Société Franco-Belge
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The Société Franco-Belge was a Franco-Belgian engineering firm that specialised in the construction of railway vehicles and their components and accessories. The company originated in 1859 as the Belgian firm Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer, founded by Charles Evrard. The company expanded its share capital in 1881 forming a new firm Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer and constructed a factory in
Raismes Raismes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The flutist Gaston Blanquart (1877–1962) was born in Raismes. Raismes is known for hosting the annual rock music festival Raismes Fest. Population Notable residents *Pierre ...
(
Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
) in the Département Nord in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. In 1927, the company split into a Belgian (Société Anglo-Franco-Belge, SAFB) and a French company (Société Franco-Belge). The company's factories were occupied during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, during which period it was used as a sawmill, and during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, during which period it manufactured
Kriegslokomotive ''Kriegslokomotiven'' (german: for "war locomotives", singular: ''Kriegslokomotive'') or ''Kriegsloks'' were locomotives produced in large numbers during the Second World War under Nazi Germany. Their construction was tailored to the economic cir ...
s. SAFB merged with the
Ateliers Germain The Ateliers Germain was a Belgian engineering manufacturing company based in Monceau-sur-Sambre near Charleroi. The company manufactured motorcars under license in the early 20th century until the First World War, after which is concentrated on ra ...
in 1964; the company closed in 1968 due to lack of work. The ''Franco-Belge'' (based in
Raismes Raismes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The flutist Gaston Blanquart (1877–1962) was born in Raismes. Raismes is known for hosting the annual rock music festival Raismes Fest. Population Notable residents *Pierre ...
) was acquired by
Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
in 1982, as of 2012 the factory ''Alstom Petite-Forêt, Valenciennes'' operates as an Alstom subsidiary, specialising in metros, trams, and double deck trains, A test track ''Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire'' is located west of the Raismes factory.


History

In 1859, Charles Evrard acquired ''Parmentier Freres et Cie.'' based in La Croyère, (
La Louvière La Louvière (; wa, El Lovire) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Houdeng-Aimeries, Hou ...
, Belgium) and merged it with the ''Ateliers Charles Evrard'' (of
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium) to form the ''Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer'' (1862),Often referred to as ''Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Matériels de Chemins de Fer'' with a capital of 1 million francs.Sources: * * Charles Evrard was the company's director. At the
Exposition Universelle (1867) The International Exposition of 1867 (french: Exposition universelle 'art et d'industriede 1867), was the second world's fair to be held in Paris, from 1 April to 3 November 1867. A number of nations were represented at the fair. Following a dec ...
in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, the company exhibited a locomotive, passenger coaches, an iron goods wagon, and a steam rail crane.Sources: * * In 1881, the plant in Brussels was closed and the factory's equipment was transferred, reducing pollution and other inconveniences caused to the populace of Brussels. A new company, the ''Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer'', was created in 1881, including all the assets of the 'Compagnie Belge' (representing 60% of the share capital); the company was capitalised to 8 million francs, the Banque franco-égyptienne invested in the new enterprise. In 1882 a new factory was established in
Raismes Raismes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The flutist Gaston Blanquart (1877–1962) was born in Raismes. Raismes is known for hosting the annual rock music festival Raismes Fest. Population Notable residents *Pierre ...
in the north of France, allowing the company to circumvent
protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...
in the French market; initially the factory at Raismes in France assembled machines using components manufactured across the border in Belgium. All types of railway rolling stock were built by the company.Alain Dewier, "Le site Germain-Anglo à La Louvière..", De la création à 1914; p.3 Charles Evrard died in 1896. In 1911, the company was renamed ''Société Franco Belge de Matérial de Chemins de Fer''. The company manufactured a wide variety of rolling stock (locomotives, carriages, specialised freight wagons) for clients, including the Belgian railways, private French railways, as well as exporting to Spain, Portugal, and other European countries; China, Turkey, and Indochina; as well as to African and South American countries. Up to 1914, the company board was dominated by Belgians; after 1914, the company became majority owned by French interests, mainly from Paris. At this time the company had a capacity of around 50 locomotives and over 1,500 carriages and wagons per year; during German occupation during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the plant in Raismes was ordered to carry out repair work, but this was resisted by the plant management - the factory was used under occupation as a
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
. Post World War I, the French and Belgian activities were separated into independent companies in 1927 with the Croyere site forming the company ''"Société Anglo-Franco-Belge"'' (SAFB or AFB), which received English investment and specialised in equipment for metal and wooden fabrications for transportation equipment.Alain Dewier, "Le site Germain-Anglo à La Louvière..", De 1914 à 1945 The French operations of the company remained as "Franco-Belge".


Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (1927-64)

