Gare de Chambly
Encyclopedia
The Gare de Chambly is a railway station located 500 metres from the centre of the commune of Chambly
(Oise department), France
. It is on the Épinay-Villetaneuse–Le Tréport-Mers railway
and is served by TER Picardie
trains from Paris to Beauvais.
The SNCF
's Moulin Neuf Industrial Equipment Facility (formerly the Moulin Neuf Works) is also at Chambly.
to Le Tréport-Mers, between the Gare de Persan-Beaumont
and the Gare de Bornel-Belle-Église
. The Moulin Neuf facility is at kilometre mark 39,445.
The station has a passenger building with a ticket office which is open daily, plus automatic ticket dispensers. There is a carpark nearby. Access to the platforms, which are equipped with shelters, is via an underground passage.
The station is served by approximately 20 TER Picardie trains a day in each direction on weekdays and approximately ten in each direction on weekends and public holiday
s.
s) for equipping new strategic lines and repairing existing behind the lines track. Installations were overseen by the 5th Engineer Regiment, the only unit of the French Army
which specialised in railway works.
At the end of the war, the military relinquished the facilities and the Nord company took possession of them again in order to rebuild their track and installations, which had suffered considerably from the years of conflict.
In 1920, wood processing facilities which had been established before the war at Villers-Cotterêts
were moved to Moulin Neuf. Since the railway had significant needs for treated wood, notably for making sleeper
s, a sawmill, a joinery and a carpentry shop were set up at Moulin Neuf, as well as facilities for impregnating and creosoting
wood and chairing sleepers.
The facilities continued to be enlarged with the creation of an electric power station
, forge
and machine shops, and in 1933 the works had 850 employees and included an apprentice school. Moulin Neuf provided the Nord rail network with everything necessary for construction and upkeep in terms of wood, tooling, and track.
From 1931 on, Moulin Neuf took over the functions of the former works at Ermont and was enlarged onto another 10 hectares, with a gantry and a workshop for machining
rail
s. At the beginning of the Second World War, more than 1,000 people worked on site; in the early 1960s, 1,150.
The Nord company built 160 units of housing for their workers in a company town
at Chambly between 1920 and 1930; after 1930 this grew by roughly 100 houses.
The site was bombed on several occasions, particularly in 1944. On 2 May 1944 the Royal Air Force
dropped more than 1,200 explosive incendiary bombs, causing significant damage to the works.
In the early 1950s, the facilities for repair and manufacturing of rail track material was one of the largest in Europe. It covered more than 90 hectares, a portion of which was within the commune of Le Mesnil-en-Thelle
. The site is crisscrossed by 50 km of track. Since 1966, it has been called the Moulin Neuf Industrial Equipment Facility.
It still employs 500 workers.
Chambly, Oise
Chambly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
(Oise department), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is on the Épinay-Villetaneuse–Le Tréport-Mers railway
Épinay-Villetaneuse–Le Tréport-Mers railway
The railway from Épinay-Villetaneuse to Le Tréport-Mers is a French 173-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to Le Tréport on the English Channel coast. It was opened in several stages between 1872 and 1877.-Route:...
and is served by TER Picardie
TER Picardie
TER Picardie is the regional rail network serving the Picardy region of France. It is based at the Gare d'Amiens in the town of Amiens.- Rail :- Road :- Multiple units:* SNCF Class Z 26500* SNCF Class X 4630* SNCF Class X 72500...
trains from Paris to Beauvais.
The SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
's Moulin Neuf Industrial Equipment Facility (formerly the Moulin Neuf Works) is also at Chambly.
