Creation of the Company
The Departmental Railways Company was created on 4 August 1881 by Paul Mathias Zens with bankers, particularly Belgian bankers, and private railway companies as shareholders.
Obtaining a concession in Port Boulet Chateaurenaud
It is in Indre-Et-Loire that the first concession of the Company was obtained between Port-Boulet and Château-Renault for a period of 74 years.
Obtaining the Valognes and Montebourg concession in Barfleur
The Company obtains the State's approval for the purchase and implementation of the Valognes concession at Barfleur. This is a normal track network that CFD undertakes to build and for which it very quickly orders three three-axle locomotives coupled to the Le Creusot company at a price of 45,500 francs each.
Concessions in the Yonne, Seine et Marne, Indre-et-Loire and Corsica / Opening of the line
Start of operation of the first CFD line between Port-Boulet and Château-Renault, whose trains will be pulled by three-axle steam locomotives manufactured in Liege.
Vivarais network concessions
Signing of the concession for the Vivarais network for a line of approximately 100 kilometres, which will then be extended to 200 kilometres.
Opening of the La-Roche-Migennes line at L'isle-sur-Serein
The operation of the line from La-Roche-Migennes to L'Isle-Sur-Serein began on 15 October 1887 with 6 locomotive-tenders bought from the St Léonard establishments at the price of 26500 francs per machine .
Opening Corsican lines
The Corsican railway network was opened to operation on 1 February 1888 on the Bastia-Corte section
signing of the contract for the construction of the Tiaret line in Mostaganem
The Franco-Algerian Company entrusted the CFD Company with the task of building the Tiaret Mostaganem line for which it had the concession.
Concession of St. Cecilia d'Andorge in Florac
Signing of the concessiion of the network of Sainte-Cécile-d'Andorge in Florac
Resumption of the Chemins-de-Fer-de-l'Yonne operation
CFD is appointed as the new dealer of the Sens line in Egreville
Takeover of the Dordogne Railways operation
The Dordogne network from which CFD had bought the concession is transformed into a leaseholding system
Opening of the Ghisonaccia line to Solenzara
Opening of the Ghisonaccia to Solenzara line on the Corsican network.
Farming Dijon in Epinac and Maison-Dieu in Dracy-st-Loup and operation of trams in the Vendee region
CFD signs a leasing contract for the Morvan line for its rail operation
Creation of the Montmirail workshops
One of the first locotractors manufactured in Montmirail for the company SODEC.
Asynchro box patent
Patenting of the Asynchro box by Michel Honnoré and Pierre Zens
Commissioning of the BB 60001
The BB 60001 will be leased to the SNCF and will then be used to order the BB 71000 series
Asynchro Boxes for Y7400
Delivery of the first series of 120 Asynchro boxes for the SNCF Y7400 locotractors. The final delivery will be 490 units.
BB 71000
Realization of the design and studies of the BB 71000 SNCF which will be manufactured by Fives-Lille with an Asynchro CFD box
Asynchro boxes for BB 71000
Delivery of the Asynchro gearboxes designed by CFD to equip the BB 71000 of the SNCF (French national railway company)
CC 80001 Belphégor
The mythical CC80001 locomotive is born and develops 3000 horsepower with its two Asynchro gearboxes.
Autorails Provence
First generation of railcars manufactured by the Company with Asynchro boxes and bogie pendulum suspension.
BB 600 Speno
Delivery of the first series of BB 600 locomotives for the Speno company
Delivery of the X2000 railcar in Corsica
New generation of railcars manufactured for the Corsican network with Asynchro boxes and bogie pendulum suspension.
Delivery autorails X 2000 in Provence
Delivery in Provence of railcars identical to the X 2000 supplied to the Corsican network.
BB 1500H TSO
Realization of BB twin-engine locomotives of 1400 horsepower for the TSO company.
BB 800 Cordemais
Manufacture of type BB 800 H locomotives for the EDF Cordemais power station.
Centenary of the Cie
On the occasion of its centenary, the Company is organising an exhibition of railway equipment on Avenue de Friedland, in front of its head office.
locotractor Transfesa
Delivery to the Transfesa company of 3 locotractors equipped with variable gauge axles for manoeuvring at the French-Spanish border.
