The Chemin de fer des Chanteraines (Railway of Chanteraines) or CFC is a 600 mm narrow gauge tourist railway with six stations and 4.5 kilometers length in the Parc de Chanteraines in the French villages of Gennevilliers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne west of Paris. It opened in 1981 and its purpose is to link the different parts of the park.
History At the beginning of the 1970s, on the initiative of Roger Prévot, mayor of Villeneuve-la-Garenne from May 1953 until his death on October 6, 1999, the General Council of the Hauts-de-Seine department, of which he was vice-president at the time, decided to build the Chanteraines departmental park. Three years after the opening of the first section of the park, the original 3.1-kilometer-long route between Pont d'Épinay station (now Les Mariniers) and Passage de Verdure station above the A86 autoroute, was put into operation in 1981. This connected the various areas of the park. In spring 1984, under an agreement with the Hauts-de-Seine General Council, the Chemin de Fer des Chanteraines (CFC) association took over the operation of the route and the maintenance of the tracks and rolling stock. In July 1991, with the expansion of the park to the south, the line was also extended to the new terminus Les Tilliers-RER (now Gennevilliers RER) with a transition to line C of the RER and tramway Line T1. On the occasion of this line extension, a second depot building was built at the train yard next to the first. In October 2009, the CFC association organized the 19th International Narrow Gauge Railway Meeting. From 2010 to 2012, the northern section of the line behind the Les Fiancés station to Les Mariniers was completely renovated and was not used during this period. On March 22, 2023, the e OBO-01, the first of two purely battery-electric locomotives, equipped with compressed air brakes and built by the Compagnie de chemins de fer départementaux (CFD) in Paris, arrived at the CFC depot. After test runs in April, including with four wagons loaded with cement sacks, the locomotive made its first public passenger journeys on the open day in May. On the long Ascension weekend from 9 to 12 May 2024, the CFC club celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Vehicles The following lists are not exhaustive and will need to be completed or updated over time (last updated in May 2024):
Steam locomotives Photo Type No. CFC Constructor, Year No. constructor Status Technical data 0-2-0T 3 Decauville, 1914 No. 876 Operational Named "Vincent" Purchased in 2003 Length: 3.6 m, Weight: 5.5 t Engine power: 35 ch Coal bunker capacity: 300 kg Water tank capacity: 1000 l 0-3-0T 6 Decauville, 1920 No. 1770 Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Named "Chanteraine" Purchased in 1987 Length: 4.6 m, Weight: 8.0 t, Maximum speed: 20 km/h Engine power: 60 ch Coal bunker capacity: 600 kg Water tank capacity: 1150 l 0-2-0T 12 Orenstein & Koppel, 1905 No. 1627 Operational Named "Bertha" Purchased on 23. May 1992 Length: 4.2 m, Weight: 6.5 t Coal bunker capacity: 390 kg Water tank capacity: 550 l 0-2-0T 13 Decauville/Borsig, 1911 No. 8069 Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Named "Tabamar" Purchased on 11. April 1994 Length: 4.4 m 0-2-0T 18 Decauville, 1914 No. 869 Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Named "La Bouillote" Purchased in 2001 Length: 4.7 m, Weight: 5.0 t, Maximum speed: 20 km/h Engine power: 35 ch Coal bunker capacity: 300 kg Water tank capacity: 1000 l 0-3-0T 19 Orenstein & Koppel, 1914 No. 7429 Operational Named "Camille" Purchased in 2001 Length: 4.5 m, Weight: 7.5 t Engine power: 50 ch Coal bunker capacity: 460 kg Water tank capacity: 1020 l 0-2-0T 27 CFC, 2016 Operational Named "Stoker" Vertical boiler locomotive Built in a traditional way by the CFC 0-2-0T Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Named "Fuji" Vertical boiler locomotive Built by an individual with a steamboat engine Purchased in 2019
