- Railway hub:
Following the war of 1870 and the subsequent annexation, the Germans expanded the Bénestroff station starting in 1881. The site developed into a strategic hub with railway lines branching out in five different directions.
- Construction (1925–1926):
To handle increased traffic and secure logistical supply lines to the Maginot Line, the railway line was upgraded to double track. Construction of this reinforced concrete depot (using the Hennebique system) was entrusted to the firm Brion et Martin.
- Capacity:
The locomotive shed consisted of a circular building with 13 tracks (bays) for steam locomotives. A large central turntable allowed locomotives to be directed to the maintenance pits.
- Second World War:
During the occupation, the site once again served as a key hub for transporting German troops into occupied France. At its peak in 1939, the depot housed around forty locomotives.
- Closure in 1956:
In the post-war period, activity declined sharply due to falling local traffic and the modernization of the railway network. The depot closed permanently in 1956. The tracks were removed in the late 1960s.
- A paradise on an industrial brownfield site:
More than 70 years after its abandonment, nature has fully reclaimed the site. Trees grow amidst the concrete structure, the glass roofs are gone, and the remaining walls are covered in graffiti.
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