PRR8976 (Tom)... THANK YOU ! Thinking STEF would be an unknown acronym I had not tried to "Google" it * and hence had not found the link you provided. I found the history fascinating and the fact that STEF had been in fact a part of and owned by SNCF for over 50 years! Thanks very much. The company really provides an excellent historical introduction on the web site you provided.
* OK I admit it, at 77 years old, I sometimes don't think of modern solutions to research like the internet. !