Allied bombardment 20-21 avril 1944 (≈ 21)
Almost total destruction of buildings.
1874
Establishment of the repository
Establishment of the repository 1874 (≈ 1874)
Commissioned by the Compagnie du Nord.
1952
Reconstruction completed
Reconstruction completed 1952 (≈ 1952)
Mixed vapour-diesel deposit by Séchaud and Metz.
1990
Final closure
Final closure 1990 (≈ 1990)
End of maintenance activities.
29 mars 2004
Partial classification
Partial classification 29 mars 2004 (≈ 2004)
Protected facades and roofs.
2004-2005
Track Deferral
Track Deferral 2004-2005 (≈ 2005)
Partial destruction of the site.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The facades and roofs of the lifting workshop and the repair shop of the small equipment of the La Plaine depot (Cd. CL 27): inscription by order of 29 March 2004
Key figures
Séchaud et Metz - Engineers reconstructors
Directed the post-Second World War work.
1 180 agents (1939) - Historical strength
Managed 130 steam locomotives.
580 cheminots (1965) - Workforce 1960s
Distribution conducted/workshops.
Origin and history
The former SNCF repair shops in La Plaine, located in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), were built in 1874 by the Northern Railway Company to maintain the steam locomotives. This strategic depot, close to Paris-Nord station, played a key role in the management of Parisian rail traffic, housing up to 130 locomotives and employing 1,180 agents in 1939. Its installations were almost completely destroyed during an allied bombing on the night of 20-21 April 1944, targeting German railway infrastructure.
The reconstruction of the depot, led by the engineers Séchaud and Metz between 1944 and 1952, marked its transformation into a mixed steam-diesel site, then exclusively diesel from the 1950s. The workshops, characterized by their reinforced concrete and brick structures (locally known as the Rail Cathedrals), housed modern equipment such as 60-ton cranes and maintenance pits. The depot became a major centre for the repair of diesel locomotives, serving the Grande and Petite Belte lines, as well as the Paris manoeuvres.
As early as the 1960s, the depot operated a diversified fleet of locomotives (BB 63000, CC 65500, A1AA1A 62000) and railcars, employing 580 railway workers in 1965. Its decline began in the 1980s with the reduction of diesel operations, before its final closure in 1990. The last buildings, disused in 2004, were partially preserved: the facades and roofs of the lifting and repair workshops were classified as historical monuments in 2004. The rotating bridge, disassembled, was transferred to the Mine and Railway Centre for conservation.
Today, the remains of the La Plaine workshops, located 17 rue du Bailly, testify to the industrial railway age of the Paris region. Their impressive architecture, mixing concrete and brick, illustrates the technical evolution of the SNCF depots, while the Place du 21-Avril-1944 nearby commemorates the victims of the bombings. The site, owned by the state, remains a symbol of the Franciscan industrial heritage, although not open to the public.
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