POMA 2000 /
Delivery of the POMA 2000 vehicles that will ensure the service between the upper and lower city of Laon
Delivery railcar X240 white-silver
Delivery of CFD X240 railcars to the Silver-white metric network
BB 1500 Indonesia
Realization of BB metric track locomotives with 1500 horsepower and 120 km/h top speed.
Rainbow Funicular
Delivery of the trains of the funicular linking Bourg-St-Maurice to Les Arcs station
asmidal locotractors
Realization of the B350 locotractors for the company Asmidal in Annaba, Algeria.
Transformation of Riverain by operating industrial railway sidings
After abandoning its road transport activities, Riverain, a subsidiary of CFD, began operating industrial sites by rail.
Renfe Hi-Rail
Realization of 6 rail-roads for catenary inspections for the Spanish railways.
BB Ferrovial
Contract with the Algerian company Ferrovial for the manufacture in Algeria of locomotives under CFD licence.
Funicular railway of Tignes
Realization of the vehicles of the funicular of Tignes
Creation of CFD Bagnères
Takeover by CFD of the former SOULE plant for the manufacture of railway rolling stock.
Creation of Transmontagne
CFD participates in the creation of Transmontagne as the first shareholder.
Revision BB Guinea and Benin
Reconstruction of Alstom locomotives from Portugal to Guinea and Benin.
Han Caves / Ferrovial 2nd series /
Realization of walking machines for the tourist network of the Han Caves.
Scheuchzer Grizzly / Holderbank
Construction of the BB "Grizzly" locomotive for the Scheuchzer company
corsica railcar type Soulé / Loc Ethiopia
Manufacture of railcars X 97050 for Corsica according to the model already made by SOULE
B350 diesel electric Evian / Road-rail Oslo
Delivery of a track maintenance hi-rail for the Oslo metro.
GCT / 2nd Grizzly Scheuchzer series / Creation of 3DRD /
Manufacture of metric track locotractors for the Tunisian Chemical Group.
railcar white-silver
Delivery of the new generation of railcars for the Blanc-Argent network.
Delivery of RATP locomotives
Manufacture of TME locomotives for RATP
Bison
Realization of a 100 horsepower BB locomotive for the Scheuchzer company.
signature contract Euskotren + scheuchzer series 3
Launch of hybrid locomotive manufacturing for the Euskotren company.
Delivery Corsica railcars
Delivery of AMG railcars to the Corsican Railways.
Railcar delivery Tunisia
Delivery of AMT railcars to the Tunisian Railways
Control of CP railcars
The Chemins de Fer de Provence orders railcars of a model identical to the AMP and AMT.
INFFLUX and Rouxel takeover
The group develops an IT sector by taking control of INFFLUX and Rouxel Informatique
somiphos locotractor
Design and manufacturing of the B2D33 locotractor by 3DRD for the Somiphos company in Algeria.
For 70 years until the Second World War, the Company built and operated new railway lines. Its success was based on its ability to set up the financing of the projects, to control their implementation and management.
After the nationalization of the majority of railway lines, the Company has developed for 50 years an activity of construction of railway rolling stock. The first successes were due firstly to the technical innovation of the Asynchro gearbox, then to the implementation of management tools for industrial units, which enabled it to turn around the various units it took over.
For more than 25 years, the Company has diversified its activities to areas other than the railway sector, first as a reference shareholder in the operation of ski resorts, and then for more than 10 years in the field of information technology and technical equipment for industry.
The Soulé railway equipment factory was bankrupt when CFD took it over with a workforce reduced to around twenty people. It was developed under the name CFD Bagnères by delegating responsibility to the former Soulé managers but with CFD methods, which allowed for profitable growth and the workforce grew to over 200 people. In order to give CFD Bagnères even better sustainability and development, CFD sought a high-quality industrial partner and gradually transferred this unit to the Spanish group CAF.
CFD's entrepreneurial spirit is always based on the same principles: mastery of management, adaptation to change, delegation of responsibility, keeping in mind that the success of the whole must be achieved by opting for the best solution for each unit.
