Decauville

The company Decauville , created in the Années 1870 was a railway manufacturer of material and handling, Cycle S and Automobile S.

Paul Decauville (1846-1922), initially farmer specialized in the production of Beet S, invented a type of way of railroad of weak spacing (40 to 60 centimetres) which took the name of “Decauville”. The way is made of entirely metal elements which can be dismounted and transport easily. This invention found applications in many fields: mining and industrial, service road of the fortifications. The tip trucks initially thorough with the hand or were tractor drawn by horses. Thereafter, of the cars of various forms and small the Locomotive S made of Decauville a true system of railroad. The appearance of the narrow gauge railways Decauville, but also of other manufacturers, constituted a major change while making it possible to move heavy loads easily at a time when the Brouette and the Tombereau dominated.

Railway material

Material with way of 60 cm

Emblem of the company, a complete range was developed as of the first years of production. Thereafter one will see appearing all the elements successively of what was almost a building set to try to meet any transport need. The concept was taken again besides by many industrialists of the time such as Koppel or Pétolat. It was a paramount strategic tool at the time of the First World War.

The idea and its origins

In 1853 the father of Paul Decauville, Armand, creates within the family farm a boiler forge in order to install distillings in the farms of the east of Paris. In 1864, Armand requires of his oldest son, Paul, to come to help it following troubles of health. Very quickly this last seeks to improve operation of the field. In 1867, in order to overcome a shortage of labor, Armand Decauville seeks a means of mechanizing the Labourage its fields. It selected an English system of engineer J. Fowler making it possible to plow using a transportable steam-engine and of a reversible plow. A repair shop of these machines supplemented that of boiler making. Armand Decauville dies in 1871. This same year, the Decauville workshops start to complete work of boiler making for the company PLM.

It is in 1875 that the things precipitate. Paul Decauville tests with the beginning of the year several means of transport in the enclosure even of his farm. Among those were the Système H. Corbin : a wood way, resembling a scale, whose amounts were covered with an iron angle. The tip trucks comprised one axle, each one resting on its precedent. After test of this system, he was considered to be fragile and rejected. This year there, the Decauville farm chose to cultivate sugar beet enormously and harvest is announced excellent, it rained also much and the ordinary means of transport (the Tombereau) prove to be unusable. Decauville remembers the Corbin system then and decides to make carry out by its workshops a way made up of two squares separated by 40 cm and fixed on Traverse S out of flat. Thus constituted, the unit was not inserted in the ground. In order to ensure the transport, inspired by the pace of the way, a workman had the idea to create small coaches of railroad, which was made. The unit seeming to function, being given the urgency of harvest, it was produced in quantity and made it possible to finish the Débardage before the first cold ones.

The first marketings

As of 1876, the workshops attempted to improve the system of way and rolling stock. It was consequently occasion generalized within the farm: evacuation of Manure, transport of parts in the workshops, etc After a little less than one year of tests and improvements the first elements were marketed: ways and a frame of tip truck, to adapt according to the needs for the purchaser.

In order to show the effectiveness of its system of “portable” railroad, Decauville obtained the concession of the Tramway of Pithiviers with Toury (TPT) which ensured until 1964 an important beet traffic like episodically the transport of passengers.

Two years after the episode of beets, the success of the Porteur Decauville was such as elements were sent to the four corners of planet, as the table below indicates it. The year of this statement, in 1878, one notes also the first use of a railroad to narrow gauge railway within a World Fair, since 2 km of way to the spacing of 50 cm will be used for the installation of the exhibitors. Decauville proposes the use of these ways for passenger transport, but the authorization is refused to him by it. He will propose the same installation with the Zoological gardens which will accept it. This small train, with the spacing of 50 cm, always exists.

Material with metric gauge Track

August 1st The Decauville productions in the field of the metric gauge track began about 1896 by one 020 from five tons with vacuum. Competition making rage in this field, the company obtained a reduced but sufficiently general-purpose range. Thus to the catalog 1897, five types are indicated: from 13 to 23 tons moving. Towed material side, one finds only two coaches: a tip-wagon " girafe" and a dish with ballast. To the catalog 1908 the range largely extended, with the detriment of the way of 60: 20 car models are available, of which several especially adapted to the tropical climates. One also counts 14 types of coaches, the majority covered. Material side of traction, the 5 types are always present, but they were refined. It is at that time that Decauville starts to specialize in the equipment of networks for the colonies. One then sees appearing very large machines with metric gauge track, up to 32 T for those intended for the railroad of the French Sudan.

In 1939, the Decauville company builds 3 Autorail S of type DXW for Yunnan in Indo-China. However the Guerre of Indo-China prevented their forwarding. In 1951, they were repurchased by the SNCF which has them affected with the Breton Réseau.

The material Z 600 of the Ligne Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine was manufactured by Decauville. It was delivered in 1958.

