The voiture État, nicknamed hen-house due to is numerous windows is a type of railway

passenger car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

. These cars disposed of an indestructible chassis below a wooden frame and equipped with a door for each compartment. The cars were built from 1902 to 1927 by the

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. History Birth of the company The Compa ...

(later incorporated in the

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. History The company was established by state order of the Third Republ ...

) for use on omnibus and intercity services of the company. 488 cars were modernised from 1952 to 1961 with a replacement metallic frame in replacement of the wooden one as well as the construction of a central corridor. Only a very few coaches remain in preservation, most of which at Pont-Erambourg.

See also