Société Franco-Belge

Société Franco-Belge
Company type	Private
Industry	Railway rolling stock manufacturing
Founded	1859; 167 years ago
Founder	Charles Evrard
Fate	Acquired by Alstom in 1982
Headquarters	Raismes, France
Area served	France, Belgium, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America
Products	Railway vehicles, locomotives, passenger coaches, freight wagons
Number of employees	1350 (2009)
Parent	Alstom (from 1982)

The Société Franco-Belge was an engineering company operating across France and Belgium, primarily engaged in manufacturing railway vehicles and related components. It 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. In 1881, the company expanded by creating the Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer and established a manufacturing facility in Raismes, located in the Département Nord of France.

In 1927, the enterprise split into two separate entities: the Belgian branch became Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (SAFB), while the French operations continued under the name Société Franco-Belge.

During World War I, the factories ceased their usual production and were converted into sawmills. In World War II, they shifted focus to manufacturing Kriegslokomotives. SAFB combined with Ateliers Germain in 1964 but ultimately shut down in 1968 due to a decline in orders.

The French Franco-Belge facility at Raismes was acquired by Alstom in 1982. By 2012, the site operated as Alstom Petite-Forêt, Valenciennes, a subsidiary specializing in metros, trams, and double-deck trains. Adjacent to this location is the Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire, a dedicated railway testing track.

History

In 1859, Charles Evrard merged his firm Ateliers Charles Evrard based in Brussels with Parmentier Freres et Cie. from La Croyère, Belgium, forming the Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer (officially registered in 1862) with a capital of one million francs. Evrard assumed the role of director. At the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle, the company presented locomotives, passenger carriages, iron freight wagons, and steam-powered rail cranes.

By 1881, operations at the Brussels plant ceased and equipment was transferred to reduce urban pollution levels. The Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer was founded with capital amounting to eight million francs, including investment from Banque franco-égyptienne. A new factory was established in Raismes to penetrate the French market despite protectionist barriers; initially, it assembled components manufactured in Belgium. The company produced a comprehensive range of railway rolling stock. Charles Evrard passed away in 1896.

In 1911, the company adopted the name Société Franco Belge de Matérial de Chemins de Fer, manufacturing locomotives, passenger coaches, and specialized freight wagons for Belgian and private French railways while exporting products across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

Prior to 1914, Belgian interests dominated the board of directors; however, after 1914 control transitioned predominantly to French investors based in Paris. Production capacity reached approximately fifty locomotives and over fifteen hundred carriages and wagons annually. During German occupation in World War I, the Raismes plant resisted orders for repair work and instead operated as a sawmill.

In 1927, the company’s French and Belgian divisions separated: the Belgian facility at La Croyère became known as Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (SAFB), supported by English capital and focusing on manufacturing metal and wooden transport equipment; meanwhile, French operations continued under the name Franco-Belge.

Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (1927–64)

In 1939, SAFB expanded by acquiring two metalworking factories located in Seneffe and Godarville (Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont), both situated within Belgium’s Hainaut province. During World War II under occupation, SAFB produced more than one hundred locomotives for the Deutsche Reichsbahn and carried out maintenance work. The company’s director, Gilbert Bostsarron, participated in the French resistance and was executed in 1944 following exposure of his network.

After the war, SAFB encountered financial hardships partly due to losing overseas markets to American competitors. During the 1950s, it manufactured diesel locomotives powered by Electro-Motive Diesel engines for Belgian National Railways (NMBS/SNCB classes 52, 53, 54) as well as Luxembourg’s CFL (classes 800 and 1600). Additionally, it supplied Israel Railways with their first diesel locomotives in 1952 featuring an EMD-powered Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement.

In 1964, SAFB merged with road and rail vehicle producer S.A. des Ateliers Germain based in Monceau-sur-Sambre, creating Etablissements Germain-Anglo. By 1967, facing a complete lack of orders led to a strike and occupation of facilities by workers. The crisis attracted national attention prompting intervention from Prime Minister Paul Vanden Boeynants. Following remedial actions including staff redeployments and new contracts, operations resumed on June 1st, 1967. Despite these efforts, Germain-Anglo ceased activities entirely by February 1968.

In 1969, Société Frabelmar purchased the La Croyère site and developed it into a commercial complex featuring a hypermarket and leisure amenities that opened in December 1970.

Société Franco-Belge (1927–1981)

During the 1930s, the Franco-Belge facility in Raismes produced high-speed 4-6-2+2-6-4 'Garratt' locomotives, designed by Beyer, Peacock & Company, capable of reaching speeds up to , which were destined for Algeria. Additionally, the company constructed carriages for the imperial train of Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia. Throughout the 1950s, it continued to operate as a subcontractor for Beyer, Peacock & Company. In the early 1950s, the firm also built over 80 2-8-2 locomotives of the WG class for Indian Railways before production shifted to the expanded facilities at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works in India.

In the 1970s, Société Franco-Belge manufactured several hundred Corail passenger coaches for SNCF and secured a significant contract to produce 118 aluminium metro cars (CQ310 series) for the MARTA subway system in Atlanta, United States.

By 1982, after adopting the name Soferval-franco-belge (Société ferroviaire du Valenciennes), financial challenges led to its acquisition by Alstom.

Alstom Valenciennes

Following its integration into Alstom, the Raismes plant became known as Alstom Petite-Forêt, Alstom Valenciennes, or Alstom Valenciennes Petite-Forêt (VPF). It is located adjacent to the Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire, a rail testing facility established in the early 2000s and majority-owned (61% as of 2012) by Alstom. Completed in 1999, this test center includes a 2.75 km track designed for trials at speeds up to 100 km/h, a 1.85 km circuit intended for endurance testing at 80 km/h, and an S-shaped loop dedicated to automatic control system evaluations. The industrial complex also accommodates multiple engineering companies.

By 2009, the factory had secured production orders extending through to 2016 and employed approximately 1,350 personnel. Among its primary contracts were metro and train units for the RATP and RER networks in Paris, awarded through partnerships with Bombardier Transportation. The RER contract alone was valued at €917 million, with Alstom’s share amounting to €640 million. Within the Alstom group, this facility specializes in designing and manufacturing metro vehicles, trams, and double-deck trains.

In late 2015, the factory received an assignment to produce 90 Bmx driving motor cars as part of a €1.3 billion contract granted to an Alstom/Bombardier consortium for delivering 445 M7 double-deck passenger coaches commissioned by the SNCB.

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