In 1939, SAFB two acquired two metal working factories were absorbed, in
Seneffe Seneffe (; wa, Sinefe) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Seneffe had a total population of 10,743. The total area is 62.77 km² which gives a population density of 171 inhabitants p ...
and Godarville (
Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont (; wa, El Tchapele) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont had a total population of 14,900. The total area is 18.10 km² which gives a ...
), both in Hainaut, Belgium. During occupation, the company manufactured over 100 locomotives for the
Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...
, as well as carrying out repair work. The company director Gilbert Bostsarron became involved in the
French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
network, and arranged allied attacks on the factory; his network was discovered by axis forces resulting in his being arrested and shot in 1944. Post war the company experienced financial problems, in part due to loss of overseas export customers to American companies. In the 1950s, the company manufactured
Electro-Motive Diesel Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its sub ...
engined diesel locomotives for the railways of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB classes 52, 53, 54, and Luxembourg ( CFL class 800 and class 1600). The company also supplied the
Israel Railways Israel Railways Ltd. , dba Israel Railways ( he, רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Rakevet Yisra'el''), is the state-owned principal railway company responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Israel. Isr ...
with its first diesel locomotives in 1952 with an EMD-powered Bo'Bo' design. In 1964, the company merged with the road and rail vehicle manufacturing company '' S.A. des Ateliers Germain'' based in
Monceau-sur-Sambre Monceau-sur-Sambre ( wa, Moncea-so-Sambe) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, ...
to form the ''Etablissements Germain-Anglo''.Alain Dewier, "Le site Germain-Anglo à La Louvière..", L’après Seconde Guerre mondiale By 1967, the new company was on the verge of collapse with an empty order book—the staff were given notice of the closure which instigated a strike and
sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
at the factory. The situation became one of national interest, with the workers receiving support from trade unions across the country; the prime minister,
Paul Vanden Boeynants Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants (; 22 May 1919 – 9 January 2001) was a Belgian politician.
Rulers. Retrieved 30 August 2014.< ...
, visited the factory to seek a resolution. On 1 June 1967, the workers returned to work, after several mitigation measures had been instigated, including short term transfer of staff to other rolling stock manufacturing companies, and large orders given to the metal fabrication plant. Despite this, in February 1968, the company ''Germain-Anglo'' ceased operation.Alain Dewier, "Le site Germain-Anglo à La Louvière..", La fin de la société In 1969, the site of the plant in La Croyère was acquired by developer ''Société Frabelmar'' and a
hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...
of , plus leisure facilities, was built, and opened in December 1970.Alain Dewier, "Le site Germain-Anglo à La Louvière..", Le devenir du site industriel, Cora, La Louvière. On site of former factory at La Croyère, La Louvière, Belgium.


Société Franco-Belge (1927-81)

Amongst other production in the 1930s, the ''Franco-Belge'' in
Raismes Raismes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The flutist Gaston Blanquart (1877–1962) was born in Raismes. Raismes is known for hosting the annual rock music festival Raismes Fest. Population Notable residents *Pierre ...
manufactured
Beyer, Peacock & Company Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, ...
designed 4-6-2+2-6-4 high speed ( achieved) '
Garratt A Garratt (often referred to as a Beyer Garratt) is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bridge ...
' locomotives for
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
, and also carriages for an imperial train built for
Emperor Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
of
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. The association as sub-contractor to Beyer, Peacock & Company continued to the 1950s. Over 80 Indian Railways WG class 2-8-2 locomotives were produced in the early 1950s before production capacity at the
Chittaranjan Locomotive Works Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) is an electric locomotive manufacturer based in India. The works are located at Chittaranjan in the Asansol Sadar subdivision of West Bengal, with an ancillary unit in Dankuni. The main unit is 32 km f ...
, India, was built up. During the 1970s, several hundred Corail coaches were built for the SNCF. In the late 1970s, the company won an order for 118 aluminium metro railcars (CQ310 series) for
MARTA Marta may refer to: People * Marta (given name), a feminine given name * Märta, a feminine given name * Marta (surname) :István Márta composer * Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer Places * Marta (river), an ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, USA. In 1982, the company, then known as ''Soferval-franco-belge'' (Société ferroviaire du Valenciennes), was acquired by
Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
after a period of poor management and financial problems.


Alstom Valenciennes

Under Alstom's ownership, the site at Raismes has been known as ''Alstom Petite-Forêt'', ''Alstom Valenciennes'', or ''Alstom Valenciennes Petite-Forêt'' (VPF). The factory site is adjacent to a rail test track established at the beginning of the 21st century, the ''Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire'', which is 61% owned by Alstom (2012). The test track, completed in 1999, includes 2.75 km suitable for testing at 100 km/h, a loop 1.85 km long for endurance testing at 80 km/h, and an 'S' shaped loop for testing trains with automatic control system (driverless). The industrial site at Raismes also houses several other engineering companies. At the beginning of the 21st century, the plant's future was uncertain; by 2009, the situation had reversed — the factory had contracts for production till 2016, and employed 1350 people. Contracts included metros and trains for RATP and RER (Paris), obtained as part of consortia including
Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
. The RER contract was worth €917 million, with a value to Alstom of €640 million. Within the Alstom group, the plant specialised in the design and production of metro trains, trams, and double-decker trains. In late 2015 the factory was allotted the construction of 90 Bmx driving motor vehicles as part of a €1.3 billion contract awarded to an Alstom/Bombardier consortium for 445 M7 doubledeck passenger vehicles from
SNCB french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen , type = Statutory corporation , industry = Rail Transport , foundation = 1926 , founder = Government of ...
.


See also

*
ANF Industrie Alstom Crespin, formerly Bombardier Transport France and ANF Industrie, is a French rolling stock manufacturer based at Crespin, in Hauts-de-France region, France. The company was acquired by Bombardier Transportation in 1989, then by Alstom in 20 ...
, as of 2012 owned by Bombardier Inc., located nearby in Crespin,
Arrondissement of Valenciennes The arrondissement of Valenciennes is an arrondissement of France in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region. It has 82 communes. Its population is 351,260 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement of Val ...
, in the north of France


Notes


References


Sources

* * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Societe Franco-Belge Defunct locomotive manufacturers of France Defunct rolling stock manufacturers of France Defunct locomotive manufacturers of Belgium Defunct rolling stock manufacturers of Belgium Companies based in Hainaut (province)