Chemins de fer de l'Ouest


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

History

Birth of the company

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:
The Ouest's oldest line 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 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 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 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:
To better use the Rive-Droite line, a 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.
Because of the company's bad financial situation due to the region it served, 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

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:

Line openings

DateSectionLength
26 August 1837Paris St Lazare - Le Pecq19
2 August 1839Asnières - Versailles Rive Droite18
10 September 1840Paris Barrière du Maine - Versailles Rive Gauche17
9 May 1843Paris St Lazare - Rouen Saint-Sever
22 March 1847Rouen Saint-Sever - Le Havre94
14 August 1847Le Pecq - Saint-Germain-en-Laye3
1 August 1848Malaunay - Dieppe50
12 July 1849Viroflay - Chartres73
28 April 1851Asnières - Argenteuil4
20 July 1852Viroflay - Porchefontaine1
7 September 1852Chartres - La Loupe36
16 February 1854La Loupe - Nogent-le-Rotrou25
2 May 1854Les Batignoles - Auteuil7
1 June 1854Nogent-le-Rotrou - Le Mans63
1 July 1855Mantes-la-Jolie - Lisieux133
14 August 1855Le Mans - Laval89
29 December 1855Lisieux - Mondeville 49
25 February 1856Beuzeville - Fécamp20
15 March 1856Le Mans - Alençon52
1 May 1857Laval - Rennes73
1 May 1857Mondeville-Caen2
1 February 1858Alençon - Argentan43
1 July 1858Lisieux - Pont-l'Évêque18
17 July 1858Caen - Cherbourg133
20 November 1858Through Fécamp2
1 February 1859Argentan - Mézidon-Canon43
1 November 1859Falaise7
1 May 1860Lison - St-Lô19
7 July 1862Pont-l'Évêque - Honfleur25
23 March 1863Le Mans - Sablé48
7 July 1863Pont-L'Évêque - Trouville-Deauville10
7 December 1863Sablé - Angers47
15 June 1864Saint-Cyr-l'École - Dreux59
27 June 1864Rennes - Saint-Malo81
24 July 1865Serquigny - Oissel57
2 July 1866Argentan - flers43
1 October 1866Dreux - L'Aigle60
5 November 1866L'Aigle - Conches40
6 November 1866Laval - Mayenne20
23 April 1867Saint-Pierre-du-Vauvray - Louviers7
5 August 1867L'Aigle - Surdon41
23 August 1867Glos-Montfort - Pont-Audemer17
16 September 1867Flers - Vire29
4 October 1867Pontoise - Gisors40
9 November 1868Flers - Berjou-Pont-d'Ouilly19
28 December 1868Gisors - Pont-de-l'Arche54
15 July 1869Gisors - Vernonnet36
14 February 1870Rouen - Le Petit-Quevilly3
15 May 1870Vernonnet - Vernon2
3 July 1870Vire - Granville57
25 January 1872Fougères - Saint-Brice-en-Coglès18
10 May 1872Louviers - Évreux26
10 October 1872Saint-Brice-en-Coglès - Moidrey29
1 May 1873Vernon - Pacy-sur-Eure19
6 May 1873Alençon - Condé-sur-Huisne66
10 May 1873Caen - Berjou-Pont-d'Ouilly46
2 June 1873Lisieux - Orbec18
2 August 1873Chartres - Dreux42
22 December 1873Neufchâtel-en-Bray - Dieppe34
15 April 1874Falaise - Berjou-Pont-d'Ouilly28
18 May 1874Flers - Domfront21
21 September 1874Domfront - Mayenne38
15 August 1875Louviers - Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf18
14 January 1876Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf - Elbeuf1
1 July 1876Motteville - Clères22
1 October 1878Harfleur - Montivilliers5
30 December 1878Saint-Lô - Coutances29
30 December 1878Avranches - Dol-de-Bretagne43
15 June 1879Mézidon - Dives-sur-Mer28
29 December 1879Coutances - Lamballe112
11 June 1880Motteville - Cany38