Material with normal Way

engines with Vapeur

August 1st

Rail-cars

The interest of engineers de Decauville for this kind of machine, gathering driving and compartments travellers, existed since 1896. This year, in collaboration with Leon Wild thyme, they built a railcar with vapor. This manufacture is the first of the Decauville establishments besides for the way " normale".

In 1932, the company accepted a ordering of North for two rail-cars with tubular case of 2× 130 ch. Ceux- Ci will be registered ZZ 13 and 14 then cd. 1001 and 1002 with the SNCF. The construction and the tests of these rail-cars were followed closely by the other networks. The PLM, in its turn and according to the Northern model of the rail-cars, ordered seven then nine rail-cars. Their largely increased power (2× 320 ch) and the electric drive were to intend them for the lines of mountain of the network. Their particular esthetics made them baptize Nez of pig . Registered P1 with 9 with their delivery in 1938, they finished their career under numbers the SNCF X 52001 to 9. The State ordered also two rail-cars of this family. Mûs by two engines To smoke of 150 CV, they reached 130 km/h easily. Re-examined esthetics it also approached curiously that of current TGV.

In 1937, Decauville took part with many other manufacturers in a project of “standard rail-car”. 53 vehicles were built of 1937 to 1939, including 23 cases by Decauville.

This same year, the engineers of the company, in search of new solutions, built a particularly astonishing rail-car, since its propulsion was ensured by a Hélice! This rail-car, very inspired of the aeronautical techniques, was ordered by the company of North “to solve the problem of braking at high speed”. The tests of this machine except standards do not seem to have been conclusive. This machine, very damaged in 1945, forever repaired. It should be noted that a second Brevet was deposited by Decauville about 1950 for a rail-car with Turbine. The prototype was on the other hand never built.

Thereafter, of 1950 to 1954, Decauville manufactured the rail-cars unified of 600 ch, registered X 2401 to 2479. Lastly, and they were last constructions of rail-cars, the X 2801 to 16 were built of 1955 to 1960.

In addition to these machines, Decauville was made a speciality of the construction of trailers of rail-cars. Vehicles which were to be light and yet very rigid. One counts among the productions of the company for the SNCF:

XR B 6001 to 6015 (1939), second class. This material of 15 tons only circulated during 39 years!

XR AB 7201 to 7720 (1948), first and second, resulting from the preceding ones. 17 tons with vacuum. The cauldron of these trailers was then taken again to constitute that of the “unified trailers”, built to several hundreds of specimens.
XR 7301 to 7350, trailers of RGP, painted with the same colors.
XR 7351 to 7410, gone divided with the General Company of Constructions. 1st and 2nd classes.
XR 8100 to 8293, of 1956 to 1962.

One does not count here the trailers, sometimes produced with the unit, for innumerable African railroads, and which, on the whole, are certainly more than 300. One does not quote either the last series of trailers, produced in 1961 in collaboration with Socié “” t-piece Lorraine, bearing on 102 trailers with Bogie S intended for the Argentinian railroads .

Power trolleys

August 1st

Other manufacture

In addition to the railway field, the company very early diversified in many fields: agricultural machinery, electrical motors, cycles and Automobile S by proposing the “voiturelle one” in 1898.

Cycles

From 1891 to 1902, Decauville produced six models of cycles of which some were equipped in order to be able to circulate on railway, by addition of a system made up of three tubes and of a roller. The emblematic production of this range was that of the Tricycle S, which were useful, inter alia, basic with the prototype Of Dion-Button.

Car

The Decauville company engaged in the car with dimensions of the company Of Dion-Button for which it had produced 3000 motor tricycles. After several years of studies, Decauville presented its voiturelle (1898 - 1903). This small vehicle of three places, conceived with Bordeaux by two engineers of the Maritime Transport, was equipped with a petrol engine. Decauville studied a new frame which was presented in 1902 to the living room of the cycle. Surprisingly modular (it was possible to interchange benches and engines) this model Decauville 1902 was a great success. However as of 1907 the orders decrease and a crisis starts. The little of reactivity of Decauville caused the stop of the activity of the “automobile” branch in 1909. The sale of models in stock continued however until in 1911.

Various significant constructions

Plane tilted motorized, being used to cross uneven. The movement was ensured by counterweight of water and automatic system of draining.
portable Bridges, Eiffel patent, proposed of 1884 to 1897. These bridges, entirely modular weighed 250 kg per linear meter while ensuring resistance to 4 tons of load for a bridge of 20 Mr. the heaviest elements weighed 145 kg.
Lifting devices elevating, with the catalog of 1880 to 1970, including/understanding many models of fixed or mobile cranes. The last crane produced by Decauville in 1986 was intended for the RATP in order to ensure the installation of sections of ways.
Tools. The tools proposed by Decauville went from the tool to hand to the specialized machines, like the presses to be fixed of a force of 800 tons, precise with the tenth of millimetre. The factory of Moulins was specialized in the manufacture of tools “D.A.C.” to carbide.
Mechanical shovels and excavators also belonged to the productions. The model produced since 1903 fact state of a lifting power of 16 tons for a bucket containing 2 m ³. This machine, mobile, circulated on a railway with the spacing of 2,60 Mr.

