SNCF 240 P
| SNCF 240 P | |
|---|---|
 240 P 15
|
|
| Numbering: | 240 P 1 to 240 P 25 |
| Number: | 25th |
| Year of construction (s): | 1940-1941 |
| Type : | 2'D |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length: | 13,650 mm |
| Height: | 4271 mm |
| Width: | 3118 mm |
| Service mass: | 112.8 t |
| Friction mass: | 80.40 t |
| Top speed: | 120 km / h |
| Coupling wheel diameter: | 1650 mm |
| Impeller diameter front: | 960 mm |
| Control type : | Walschaerts |
| HD cylinder diameter: | 650 mm |
| LP cylinder diameter: | 690 mm |
| Piston stroke: | HP cylinder: 440 mm LP cylinder: 650 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 20 bar |
| Grate area: | 3.72 m² |
| Superheater area : | 68.08 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 212.77 m² |
| Particularities: | Induced draft system Kylchap mechanical grate loading stoker |
The class 240 P steam locomotives of the French state railway Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) are among the most powerful European machines. They were the result of modifications to locomotives of the class 231 A (formerly PO 4500 ), which the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans (PO) had put into service from 1907.
prehistory
Although the PO and the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi (Midi) were among the pioneers of electric traction in the French railway network, it was foreseeable that steam traction would continue for a long time. There were too many branch lines that would have been unprofitable to electrify, and diesel-powered locomotives had not yet become established. In 1925, the PO hired André Chapelon, one of the most capable engineers in steam locomotive construction. The developer of the Kylchap suction train system succeeded in significantly increasing the performance of steam locomotives through modifications. He achieved this first in 1929 with the conversion of the 3566 locomotive of the "Pacific" series 3500 ; later rebuilt by him 242 A 1 of the SNCF is considered most powerful ever built steam locomotive in Europe.
Chapelon achieved a great success with conversions of the “Pacifics” 231 A ( 2'C1 ' wheel arrangement) into machines with the unusual 2'D wheel arrangement. With its three large driving axles, a two-axle running bogie at the front for excellent cornering and a rear running axle mounted in a Bissel frame, the 231 A could pull trains weighing up to 400 t at a speed of 120 km / h. When it appeared, the "Pacific" appeared in its perfection and balance as the ultimate in locomotive construction. But the passenger cars of those years were still made of wood and were comparatively light. After the First World War , the car bodies were made of steel, which reduced the risk of fire and better protected the occupants in the event of an accident. This almost doubled the weight of the wagons, and the trains weighed up to 600 t and more.
In view of the beginning of the electrification of their main lines and in order to save costs, the PO commissioned Chapelon with the optimization of existing locomotives. The PO could not afford "Mountains" with the 2'D1 'wheel arrangement, as procured by the PLM and EST railway companies .
History and description
Chapelon improved the boiler of PO 4701 by applying the latest findings and increased the permissible boiler pressure to 20 bar. He replaced the rear running axle with a fourth coupling axle , which decisively influenced the transmission of the power that the boiler made possible. On August 16, 1932, the modified locomotive left the Tours depot . It was mainly tested on the PO routes from Paris to Nantes , Bordeaux and Toulouse . It pulled 800 t heavy trains on a 5 - ‰ - ramp with an average of 95 km / h and on the level 575 t with 144 km / h. This corresponded to an output of more than 4000 hp - a world record in terms of the ratio of weight to power.
As a result, the PO had eleven more Pacifics converted and designated the machines as 240-701 to 240-711. These locomotives were also tested on lines operated by the ETAT , NORD and EST railway companies , and it turned out that they far exceeded the performance of the existing locomotives. The PLM also showed interest and used the 240-705 on the Paris-Lyon route . Without changing locomotives, it covered the 510 km long route in front of heavy express trains with an average speed of 107 km / h, which resulted in a time gain of up to 30 minutes. The mechanical behavior of the machine was described as perfect.
At the beginning of 1938 the large private railway companies were merged to form the state-owned SNCF. The former PLM network, which has become the south-east region of the SNCF, ordered 25 locomotives converted from PO Pacifics, which were built in the Tours depot from 1940 and, after being delivered to the SNCF, ran as the 240 P series. They were given a stoker to automatically feed the boiler , plus a double Kylchap suction system, an enlargement of the low-pressure cylinders and a reinforced frame . The 231 A 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 512, 515, 517, 519, 523, 524, 525, 527, 531, 538, 539, 541, 549, 550, 558, 560, 561, 567, 568 and 570. They were always with a four-axle bogie - Tender coupled of the type 36 P, of 9 tons of coal and 36 m³ water summed.
The locomotives proved their worth on the demanding ramp of the Seuil de Bourgogne , over which they pulled 800 t trains at more than 100 km / h and 512 t trains at 120 km / h. At that time they were considered to be the most powerful European steam locomotives. The first machines were delivered to the Laroche plant . After the Paris – Marseille railway line was interrupted in World War II , numerous 240 P were relocated to the Paris-Charolais depot for use on the Paris – Clermont-Ferrand line . Others came to the network of the former NORD in order to replace locomotives confiscated by the German occupiers before coal trains . It was not until September 1945 that all machines were brought together again in Laroche.
In the difficult year 1944, when high-quality coal was hardly available, 240 P carried passenger trains weighing up to 1,100 tons. From the mines of northern France they brought 2000 t coal trains to Paris at 85 km / h.
Storage and whereabouts
The electrification of the "Ligne impériale" (Paris-Marseille) with the appearance of BB-8100 - electric locomotives led to October 1950 on the secondment of leistunggstarken steam locomotives. Repeated requests to move the 240 P to the north and east regions due to the lack of powerful and multi-purpose machines there were not met. The SNCF was about to say goodbye to steam traction and switched to operating with electric and diesel locomotives . In 1953 the last 240 P disappeared from the French tracks.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chapelon, André ( 1892-1978 ) at dmg-lib.org, accessed April 10, 2020
- ↑ J. Michael Mehltretter: Full steam ahead. Power and technology of steam locomotives . 1st edition. Transpress, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-613-71469-4 , p. 69 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Clive Lamming : Les réseaux français et la naissance de la SNCF (1938–1950) . 2006, ISBN 2-8302-2147-8 , pp. 70 f .