19 September 1880Alençon - Pré-en-Pail27
22 November 1880Sainte-Gauburge - Gacé17
3 January 1881Mamers - Bellême20
11 April 1881Redon - Châteaubriant45
26 May 1881La Ferté-Macé - Couterne15
26 May 1881Pré-en-Pail - Domfront41
20 June 1881Bréauté-Beuzeville - Bolbec5
20 June 1881Barentin - Duclair14
20 June 1881Through Courbevoie2
27 June 1881Questembert - Ploërmel34
9 October 1881Gacé - Ticheville-Le Sap13
16 October 1881Bellême - Mortagne18
23 October 1881Pré-en-Pail - La Selle-en-Luitré86
13 November 1881Plouaret - Lannion16
22 November 1881Échauffour - Bernay46
28 December 1881Châteaubriant - Vitré98
28 December 1881Mortagne-au-Perche - L'Aigle37
29 December 1881Mortagne-au-Perche - Sainte-Gauburge35
24 July 1882Auray - Quiberon26
31 July 1882Duclair - Caudebec-en-Caux15
31 July 1882Bolbec - Lillebonne9
4 September 1882Achères - Versailles-Matelots 23
18 September 1882La Trinité-de-Réville - Orbec13
18 September 1882Dives - Beuzeval 2
18 September 1882Trouville-Deauville - Villers-sur-Mer9
8 January 1883Gare de Rouen Rue Verte - Elbeuf23
30 June 1883Through Rouen 2
22 October 1883Pontorson - Mont-Saint-Michel1
27 January 1884Sottevast - Coutances72
6 April 1884Ploërmel - La Brohinière41
6 April 1884Miniac - La Gouesnière12
5 May 1884Saint-Cloud - L'Etang-la-Ville15
26 May 1884Sablé - Sillé-le-Guillaume44
20 July 1884Beuzeval - Villers-sur-Mer9
18 May 1885Châteaubriant - Saint-Nazaire72
18 May 1885Saint-Mars-la-Jaille - Nantes49
22 August 1885Eu - Dieppe37
27 July 1886Verneuil-sur-Avre - Damville28
22 August 1886Caen - Aunay-Saint-Georges32
18 April 1887Saint-Brieuc - Légué6
10 July 1887Dinan - Dinard18
21 August 1887Dreux - Maintenon25
18 December 1887Mortain - Vire30
20 December 1887Saint-Aubin-du-Vieil-Évreux - Évreux7
2 January 1888Évreux - Le Neubourg24
1 July 1888Le Neubourg - Glos-Montfort24
1 July 1888Saint-Aubin-du-Vieil-Évreux - Damville20
2 December 1888Pouancé - Laval58
1 May 1889Javel - Puteaux12
8 June 1889Pont-Audemer - Quetteville16
16 June 1889Pontaubault - Mortain-Le Neufbourg39
11 July 1889Saint-Georges-Motel - Prey24
11 November 1889Verneuil-sur-Avre- La Loupe39
1 June 1891Aunay-Saint-Georges - Vire40
3 April 1892Auneau - Maintenon25
3 April 1892Saint-Lô - Guilberville25
1 June 1892Argenteuil - Mantes52
12 November 1893Domfront - Romagny27
8 July 1894Carentan - La Haye-du-Puits22
8 July 1894Fougères - Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët36
22 June 1895Les Ifs - Étretat15
31 May 1896Saint-Pierre-du-Vauvray - Les Andelys17
26 July 1896La Brohinière - Dinan38
9 August 1896Châteaubriant - Messac41
14 August 1896Rolleville - Montivilliers6
24 December 1896Rolleville - Les Ifs22
20 February 1898Dieppe - Saint-Vaast-Bosville37
12 April 1900Courcelles-Levallois - Champ de Mars4
12 April 1900Champ de Mars - Invalides4
30 August 1900Épône - Plaisir-Grignon18
25 October 1900Cany - Fécamp24
1 July 1901Issy-les-Moulineaux - Meudon-Val-Fleury4
19 August 1901Blain - La Chapelle-sur-Erdre29
31 May 1902Meudon-Val-Fleury - Viroflay Rive Gauche6
3 August 1902Coutances - Regnéville-sur-Mer8
5 April 1903Messac - Ploërmel51
13 July 1907Charleval - Vascœuil10

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 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.

Station photos

Locomotives

Heilmann locomotives

In 1893, built a steam-electric locomotive of Do Do wheel arrangement, which was trialled on the CF de l'Ouest. Named La Fusée Electrique, 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.