Passenger station
The passenger station is located at kilometre mark 40,880 on the line from Épinay-VilletaneuseGare d'Épinay-Villetaneuse
The Gare d'Épinay-Villetaneuse is a railway station located in the commune of Épinay-sur-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis department, France. It is also adjacent to the communes of Montmagny and Deuil-la-Barre in Val d'Oise....
to Le Tréport-Mers, between the Gare de Persan-Beaumont
Gare de Persan-Beaumont
The Gare de Persan-Beaumont is a railway station in Persan , France, near Beaumont-sur-Oise. It is located at the junction of the Épinay-Villetaneuse–Le Tréport-Mers railway and the Pierrelaye–Creil railway. The station is served by trains of the Transilien line H and the TER Picardie...
and the Gare de Bornel-Belle-Église
Gare de Bornel-Belle-Église
Gare de Bornel-Belle-Église is a rail station located in Bornel , France and serves nearby Belle-Église. It is served by TER Picardie trains from Paris-Nord to Beauvais.-Gallery:...
. The Moulin Neuf facility is at kilometre mark 39,445.
The station has a passenger building with a ticket office which is open daily, plus automatic ticket dispensers. There is a carpark nearby. Access to the platforms, which are equipped with shelters, is via an underground passage.
The station is served by approximately 20 TER Picardie trains a day in each direction on weekdays and approximately ten in each direction on weekends and public holiday
Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year....
s.
Moulin Neuf Industrial Equipment Facility
During the First World War, the French military decided to establish a facility at Chambly for repairing strategic infrastructure behind the front lines. This is the origin of the Moulin Neuf works, which opened in 1916 and in 1917 was augmented with a site for the construction of track equipment (such as pointRailroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
s) for equipping new strategic lines and repairing existing behind the lines track. Installations were overseen by the 5th Engineer Regiment, the only unit of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
which specialised in railway works.
At the end of the war, the military relinquished the facilities and the Nord company took possession of them again in order to rebuild their track and installations, which had suffered considerably from the years of conflict.
In 1920, wood processing facilities which had been established before the war at Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Geography:It is located NE of Paris via the RN2 facing Laon...
were moved to Moulin Neuf. Since the railway had significant needs for treated wood, notably for making sleeper
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
s, a sawmill, a joinery and a carpentry shop were set up at Moulin Neuf, as well as facilities for impregnating and creosoting
Creosote
Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties...
wood and chairing sleepers.
The facilities continued to be enlarged with the creation of an electric power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
, forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
and machine shops, and in 1933 the works had 850 employees and included an apprentice school. Moulin Neuf provided the Nord rail network with everything necessary for construction and upkeep in terms of wood, tooling, and track.
From 1931 on, Moulin Neuf took over the functions of the former works at Ermont and was enlarged onto another 10 hectares, with a gantry and a workshop for machining
Machining
Conventional machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, in which a collection of material-working processes utilizing power-driven machine tools, such as saws, lathes, milling machines, and drill presses, are used with a sharp cutting tool to physical remove material to achieve a desired...
rail
Rail profile
The rail profile is the cross sectional shape of a railway rail, perpendicular to the length of the rail.In all but very early cast iron rails, a rail is hot rolled steel of a specific cross sectional profile designed for use as the fundamental component of railway track.Unlike some other uses of...
s. At the beginning of the Second World War, more than 1,000 people worked on site; in the early 1960s, 1,150.
The Nord company built 160 units of housing for their workers in a company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
at Chambly between 1920 and 1930; after 1930 this grew by roughly 100 houses.
The site was bombed on several occasions, particularly in 1944. On 2 May 1944 the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
dropped more than 1,200 explosive incendiary bombs, causing significant damage to the works.
In the early 1950s, the facilities for repair and manufacturing of rail track material was one of the largest in Europe. It covered more than 90 hectares, a portion of which was within the commune of Le Mesnil-en-Thelle
Le Mesnil-en-Thelle
Le Mesnil-en-Thelle is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-References:*...
. The site is crisscrossed by 50 km of track. Since 1966, it has been called the Moulin Neuf Industrial Equipment Facility.
It still employs 500 workers.
Sources
- "Moulin-Neuf, domaine du rail et de la traverse", Notre métier: l'hebdomadaire de la vie du rail 281 (8 January 1951)