TheChemins de fer du Nord[1][2][3][4] (French:Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord[kɔ̃paɲideʃəmɛ̃dəfɛʁdynɔʁ] orCF du Nord; English:Northern Railway Company) often referred to simply as the Nord company, was arail transport company founded in September 1845 inParis. It was owned by, among others,de Rothschild Frères of France,N M Rothschild & Sons of London, Charles Laffitte andEdward Blount, andBaron Jean–Henri Hottinguer.[5]Baron James de Rothschild served as the company's president from its inception until his death in 1868.
A royal ordnance, dated 10 September 1845, granted the CF du Nord a concession to build a railway from Paris to Valenciennes and Lille, with branch lines toDunkirk andCalais, and lines fromCreil toSaint-Quentin andFampoux toHazebrouck. From theGare du Nord, the station the company built in Paris, theParis–Lille railway led north towards Belgium, connecting toAmiens,Douai andLille in 1846, with a branch line from Douai toValenciennes.[5] Lille and Valenciennes had already been connected to theBelgian railway network in 1842.[6] The new line made it possible to travel by train from Paris toBrussels and further.
The network was rapidly expanded in the following years:[6]
| Railway line | Opened |
|---|---|
| Paris–Lille railway | 1846–1859 |
| Douai–Valenciennes railway | 1846 |
| Longueau–Boulogne railway | 1847–1848 |
| Creil–Jeumont railway | 1847–1855 |
| Lille–Fontinettes railway | 1848–1849 |
| Arras–Dunkirk railway | 1848–1862 |
| Amiens–Laon railway | 1857–1867 |
| Creil–Beauvais railway | 1857 |
| Hautmont–Mons railway | 1858 |
| Chemin de Fer de la Somme | 1858 |
| Busigny–Somain railway | 1858 |
| Paris–Hirson railway | 1860–1871 |
| Lens–Ostricourt railway | 1860 |
| Chantilly–Crépy-en-Valois railway | 1862–1870 |
| Lille–Tournai railway | 1865 |
| Boulogne–Calais railway | 1867 |
| Rouen–Amiens railway | 1867 |
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The potential for expansion of the CF du Nord territory was limited by other companies: theChemins de fer de l'Ouest to its south-west, and theChemins de fer de l'Est to its east. By opening a line from Paris toHirsonviaSoissons andLaon from 1860 to 1871, the CF du Nord protected its eastern border against CF de l'Est expansion. The concession for the line from Creil to Beauvais, owned by CF de l'Est predecessorChemins de fer des Ardennes, was exchanged for the Nord's concession for Laon–Reims in 1855.[5]
In 1937, the CF du Nord was nationalised, as were the other main railway companies, to become part of theSociété nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF).
In 1926, in conjunction with the BritishSouthern Railway, the CF du Nord began running a regular luxury passenger train,Golden Arrow/Fleche d'Or, from London to Paris. Four containers were used to transport of passengers' baggage. These containers were loaded in London or Paris and carried to the ports ofDover or Calais, on flat cars in the UK, and "CIWL Pullman Golden Arrow Fourgon of CIWL" in France.[7]
In 1855, Baron Rothschild commissioned photographerEdouard Baldus to take a series of photographs of the various landmarks on the railway line between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Paris. The photographs were used to create an album forQueen Victoria andPrince Albert, as a souvenir of their visit to France that year. The album can be seen in the photographic collection in theRoyal Archives atWindsor Castle.
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