Chemins de fer de l'État

The Chemins de fer de l'État ("State Railways"), often referred to in France as the Réseau de l'État ("State Network"), was an early state-owned French railway company.

La Rochelle railway station

History

The company was established by state order of the Third Republic on 25 May 1878 to take over ten small failing railway companies operating in the area between the rivers Loire and Garonne:[1]

  • Compagnie des chemins de fer des Charentes, 777 km, opened 1867;[2]
  • Compagnie des chemins de fer de la Vendée, 495 km, opened 1865;[3]
  • Compagnie du chemin de fer d’Orléans à Châlons, 293 km, opened 1873;[4]
  • Compagnie du chemin de fer d'Orléans à Rouen (Réseau de l'Eure), 338 km, opened 1867;[5]
  • Compagnie des chemins de fer Nantais, 185 km, opened September 1875;[6]
  • Compagnie des chemins de fer de Maine-et- Loire et Nantes, 91 km, opened February 1877; ;[6]
  • Compagnie du chemin de fer de Bressuire à Poitiers;
  • Compagnie du chemin de fer de Saint-Nazaire au Croisic;
  • Compagnie du chemin de fer de Clermont à Tulle;
  • Compagnie du chemin de fer de Poitiers à Saumur.

Additional acquisitions included:

  • Compagnie Bordeaux – La Sauve, 29 km, opened May 1873, acquired by CF des Charentes in June 1874, sold to the PO in 1883
  • Compagnie de la Seudre, circa 50 km, opened 1874, acquired by État July 1880;
  • Compagnie Barbezieux – Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, opened 1872, acquired by État in 1893;
  • Compagnie Alais – Rhone – Méditerranée, opened 1882, acquired by État in 1883.

On 18 November 1908, the État absorbed the Chemins de fer de l'Ouest and in 1934 took over the Paris-Orléans company's lines in southern Brittany. At its greatest extent its operating area comprised all the territory west of a line extending from Dieppe by way of Paris to Bordeaux. On 1 January 1938 the État merged with all the other French railway companies to form the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF), becoming that company's Région Ouest. The État then took a seat on the SNCF's Board of Directors, as did all the other companies until 1982 when all traces of the constituents of the SNCF disappeared.

Ligne Paris-Bordeaux

One of the PO's flagship lines was Paris-Orléans-Bordeaux. The État wished to create a competing line to the PO's. The PO line served Tours, Poitiers, and Angoulême, while the État decided to serve Chartres, Courtalain, Saumur, Niort, and Saintes, almost parallel to the competing line.

Thanks to purchases and exchanges made in 1878 with the PO, by 1884, the État operated:

Courtalain-Bessé-sur-Braye was opened in 1885 as well as Château-sur-Loir-Saumur-Cavignac. At La Grave d'Ambarès a junction with the PO was built, and État trains linked Paris and Bordeaux on 11 July 1886.

The last line portion was the hardest to build. On 1 July 1893, an extension via Lormont was opened, Three years later, on 1 August 1896 Bordeaux-État was opened, welcoming trains from Paris.

The État's line was 610 km while the PO's was 582 km. These were the only competing lines in France. This lasted until 1938, date of the creation the SNCF, when the PO line was kept.

The Dautry era

Raoul Dautry became managing director of the Etat in 1928. His desires were to reconquer the railway company's clientele, especially due to the popularity of the car.

Dautry began many modernisation projects, including infrastructure, stations and the opening of new lines (mainly Paris-Chartres by Gallardon). The electrification of the Paris-Le Mans line represents the biggest of his constructions, the line was at the time the most modern line in France.

Another one of his influences was the purchase of 600 new passenger cars. 50 of the cars were luxurious cars and were used on the new electrified line.

As early as 1929, the Etat began experimenting with DMUs with a first order of Renault trains. In 1931, an agreement is reached between Michelin and the Etat, authorising trials of the Micheline train. By 1933, the trains were used for expresses between Paris and Deauville.

During the summer of 1937, the French Government ruled in favour of the nationalisation of the French railways. As a sign of disagreement, Dautry resigned, he was later elected into the SNCF's managing council.

