Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Trilbardou Elevatory Factory, built in the 4th quarter of the 19th century, was designed to supply the Ourcq Canal with water from the Marne River, 39 km from the Villette Basin. Ranked a historic monument in 1989, it remains operational, although its role is now secondary to modern electric pumps. Its remote monitoring system centralizes the technical management of the channel from its integrated control station.

The construction of the factory met a critical need: the droughts of 1858 and 1865 had paralyzed navigation on the canal due to a lack of sufficient flow in the Ourcq (falling to 1.5 m3/s in stretching). Two decrees of 1866 authorized Paris to take water from the Marne to Trilbardou and Isles-les-Meldeuses. The factory, which was equipped with Farcot (40 L/s) steam engines in 1865, was then equipped with a Sagebien hydraulic wheel and suitable pumps designed for exceptional energy efficiency (85-90%).

The site operates a 1.20 m fall on the Marne, optimized after the acquisition of an old fire-fired tramway and the removal of a nearby dam. The Sagebien wheel, the largest ever built (11 m in diameter, 6 m wide), uses 70 fir blades and a 17-ton metal shaft. Its mechanism, coupled with four pumps, raises 320 L/s water towards the canal, located 15 m above. Eugène Belgrand, chief of water in Paris, praised his 70 per cent performance as the city's "best engine".

After the oil shock of 1973, the Sagebien wheel was restored under the direction of the Trilbardou workshop manager. Although slow (1.5 turns/min) and requiring complex transmissions, this hydraulic technology, mastered in the 19th century, illustrates the industrial innovation of the period. Today, the factory keeps its classified devices (wheel, pumps, balance bell) and its rolling bridge, testimonies of this technical heritage.

The factory has been owned by the city of Paris since its construction. Its classification in 1987 (buildings) and 1992 (equipment) protects a unique set, where canal history, hydraulic engineering and industrial architecture intersect. The Charmentray road (present address) marks its territorial anchor in the Seine-et-Marne, at the heart of a vital river network for the Île-de-France.

External links