Diesel locomotives Photo Type No. CFC Constructor, Year Status Technical data Diesel-hydraulic OBO-01 & 02 Socofer, 1981 Operational Length: 4.4 m, Weight: 7.5 t, Maximum speed: 16 km/h Motor Deutz F4L with 57 ch 04 Decauville, 1933 Operational No. constructor: n° 643 Length: 3.1 m, Weight: 2.2 t Motor CLM monocylindre with 10 ch 05 Campagne, 1952 Operational Purchased on 29. November 1986 No. constructor: n° 4075 Length: 3.5 m, Weight: 4.0 t, Maximum speed: 16 km/h Motor Deutz F3L 912 with 42.5 ch DLD 07 Plymouth, 1946 Operational Purchased on 20. June 1990 Length: 4.0 m, Weight: 8.0 t, Maximum speed: 25 km/h Motor Deutz F3L 912 with 120 ch DLD 08 Plymouth, 1946 Operational Purchased on 20. June 1990 Length: 4.0 m, Weight: 8.0 t, Maximum speed: 25 km/h Motor Deutz F3L 912 with 120 ch DLD 09 Plymouth, 1946 Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Named "Gilbert" Purchased on 20. June 1990 Length: 4.0 m, Weight: 8.0 t, Maximum speed: 25 km/h Motor Deutz F3L 912 with 120 ch DLD 10 Plymouth, 1946 Operational Purchased on 20. June 1990 Length: 4.0 m, Weight: 8.0 t, Maximum speed: 25 km/h Motor Deutz F3L 912 with 120 ch LD1 11 Orenstein & Koppel, date unknown Operational Length: 2.5 m, Weight: 2.1 t Motor diesel MAN with two cylinders LO 20 14 Schöma, 1940 Out of service (awaiting full restoration) No. constructor: No. 541 Length: 2.8 m, Weight: 3.7 t Motor diesel with two cylinders This shunter has retained its original SELVE two-stroke diesel engine (there are only two known examples in working order). 16 CFC, date unknown Situation unknown Length: 4.0 m Motor Hercules with four cylinders Built in a traditional way by the CFC, its construction around a generator powered by a Hercules gasoline engine is quite unusual. Its manufacturer had even installed a compressor and an air tank. 17 Gmeinder, date unknown Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Length: 2.6 m, Weight: 3.5 t Motor diesel monocylinder ZL 114 20 Arnold Jung, 1937 Out of service (awaiting full restoration) Acquis en 2001. No. constructor: n° 7604 Length: 2.2 m, Weight: 5.4 t, Maximum speed: 15 km/h Motor diesel two-cylinder 24 hp flywheel 21 CFC, date unknown Operational Purchased in Octobre 2004, then restored Length: 3.9 m, Maximum speed: 15 km/h Built in a traditional way by the CFC on the basis of a chassis (from the 1950s) of the JW 15 type built by the company CACL ex Jules Weitz (Chantiers et Atelier de Construction de Lyon). Motor UNIC type MZ32 water cooled four cylinders
Batteryelectric locomotives Photo Type No. CFC Constructor, Year Status Technical data e OBO-01 & 02 CFD, 2023 Operational Arrival at CFC on 22. March 2023 Maximum speed: 16 km/h Electric accumulator motor (lithium batteries) Air brakes
Passenger cars Photo Type No. CFC Constructor, Year Status Technical data V-1 to V-6 Socofer, date unknown Operational Two-bogie portable lamp Length: 8.0 m, Weight: 2.5 t 40 seats per car (240 seats in total) Equipped with "Rockinger" coupling and air brake V-7 to V-9 Constructor and date unknown Operational Two-axle portable light (known as the "Santa Claus") Length: 2.5 m, Weight: 0.3 t 6 seats per car (18 seats in total) Shoe brakes V-10 CFC, date unknown Operational Salon car with two bogies entirely built by the CFC (in collaboration with the Charles Petiet vocational school for automobiles in Villeneuve-la-Garenne) Length: 8.1 m, Weight: 3.5 t Air brakes V-11 Decauville/CFC, date unknown Operational Small two-axle "Salon" car built on the basis of a Decauville braked chassis from the 1920s and converted into a saloon car Length: 3.0 m, Weight: 1.0 t 4 seats Shoe brakes V-12 to V-14 De Dietrich/CFC, 1914 Operational Two-axle "Bathtub" car built from platforms system Péchot Length: 6.0 m, Weight: 3.5 t 20 seats per car (60 seats in total) Air brakes V-15 Decauville/CFC, 1916 Operational Closed car with two bogies built from a 1916 Decauville platform Length: 7.2 m, Weight: 3.5 t 20 seats Air brakes V-16 and V-17 De Dietrich/CFC, 1914 Operational Two-bogie portable lamps built from platforms system Péchot Length: 6.0 m, Weight: 3.5 t 22 seats per car (44 seats in total) Air brakes V-18 and V-19 Feldbahn, date unknown Operational Two-axle portable trailer with longitudinal benches Length: 3.0 m, Weight: 0.5 t 10 seats per car (20 seats in total) Shoe brakes
There is 11 freight wagons operational in summer 2024 plus various wagons and lorries in stock.
Gallery
See also Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français
References
External links
Official website of the CFC (French)