Line openings
Date Section Length (km)
7 January 1856 Poitiers - Niort[n 1] 78
7 September 1857 Niort - La Rochelle[n 1] 66
24 September 1866 Cholet - La Poissonnière[n 2] 43
30 December 1866 Nantes - La Roche-sur-Yon[n 3] 76
28 December 1868 Niort - Cholet[n 2] 124
22 October 1867 Rochefort - Angoulême[n 4] 68
25 March 1869 Beillant - Pons[n 4] 15
26 January 1870 Pons - Jonzac[n 4] 19
14 March 1871 La Roche-sur-Yon - La Rochelle[n 4] 103
27 March 1871 La Roche-sur-Yon - Bressuire[n 4] 84
6 November 1871 Jonzac - Montendre[n 4] 21
28 October 1872 Chartres - Orléans[n 4] 75
20 November 1872 Barbezieux - Châteauneuf[n 5] 18
10 May 1873 Bressuire - Thouars[n 4] 30
11 August 1873 Thouars - Chinon[n 4] 47
10 October 1873 Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan - Blaye[n 4] 24
16 October 1873 Montendre - Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan[n 4]
29 December 1873 La Rochelle - Rochefort[n 4] 30
15 May 1874 Neuville-de-Poitou - Montreuil-Bellay[n 4] 85
19 October 1874 Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan - Coutras[n 4] 17
19 April 1875 Joué-lès-Tours - Chinon[n 4] 43
29 August 1875 Pons - Royan[n 6] 46
11 September 1875 Nantes - Pornic[n 4] 57
30 January 1876 Saumur - Montreuil-Bellay[n 4] 18
25 March 1876 Sainte Pazanne - Machecoul[n 4] 13
1 April 1876 Chartres - Auneau[n 4] 20
7 May 1876 Chartres - Brou[n 4] 36
3 June 1876 St Hiliaire - Paimbœuf[n 4] 27
24 June 1876 Saujon - La Tremblarde[n 6] 23
1 February 1877 Montreuil-Bellay - Angers[n 4] 63
25 January 1878 Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Taillebourg[n 4] 18
30 December 1878 Machecoul - Challans 19
3 March 1879 Château-du-Loir - Saint-Calais[n 7] 45
19 September 1880 Challans - La Roche-sur-Yon 51
7 March 1881 Through Luçon 2
17 October 1881 Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Niort 48
17 October 1881 Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie - Commesquiers 13
17 October 1881 Velluire - Benet 19
20 November 1881 Blois - Pont-de-Braye 64
2 July 1882 Chinon - Port-Boulet 14
10 July 1882 Cholet - Clisson 38
23 October 1882 Niort - Montreuil-Bellay 104
27 November 1882 Chinon - L'Île-Bouchard 16
19 March 1883 Neuville-de-Poitou - Parthenay 39
2 April 1883 Patay - Courtalain-Saint-Pellerin 47
2 April 1883 Brou - Courtalain-Saint-Pellerin 17
3 September 1883 Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée - La Pointe-de-la-fumée 8
5 November 1883 Through Marans 2
7 April 1884 Airvault - Moncontour 15
18 August 1884 Perray-Jouannet - Chalonnes 26
23 February 1885 Aiffres - Ruffec 77
23 May 1885 Courtalain-Saint-Pellerin - Bessé-sur-Braye 42
12 July 1885 Port-de-Piles - L'Île-Bouchard 21
4 March 1886 Through Nantes 4
14 June 1886 Cavignac - Cubzac 17
11 July 1886 Cubzac - La Grave-d'Ambarès 5
11 July 1886 Through Bordeaux 2
11 July 1886 Château-du-Loir - Saumur 67
11 July 1886 Through Saumur 5
19 September 1886 Châtellerault - Loudun 48
1 May 1887 Arrou - Nogent-le-Rotrou 41
29 May 1887 Libourne - Marcenais 19
5 June 1887 Parthenay - Bressuire 31
17 February 1889 Tonnay-Charente - Pointe-du-Chapus 31
18 May 1890 Fontenay-le-comte - Vouvant-Cezais 14
18 May 1890 Vouvant-Cezais - Breuil-Barret 15
1 April 1891 La Rochelle - Port de la Pallice 7
2 January 1893 Sargé - Montoire 22
1 July 1893 La Grave-d'Ambarès - Gare de Bordeaux Benauge 12
15 October 1893 Montoire - Château-Renault 21
29 July 1894 Château-Renault - Tours 35
31 May 1896 Voves - Toury 29
1 August 1896 Junction to Gare de Bordeaux État 1
2 January 1898 Thorigné - Montmirail 22
10 December 1899 La Loupe - Brou 43
28 May 1900 Vouvant-Cezay - Chantonnay 25
12 July 1900 Montmirail- Courtalain 28
12 July 1900 Thorigné - Connerré-Beillé 6
5 November 1907 Barbezieux - Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan 51
11 June 1911 Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Saintes 25
1 July 1912 Saintes - Saujon 27
15 May 1930 Massy - Chartres 71

Locomotives
Main article: List of Chemins de Fer de l'État locomotives

Notes
  1. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 10 February 1884.
  2. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 20 February 1884.
  3. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 25 January 1884.
  4. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 1 July 1878.
  5. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 1 January 1894.
  6. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 1 January 1881.
  7. Taken over by the CF de l'Etat on 10 March 1884.

References
  1. Davies 2001, pp. 1–9.
  2. Davies 2001, pp. 1–2.
  3. Davies 2001, p. 3.
  4. Davies 2001, p. 4.
  5. Davies 2001, pp. 4–7.
  6. Davies 2001, p. 8.
  • Davies, John (August 2001). Chemins de fer de l'État Locomotive List 1878–1938. Woodbridge, Queensland: Dr. John Davies. ISBN 0-7316-8442-7.
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