RECEPTION OF THE 141-R IN FRANCE

Auteur : Clive Lamming

The term 'welcome' is an understatement. These locomotives were nicknamed "Miss Libération", "Miss Liberté" or "Miss Désirée" by railway workers and the general public, and they quickly became legendary.

The arrival of the 'R's on French territory was a complicated matter, since they were far from being delivered in their numerical order: i.e. firstly starting with 141-R-1 and ending with 121-R-1340. The vessels carried what the various American or Canadian manufacturers presented to them on the port quays. The locomotives were loaded onto the available vessels, often after a long wait; and on arrival, they were distributed between the regions and depots depending on emergencies and needs. The first 141-Rs to run in France were 141-R-458 and 141-R-468, followed by 141-R-217 to 141-R-237. The locomotives 141-R-1 to 141-R-100 did not arrive until later.

A breathtaking view of the "Belpareil" arriving in Cherbourg in June 1946 with no less than 40 locomotives and 40 tenders on deck, a load of 7,640 tonnes! It should be noted that this load, which was not in the cargo hold, endangered the ship's stability. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

The network in the East region had suffered the most from the war which was why it was given priority. The SNCF then served the North and South-East regions. By the end of 1946, 6 months after the arrival of the first 141-R-458 in Marseille, deliveries were running at a rate of 75 locomotives a month. Note that the 141-R-2 was left aside until 1948 to be used in the SNCF's plans: the 141-R-252 was given a long training period on the test bench at the Vitry workshops before being transferred to the Villeneuve-St-Georges depot.

Locomotive 141-R-1187, now preserved, pictured in 1975 in its "exit outfit" (with white rims), and at the head of an amateur train made up of OCEM coaches. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

THE FIRST LAPS OF THE WHEEL

After arriving in the depot, the locomotives had a running-in period that lasted no more than a week or two. It should be noted that, unlike conventional locomotives, which had a permanent crew to look after "their" locomotive, the 141-Rs, operated and maintained as "fully ordinary" locomotives, were run in the workshop by a team of workshop staff.

The "complete banality" combined with the ability to " run " all kinds of trains allowed the 141-R to rapidly break productivity records. The "machine utilisation ratio" was twice that of conventional models, with up to 190 km per day at the Le Bourget depot, or even up to 260 km at the Badan depot.

Type 141 locomotive N°141-R-1187 seen in 1950. Note that the four driving axles are fitted with American Boxpok wheels.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

Type 141 locomotive N°141-R-1101 with identical characteristics as seen in 1950. Only the 1 to 700 and 1 201 to 1 209 were fitted with coal-fired heaters and tenders. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

THE 141-R-CHANGED THE FRENCH RAILWAYS

The massive presence of the 'R's may well have saved the French railway by rapidly reviving it, but the poor performance of the 'R's contributed to the deterioration of the image of steam traction. The 'R's were likeable, reliable and robust, but totally out of sync with the best of what was offered on European networks; they did, however, contribute to the future of operation and maintenance.

The introduction of " ordinary " operating teams, high train mileage and low-cost maintenance paved the way for a totally new traction policy that SNCF would never abandon, whatever the mode of traction, and particularly electric traction.

ELSEWHERE, AT THE SAME TIME

THE STIRLING " THE QUEEN OF SINGLE AXLE DRIVERS"

The English single-axle locomotive of the late 19th century was the epitome of Victorian railway elegance. It was called a " free-wheel machine ", like the famous Crampton with its single driving axle at the rear. In English, this type of machine was known as a "single driver". The word "driver" also means "driving wheel".

WHY A FREEWHEEL LOCOMOTIVE?

A freewheel locomotive is a locomotive with a single driving axle, i.e. one without wheels coupled by connecting rods. This was the case for all the very first high-speed steam locomotives, such as Georges Stephenson's "Fusée" of 1829, and the famous type 111 "Patentee" of the 1830s and 1840s. The presence of coupled wheels made it possible to increase the traction force and avoid wheelspin when starting up. For this reason, the networks switched to types 120, 121 and 220 for passenger trains from the mid-19th century onwards. The benefits of the freewheel locomotive were such, that some companies in England returned to it towards the end of the 19th century.

A typical English Great Northern single driver locomotive, seen in 1870. Very fast, but only able to pull very light trains, they were short-lived. By the end of the 19th century, they were being replaced by locomotives with two or three driving axles. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

A FINE EXAMPLE: GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY'S "STIRLING" NO. 1

This locomotive is the most famous of the English "single drivers", and also the most elegant, with its two large central driving wheels covered by an openwork wheel cover that made it look like a boat on wheels. Patrick Stirling, network manager of the Great Northern Railway, ordered this series of locomotives for fast trains in 1870, and the subsequent series of 47 were built until 1893. Mechanically very simple, with two single-expansion cylinders, it was capable of running at 120 km/h and hauling trainsets of 15 carriages with bogies - lightweight, though, because of the wooden body and reduced length.

AN ERA

A splendid heavy express train from the 1950s. The 141-Rs were not to be introduced immediately, and the Pacific-type locomotive, N°231-G-249 ex-PLM, converted between 1934 and 1936, was to remain for several decades the queen of luxury trains. Pictured here is a train from the CIWL, no doubt on its way to the Côte d'Azur.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming