France - Diesel locomotives of the state railways SNCF

fr-sncf-cc72000-garedlest-270108-full.jpg

This is a class CC7200 diesel locomotive. They were built by Alsthom and SACM in 92 copies between 1967 and 1974. They have been used in cargo traffic but also - like here - in Corail passenger train traffic south of Paris. It has a power rating of only 2250 kW and depending on the series a top speed of either 140 or 160 km/h. Picture from Paris Gare d l´Est 27.1.2008 by Sanna Siissalo.

fr-sncf-cc72029-mulhouse-030202-full.jpg

Another CC72000 locomotive, still in its very first livery. By then, these machines were primarily used (here in Alsace) as locomotives for the express passenger trains between Paris and Basel. This was still the time before any TGV trains and before the electrification of the Basel to Paris connection.
Picture from Mulhouse 3.2.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf_fret-bb475000-aulnaysousbois-040314-full.jpg

This is a class BB 475000 series (also known as SNCF BB 75000 series) diesel locomotive. It looks almost identical to an Alstom Prima electric locomotive, just that it has no pantographs on the roof. This model was co-developed by Siemens of Germany and Alstom of France. The electrical components are similar to what is used in the Siemens EuroRunner/Hercules locomotives of for example the Austrian class Br2016 and the bogies and much of the outer looks are similar to Alstom's Prima locomotives. The machine has a top speed of 120 km/h, a power rating of 2000 kW and is powered by an MTU diesel engine.
Picture from close to the Aulnay sous Bois station from a moving train - sorry for the poor quality - 4.3.2014 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67400-grenoble-260607-full.jpg

These two old diesels are of the type SNCF BB 67400, here in the colours of SNCF Fret, the cargo part. These were built by Brissonneau and Lotz in 232 copies between 1969 and 1975. The machine has a SEMT Pielstick 16 PA 4 diesel engine and its top speed is 140 km/h.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67400-grenoble-260607-pic2-full.jpg

The same two BB 67400 machines as shown above, but now seen a bit more from the side.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67400-grenoble-260607-pic3-full.jpg

Yet a similar BB 67400 machine but now in the colours of the SNCF passenger trains division.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67400-grenoble-260607-pic4-full.jpg

The same BB67400 machine as above, but now seen from close by.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67400-calais_frethun-090704-full.jpg

This one is also a class 67400 diesel, but now in its orginal livery from the 1960s. It has two fixed sets of TER traffic coaches attached, the ones that some people lovingly call tin plate or tin can coaches.
Picture from Calais-Frethun station 9.7.2004 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67400-issoire-1981-adriangray-full.jpg

A pair of similar BB67400 class diesels leading the express train "Le Cevenol" arriving at the station of Issoire.
Picture from Issoire in 1981 by Adrian Gray.

fr-sncf-bb67300-grenoble-260607-full.jpg

This machine is almost, but not quite similar with the machines shown above. This one belongs to the series BB67300 built by Brissonneau and Lotz 1967 to 1979. The type was designed as a fitted with electric train heating and three-phase transmission. Designed as a mixed traffic loco, it had electric train heating. Twenty of these machines were fitted for push-pull passenger traffic. This one is here still in its original blue and grey painting. 90 machines of this class were built in total.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67300-grenoble-260607-pic2-full.jpg

This one is a similar BB67300 machine like the blue one hown above, but this one had received the modern painting of SNCF passenger service division. Note the bogies of the locomotive - they show a clear difference between these BB67300 and the later BB67400 machines.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb67300-grenoble-260607-pic3-full.jpg

This was the other end of the same train shown above, the BB67300 locomotive pushed this rake of old TER coaches to the station. These coaches are of the type Rame réversible régionale, a fixed push-pull rake. These coaches were built by Carel Fouché Industries 1985-89 and Alsthom 1190 to 1994.
Picture from Grenoble 26.6.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb66xxx-and-bb63xxx-to-be-scrapped-mulhouse-030202-pic4-full.jpg

A long line of SNCF's old diesel machines of the classes BB63400 and BB66000. The class 63400 is from the years 1959-60 and they were built by Brisonneau et Lotz as yard shunters. The class 66000 is a bit newer, from 1960 to 1968. Here there were more than ten of these machines being pulled somewhere apparently for scrapping.
Picture from Mulhouse station 3.2.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb63000-mulhouse-030202-full.jpg

This locomotive was in the same long line of machines being towed for scrapping. It's a class BB63000 built in 1956 by Brisonneau et Lotz.
Picture from Mulhouse station 3.2.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb66xxx-and-bb63xxx-to-be-scrapped-mulhouse-030202-pic6-full.jpg

There they go... bye-bye.
Picture from Mulhouse station 3.2.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb63700-mulhouse-030202-full.jpg

The two last ones in the long line were machines of the subclass BB63500, here 63779. They were also built by Brisonneau et Lotz in 1956.
Picture from Mulhouse station 3.2.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-bb66400-1978-calais_ville-tedprince-full.jpg

A class BB 66400 diesel leading a rack of express train wagons to the platform at Calais Ville. It was a centre cab diesel which was a further development of the earlier BB 66000 series. They were built by a group of companies (CAFL/CEM/Alsthom/Fives-Lille/SACM) 1968 to 1971 in 106 copies. Its top speed was 120 km/h and power rating was 1030 kW. It was intended as an all-purpose diesel, handling not only shunting but also short distance freight and passenger services. When they were built they had no train heating systems installed for passenger trains, but that was later added to some 75 locomotives which also got new MTU 12V 4000 R41 engines and were thereafter reclassified as BB 69400.
Picture from Calais Ville in 1978 by the late Ted Prince. From the collections of Kevin Prince.

fr-sncf-y7224-thionville-080902-full.jpg

A small shunter, Y7224. This small machine was taken in use 14.11.1960 and was scrapped 4.12.2014. It stayed all its active life at the station of Thionville.
Picture from Thionville 8.9.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

fr-sncf-y7224-thionville-080902-pic2-full.jpg

The same shunter, Y7224 seen from the other side. This class Y2100 originally consisted of 210 locomotives, built by Billard and Decauville 1958 to 1962. It was a dieselhydraulic machine with a modest top speed of only 54 km/h.
Picture from Thionville 8.9.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Back to main page.