THE 141-R AND FREIGHT TRAINS

Auteur : Clive Lamming

It was especially on the freight trains of the 1940s to 1970s that the 141-Rs proved their qualities; they showed that the system of so-called "banality" of driving crews, moving from one locomotive to another according to the demands of the service, was indeed a perfectly feasible reality in a France in which crews proudly "owned" their locomotive.

The qualities of the 141s made them ideal for freight trains. The first characteristic was the large volume of the boilers, which gave abundant steam and allowed easy "take-off" of freight trains, which, especially at the time, were very heavy and " bad rollers ". Because of their volume, the boilers were also particularly suitable for the so-called "TIA" water treatment (traitement intégral Armand, named after its engineer). The second feature was a rigid chassis with automatic " adjustment wedges ", enabling long journeys with no need for checking.

The 141-Rs find themselves, throughout the French network, being "good for everything", but the "everything" will essentially be innumerable long and heavy goods trains, which are the only solution for restarting the national economy. Here, a train loaded with fresh produce that needs to be speeded up without wasting any time.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

The third feature is automatic mechanical lubrication throughout the locomotive, which means that long journeys can be made without having to worry about monitoring and servicing, and without the risk of overheating or even breakdowns. The fourth feature is simple, robust auxiliary equipment that is safe to operate and inexpensive to maintain. The water supply pumps, water heaters, injectors, compressors and even turbodynamo units are mechanically robust, simple and safe, ensuring a climate of confidence and efficiency among the operating teams and workshop maintenance teams.

A 141-R, in full effort, at the head of a heavy train up the ramp from St-André-le-Gaz to Chabons, near Grenoble. Photograph taken in 1967 by the late Yves Broncard, a great author and railway photographer. The "M" van is behind the tender, for the conductor.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FREIGHT TRAINS HAULED BY 141-R TRAINS

Such trains can pull weights of between 1,500 and 1,800 tonnes (i.e. up to twice the usual weights), and the 141-Rs can pull them at 60 or 70 km/h level. As for the express trains, which have to be faster, the 141-Rs can ensure a speed of 100 km/h with a weight of 800 tonnes, which, all things considered, corresponds to what the 141-Rs achieve with express passenger trains.

From the very first years they were in service, the daily mileage of 141-Rs was well above that of pre-war locomotives. According to Mr Collardey and Mr Rasserie, in December 1945 at the Châlons and Blainville depots, the daily averages reached 190 km and even exceeded 200 km in a large number of depots: in other words, a mileage that was almost double that of pre-war SNCF locomotives. However, the SNCF's famous 141-P locomotives, researched during the Second World War, proved more powerful than the 141-R with their 100 km/h, easily exceeding 3,200 or 3,300 hp. The 141-R, on the other hand, always remained below 2,900 hp. The 'P's were therefore able to haul heavier freight trains than the 'R's.

A freight train known as the RO (for "Régime ordinaire", formerly "Petite vitesse") with its different wagons, each chartered individually and partially filled. This was the era when, for "rural France", the railways and the 141-R provided all the transport services.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

141-R " FUEL ENGINES " OUTPERFORM " COAL ENGINES

There's another fact to be noted in the rapidly expanding world of 141-Rs: these converted models, built to run on fuel, benefit from improvements to their running gear (Boxpok wheels, rollerboxes on driving axles, etc.) and, above all, are capable of running up to 700 km; double, if not triple, that of coal-fired machines, which still manage a remarkable 400 km range. As a result, many 141-Rs were able to operate fast long-distance freight trains with the same brilliance as express passenger trains.

ELSEWHERE, AT THE SAME TIME

THE PLM 111 TO 400 SERIES LOCOMOTIVES

By the end of the 19th century, the type 121 axle arrangement was fairly common. However, this arrangement was not particularly satisfactory, especially in terms of stability. But the PLM's 111 to 400 brought a certain dynamism, preparing the network for the high-speed 220 locomotives.

THE SUCCESS OF THE TYPE 121 IN FRANCE

It was the engineer Forquenot, from the PO network, who developed the type 121 based on the type 120. The PLM series 111 to 141 locomotives were manufactured in the Paris and Oullins workshops from 1879 until 1884. These locomotives were weighing 52.4 tonnes, travelling at 90 kph and fitted with a boiler rated at 11 kg/cm2. The diameter of their driving wheels was reduced to 2 metres instead of the original 2.10 metres.

Here is a 111-400 at the front of a regional passenger train on the Côte d'Azur, circa 1910. The train is made up of different types of carriages and there is a lack of unity. The track and viaduct show that they were carefully built: the Côte d'Azur and its burgeoning tourism industry needed their own railway.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

THEIR CAREER

During the first ten years of their existence, from 1879 to 1889, these were the most commonly used PLM locomotives to haul express trains, but their reign came to an end in the 1890s with the arrival of type 220 locomotives. By around 1910, they were no longer used to serve passengers on what were now termed "fast" trains.

At the end of the 19th century, the 111-400's elegant, Belle Époque line was already making an impact. The lack of a front bogie was a shortcoming, both technically and aesthetically, which the PLM was obliged to resolve shortly before 1900 with the famous 220 "Coupe-vent".© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming

AN ERA

Some very fine trains ran during the golden age of the 141-Rs, which were excluded because their 105 km/h were too modest. Here, the beautiful stainless steel DEV coaches of the Mistral await their 241-P at Gare de Lyon, which will provide a good 120 km/h. With the catenaries, we can see that the electric 2D2s are already capable of 140 km/h. However, the 141-Rs will be able to run luxury trains between Marseille and Nice, where the line's winding route requires a leisurely 100 km/h.© IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Collection Trainsconsultant-Lamming