TRANSFER BETWEEN DEPOTS

The arrival of oil-fired 141-Rs produced such excellent results that a large number of coal-fired locomotives were converted during autumn 1946 in south-east France, and in western France in 1947.

The result was that the 141-R coal-fired locomotives were grouped together in the SNCF's eastern, northern and south-eastern regions, due to the presence of large coalfields/mining basins. Three new depots were created for these locomotives, at Roanne, Vierzon and Narbonne; but the main factor was the increase in the number of ‘’oil-fired‘’ locomotives due to the coal crisis at the time.

Many ‘coal-fired’ 141-Rs were converted to ‘ fuel oil’ in an operation that required only one week's work, with the installation of a 13.5 m3 tank in the tender, burners in the firebox, the replacement of the grill with a refractory brick cladding and the removal of the vault - to name only the main transformations. By switching from coal to fuel oil, the temperature in the firebox is raised from 1,350 to 1,700 degrees: this is a completely different technique that requires the installation of powerful fire extinguishers. In addition, fuel oil requires a heating system to be installed on the tender and locomotive, which also affects all the feeding pipes. Fuel oil ‘caught in the cold’ becomes very viscous and extremely difficult to circulate.

At the time, the regions of the SNCF in the East, West, South-West and Mediterranean all became customers of the major refineries in Strasbourg, Le Havre and the Etang de Berre, while along the Mediterranean, it was discovered that using fuel oil to power the trains virtually eliminated the risk of fire along the tracks, where pine forests and undergrowth were very dry.

During this period, a number of workshops were transformed into veritable assembly plants, particularly the ‘Ateliers de Nevers Machines’ (ANM), where 240 locomotives were transformed in a process that was to become a veritable assembly line! Labour hours for each conversion dropped from 614 hours to 448 hours, including around 60 hours just for the tender. The ANM became the main transformation centre, converting units 701 to 820, 861 to 960 and 1101 to 1120 for the East, South-East and Mediterranean regions. The workshops at Niort were responsible for the 141-R units from 1021 to 1100, destined for the Western region.

The 141-R units 1 to 700 from the West and the Mediterranean moved to the East and North regions. The 700, 800 and 900 from the East remained temporarily in their region, at the Blainville, Hausbergen and Mulhouse depots. Part of the 700 and 800 from the North went to Blainville, or to Ambérieu, Badan, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Teil and Roanne. The 141-Rs 1101 to 1120, having rollers on their axles, were sent to Ambérieu. The 141-Rs 1021 to 1100, which were spread over four SNCF regions before their transformation at Nevers, were consolidated in the West region at Achères, Auray, Caen, Le Havre, La Rochelle and Mézidon.

This locomotive, which was introduced in 1927, justified its name by its undisputed dominance on the tracks of the great British company, renowned throughout the world for its culture of speed.

The 230 locomotive outperformed in power and performance many of the ‘Pacifics’ that were built subsequently.

The ‘Castles’ (or series of castles) were the 230 models brought into service in 1923 by the engineer Georges Collet. Technically successful, they were extremely economical to run. However, by the time they were introduced in 1923, it was already clear that the ‘Castles’ were a little too small, and that they would soon be overtaken by the weight of the trains. It was time to think about enlarging them: this led to the introduction of the ‘King’, which was in fact an enlarged ‘Castle’.

The general architecture of the ‘Castles’ was respected: obviously, the 230-type axle arrangement was retained. In the minds of the British engineers, who were very attached to the small locomotive, the ‘Pacific’ was not yet ready. The boiler came from the ‘Castle’, as did the 4 cylinders that had been inherited from a much-discussed but abandoned prospect of compounding. But to increase the traction force and obtain more power, Collett made the firebox longer, increased the diameter of the cylinders by 7 mm, and reduced the diameter of the drive wheels by 64 mm to generate more ‘torque’.

The years between the wars were the network's golden age. The trains were superb, with their green locomotives and brown and cream carriages. From 1928 onwards, the ‘Kings’ operated all the Great Western's fast trains until the steam era came to an end in 1963, when they were replaced by diesel locomotives. The HST express trains which currently run at 200 km/h between Paddington and the South West of Great Britain carry on the great GWR tradition.