomotive was built in 1844.
Heilmann locomotive No. 8001

Heilmann locomotives
Main article: Heilmann locomotive

In 1893, Jean Jacques Heilmann built a steam-electric locomotive of Do Do wheel arrangement, which was trialled on the CF de l'Ouest. Named La Fusée Electrique (English: The Electric Rocket), it was successful enough that two larger locomotives were constructed in 1897. These were numbered 8001 and 8002. Although considered successful, the design was not proceeded with and all three locomotives were dismantled.

References
  1. Joanne, Adolphe (1859). Atlas historique et statistique des chemins de fer français (in French). Paris: L. Hachette. pp. 21–22.
  2. Direction Générale des Ponts et Chaussées et des Chemins de Fer (1869). Statistique centrale des chemins de fer. Chemins de fer français. Situation au 31 décembre 1869 (in French). Paris: Ministère des Travaux Publics. pp. 146–160.
  3. History of Triel

Sources
  • (in French) Histoire du réseau ferroviaire français, 1996, Editions de l'Ormet / Imprimerie Bayeusienne Graphique. ISBN 2-906575-22-4
  • (in French) Le tour du Calvados en 80 cartes, 1996, Direction Départementale de l'Equipement (Calvados).
  • (in French) Paris et l'Île de France – Tome 1: Les réseaux Est, Nord et Saint-Lazare, 2002, Le Train. ISSN 1267-5008
  • (in French) Electrification des lignes Paris-Caen-Cherbourg et Paris-Trouville-Deauville, 1996, Conseil Régional de Basse Normandie (Rémy Desquesnes).
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