The railway production stopped in the Années 1970 to turn to the road body (tipcarts and cisterns) to the sides of the Marrel company. This one will absorb the workshops a little later involving the disappearance of the Decauville company.

The Decauville companies

Family farm in Decauville SA, the company with taken various denominations among which it is not always easy to be found. The first manufacture was done in and for the farm of Decauville, it thus was not strictly speaking about a company since its activities were drowned in those related to agriculture.

“Company Decauville Ainé” is the first true company. It is founded on September 22nd, 1887 in the honor of Armand Decauville, the father of Paul.
Two years later, in order to be able to create the railroad of the World Fair, Paul, Emile and Marie Decauville decide to wind up the initial company to create of it a news, equipped with more important means. This “Company of the Establishments Decauville Ainé” is substituted for the first and is equipped with a capital of 20 million on November 13rd, 1889.
About 1892, a series of financial operations and a lawsuit made plunge the actions of the company. These actions benefitted with competition and particularly Arthur Koppel. To leave itself these businesses, Paul Decauville decided once again to wind up the company to form of it the “New Company of the Establishments Decauville Ainé”, which was made in June 1894. The capital was tiny room to 7 then 4 million. The group De Wendel has a big part of this capital. Paul Decauville gives up the company, in dissension with the board of directors.
In 1956, the markets of the company and the economy evolving/moving, “Decauville S.A.” was created. This change of denomination, caused by a change of majority shareholder (Whittaker group) involved the abandonment of the railway activities.
Lastly, the “Decauville Industrial society” is created on August 26th, 1985. Its shareholders are Marrel, Decauville S.A. and SAPHEM. The factory of Corbeil is only preserved.

Factories

The company was based a long time with Évry-Small-Borough before being established with Corbeil in the Département of the Essonne.

The workshops of Petit-Bourg were created in 1853 in a body of farm by Amand Decauville, the father of Paul. They first of all built distillings with beets and various products of boiler making. After the invention of the “Decauville carrier” in 1876, the workshops start to produce material of railroad. The factory of Corbeil opened its doors in 1881 in order to replace the workshops of Petit-Bourg, become too small, to close again them in 1978. Several additional factories were create, they are indicated below.

Decauville also had the following factories:

Diano Marina (Italy), yielded in 1895.
Saint-Lambert (Belgium) open the same year and which manufactured material of way. This factory was exchanged with a factory of Fives, pertaining to the establishments Orenstein and Koppel Arthur in 1911.
Small-Synthe (Northern) open in 1903, producing the material bound for the colonies. This factory was sold in 1922 and its activities taken again by the factory of Inlays.
Mills, built in 1918, envisaged in order to be able to carry out a folding up of the activities. This factory was to produce military material (tanks, Obus), which it made forever with the final one. Its activities were especially located in the construction and the maintenance of coaches for the companies PLM and PO. This factory was sold in 1959.
Inlay-lez-Lille, was built in 1923, replacing the destroyed factories of Fives-Lilles and the Company Inhabitant of Lille, was specialized in the mining material and the basic ways.
Aulnay-sous-Bois, workshops belonging to the subsidiary company Company Inhabitant of Lille, built the last steam engines of the Decauville group. These workshops were especially workloads of construction and maintenance of boilers.

World Fair of 1889

The railroad Decauville was one of attractions headlight of this World Fair. Circulating between the Invalid Champ de Mars and the on a line with especially established way of 60, with engines and a material towed " catalog" this provisional line transported several million people (6 342.446 paying travellers) without only one accident. This railroad was inaugurated on May 4th, 1889.

The stations served on the three km of course were:

Esplanade of the Invalid
Station of the Harmony
Halt of agriculture, close to the palate of Spain
Halt of the food, close to the palate of food industries
Station of the Trocadéro - Eiffel Tower

The line was established in rails of 9,5 kg/m and comprised two tunnels: that of Alma (20 m) and the tower Eiffel (106 m).

Following this World Fair, the ministry for transport authorized the use of railroads to narrow gauge railway for the transport of the people without the exemptions before obligatory.

See too

General information

Narrow gauge railway
Funicular System Péchot
of Montmartre

Networks with ways of 0,60, “standard Decauville”

Tram of Pithiviers with Toury, conceded in Decauville.
Railroads of the Apple-brandy

External bonds

agricultural Railroad to narrow gauge railway
the museum Decauville
Musée Decauville in Holland
ways of sixty Site devoted to the history of the ways of 60 in France as well military as civil
Manufacture of a model reduced to live steam of 020 Decauville

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