On holiday in Champagne

[ianp]

Here is a pic I took last week of a steam engine on display in the main station in Reims, the  capital of the Champagne region. I didn't have time to investigate why it was there but it was a nice surprise. This Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/État_140-101_to_140-370 says it is a 140 class engine, made in 1917, and is on permanent display.  

Edited April 21, 2022 by ianp

[D9020 Nimbus]

140 is the wheel arrangement — 2-8-0 to us. You need the letter after it to fully determine the class, and for some types this varies between regions. The one shown is a 140 C, I believe these were built by North British. Jouef have announced a forthcoming model in HO.

[Fat Controller]

It's one of the North British locos built for military use; these were the last steam engines in service with SNCF, on hire to CFTA for cereal and timber traffic around Dijon. 

Reims was an important centre for troop trains until relatively recently; conscripts would change trains, following orders  bellowed by RSMs. Probably one of the worst night's sleep I have ever had was at a hotel adjacent to the station in mid-summer, in  a room with no A/C; I'm sure the NCOs didn't need to use the Tannoy.

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Fat Controller

[Gordonwis]

The locomotive has been plinthed between tracks at Reims station for decades.

 

It is an SNCF 2-8-0 loco belonging to the class known as 140C. The running number was 140C 313. This class of locomotives has a complicated history that needs a whole book to explain, but, briefly, they were built originally to the order of the Etat (State)  railway (the nationalised former Ouest railway covering western France. The first 70 were built pre WW1 for the Etat in French factories.

 

In the first world war period the design was adopted as an almost 'austerity' design (due to its rugged and efficient design, and two large batches were built - all in Lancashire or Scotland, many by North British, and the various famous Manchester area loco builders, eg Vulcan foundry and Nasmyth Wilson

Edited April 24, 2022 by Gordonwis

[Gordonwis]

On 21/04/2022 at 11:38, ianp said:

Here is a pic I took last week of a steam engine on display in the main station in Reims, the  capital of the Champagne region. I didn't have time to investigate why it was there but it was a nice surprise. This Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/État_140-101_to_140-370 says it is a 140 class engine, made in 1917, and is on permanent display.  

 

 

The loco is 140C 313, North British 21650/17 (Hyde Park works, Glasgow)

 

Sister loco 140C 287 worked the last ever  true commercial steam hauled train in France on 24 September 1975 - a train of steel coils on bogie flat wagons from Troyes to a factory at St Colombe sur Seine  

Edited April 25, 2022 by Gordonwis

[Gordonwis]

On 21/04/2022 at 16:00, Fat Controller said:

It's one of the North British locos built for military use; these were the last steam engines in service with SNCF, on hire to CFTA for cereal and timber traffic around Dijon. 

 

 

 

140C 313 was not 'built for military use' per se. It belonged to the batch ordered by the Etat railway as a follow on from the original 70 locos in peace time, but diverted to be built in the UK after WW1 broke out .

 

The CFTA 140C's didn't work 'around Dijon'. They were used on CFTA's Franche Comte network, which was comprised:

 

Troyes - Chatillon sur Seine

Chatillon sur Seine - Is sur Tille - Gray

Chatillon sur Seine - Bricon

Chatillon sur Seine -  Nuit sous Ravieres  

 

 

 

 

[sncf231e]

The 140C was and is modelled a lot in many sizes. For instance:  Jouef and Liliput made the 140C in H0; Merkur made a tinplate style version in 0 and ASTER a live steam version in gauge 1. The French 0 gauge trader Chrezo has announced a detailed 0 gauge 140C in four different versions which will be coming soon (it is on transport to Europe). Here moving pictures of the Merkur and ASTER versions:

Regards

Fred