David Element's Railway Web Page 1...
S.N.C.F. 141 TB Class Steam Locomotives,
Bastille Line, Paris, 1969
141 TB 446
141
TB 446
141
TB 484
141 TB
497
Gare de Bastille (141 TB
404; 141 TB 497)
- The above set of
photographs were taken on the Bastille Line,
Paris, in 1969 during a school journey.
At the time that these photographs were taken (using an
unsophisticated Agfa 'Optima' camera) this line
was exclusively steam-powered. These photos have been
recently re-copied from the rather faded original prints
using a modern digital SLR and their appearance has been
improved so significantly by auto-enhancement using Nikon
PictureProject software that it is difficult to believe
that they are the same pictures! Because some of the the
coaches had glass windows at each end it was possible to
watch the locomotives working bunker-first from the front
of the train, an impressive sight when passing through
tunnels or under bridges. Steam haulage had ceased in the
UK a year or two earlier, so watching working steam
locomotives in their natural surroundings was a
particularly pleasurable experience. Two members of this
1913 vintage class of 'Mikado' 2-8-2
tank locomotives, 141 TB 407 and
141 TB 424 have been preserved and the second of
these has hauled some main line special trains, although
it was withdrawn several years ago for major boiler
repairs. It is gratifying to be able to report that 141
TB 407 has now been fully restored, a process
which has taken 20 years to complete. This locomotive is
known to have been one of the final allocation to the
Bastille line although it was not photgraphed during this
visit. The 141 TB Class locomotives have a very advanced
appearance when compared with British steam engines of a
similar vintage. Before
passing to S.N.C.F. ownership these locomotive were
operated by Est and numbered in the 44XX series. Two of
their number were destroyed during the First World War.
The first three photographs were taken at a depot, the
name of which had been long forgotten (if it had ever
been known!) until the photographer followed this link: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cf-chanteraines/lvdc/lvdc0100/carnet06.htm
. The location is now believed to
have been Nogent-Vincennes, although
this is not certain as these pictures are now approaching
forty years old. The last two photos were taken at Gare
de Bastille. Steam-hauled trains ceased to run on this
line during December 1969.
LINKS...
- Alan Newble's railway
pages are probably already known to many railway
enthusiasts. These pages contain much more
professional-looking images than those seen here and they
are highly recommended. Alan's website(s) may be accessed
via the following link: http://www.newble.co.uk/rpics/
-> Steam
Locomotives 2
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Locomotives 3
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Locomotives 4
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Locomotives 5
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Locomotives 6
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Locomotives 7
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Locomotives 8
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Locomotives 9
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Locomotives 10
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Locomotives 11
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Locomotives 12
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Locomotives 13
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Locomotives 14
-> Diesel Locomotives 1
-> Model
Railway Locomotives 1
-> Model
Railway Locomotives 2
-> COPYRIGHT
INFORMATION
Contact Address: david.element@ukgateway.net
© David
Element.