Photos of French Trains

[Ben]

These pictures are not very good but were about the best I could do through the window of Eurostar on the way home from Italy.

Although the subjects are either distant or blurred or both, someone might know what they are and might find them interesting.

Ben

http://www.zing.com/picture/p126ace7ce5ddffeb356d4f547d9819ed/feabe3fd.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/p593bedcaf0e0ce7c78d30b370184f3ba/feabe322.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/p907169e680be1a893db81134e80f788a/feabe2b2.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/p5613f9446b6903207141e577fc76748c/feabe233.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/pc2515ca69e13363df6fbd9cd88f82749/feabe1a3.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/p4aeff9b56621df29cbd2d5ff3a95a9ca/feabe106.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/p8d369ad6db623c5aa9d36988cd9ecb76/feabe069.jpg.orig.jpg

http://www.zing.com/picture/p76838cda69e12f901a4046c1be394d86/feabe3a5.jpg.orig.jpg

[Alan]

Ben, the locomotive in the first three shots looks like a BB16000. These run out of Gare du Nord.

The stainless steel and green coaches are used on the commuter trains, and usually have a locomotive at one end and a driving cab at the other, but the one you saw appears to have the locomotive, a BB16500, in the centre, with a driving cab at both ends.

Did you forget to compress the images? the file sizes are very large. (200-300k)

[Ben]

Alan, thank you for the information; I love those boxy electric locos and I might try to get a model of one.

Yes, the loco for the commuter train was right in the centre of the consist, not at one end.

I knew you would say something about compressing the files, but while I managed successfully to compress one last weekend as an experiment I don't know how to compress a whole series and then have them available back in their album in Zing ready to paste into a post on Trainboard. Also, it would take so long that I would never get to bed; as it is, I didn't turn in until 2am last night!

PhotoWorks isn't that easy to navigate around and it just all takes a hell of a long time to experiment with.

Ben

[Hytec]

Ben, I find that PhotoDeluxe (an inexpensive subset of PhotoShop @ US$30) is convenient for compressing and converting both digital and scanned images, e.g. .....

-Open image file
-"Trim" (size) to 4x6 (inches)
-"Trim" (crop) to desired image area
-"Size" photo resolution to 72dpi
-"Export" as .jpg file, least quality

This reduces an image file from about 9MB to about 18KB, which is adequate for posting to the Forum. Now all we need to do is find a suitable replacement for Photopoint :mad: !

Hank

[Ben]

Thanks Hank, perhaps I'll look into it.

Alan, quite by chance I have found something about the Paris-Beauvais services in "Today's Railways" no 49 (January 2000) which I was looking at today for another reason; the item (in the "Rolling Stock News" section) says: "Electric Trains for Beauvais - From the 28 November 1999 timetable change, Paris-Beauvais services were all handed over to electric traction following electrification of the 37 km Persan-Beaumont-Beauvais line at 25 kV a.c. 50 Hz overhead. A completely new service will provide an hourly frequency off-peak and half-hourly in the peaks.

Two types of refurbished SNCF stock will be used on the line. For semi-fast services, two sets of 8 refurbished Corail coaches will be used in push-pull mode with t.d.m. equipped Class BB 25200 locos newly transferred from Venissieux depot. Stopping trains will be provided by a unique type of formation - two refurbished four-car RIO stainless steel push-pull sets powered by a Class BB 16500 electric loco sandwiched between them. This has been done in order to give the driver a better environment as the locos, dating from 1958, are far from comfortable. The first two RIO sets were refurbished by Saintes works and were combined with loco BB 16515 in September and tested on the La Rochelle-Niort line. This is exceptional as 25 kV a.c. only locos are never normally seen here as the line is an a.c. enclave in the south-west's 1500 V d.c. network. Work on the RIO sets includes suppression of one of the three doors and a completely new interior in a similar style to recent TER stock with individual moquette-covered seats arranged 2 + 2 and modernisation of toilets. The whole train, including the loco, is finished in metallic grey (stainless steel for the RIOs) and Picardie region green. Total cost of electrification, modernisation and stock is put at 100 million euros, mainly financed by the Picardie region".

There is then an excellent close up photo of the loco with a caption that reads: "1958-built SNCF BB 16515 has received a new lease of life and a repaint. It is seen here sandwiched between two RIO sets at Creil on 20 October 1999".

So there we have it - the explanation why the locos are in the middle of the train and everything else about the service they operate in - and all by chance!

Hope you found it interesting and thanks for sparking my interest with the initial information you provided.

Ben

[Hytec]

Ben, your latest post saying that the SNCF BB16xxx were built around 1958 clears up a concern I had when looking at your first two pictures. I was convinced that I had seen the same type locomotives out of Gare St Lazare in 1970/71, but then I considered that my memory was foolish because that was over 30 years ago :rolleyes:

Thanks for restoring confidence in my memory smile.gif Hank

P.S. Is SNCF still running those "new" locomotives built by FLC in 1968, that were assigned to Le Mistral in 1970/71? I spent one Saturday in Gare (?) just drooling over those magnificent "beasts". S I G H :rolleyes:

The Driver arrived in a suit, tie, topcoat, and carried a briefcase when he entered the locomotive .... he then put on "gleeming" white smock for the trip! I WAS IMPRESSED :eek: smile.gif

[ 08 April 2001: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

[ 08 April 2001: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

[Alan]

Interesting info. Ben, thanks smile.gif

Here is a BB16000 in Paris Gare du Nord in 1994
http://acmodels.homestead.com/files/2951.jpg

. . . and a BB16500. There were 300 of these built between 1958 and 1964. I think most are still around. Yes, Hank, electric locomotives do live a long time :D

http://acmodels.homestead.com/files/2937.jpg

[ 09 April 2001: Message edited by: Alan ]

[Alan]

Here is an even older locomotive, built 1954-1958 and lasted until a few years ago. CC14100 were low geared and very powerful, but they were too slow and could not operate at the freight train speeds demanded today, so unfortunately they had to go.
http://acmodels.homestead.com/files/3001.jpg