Nord 0-2-6-2-0 Locomotives in France

Class Chameau (Locobase 20632)

Data from [] and "Petiet's French Experiments" in Douglas Self's marvelous [], last accessed 20 August 2019.

Jules Petiet and Gouin collaborated on this unique design. It's difficult for Locobase to decide which is the less probable, that the Nord actually accepted eight of these bizarre locomotives or that they weren't modified for 20 years. But,seriously, this was a strange design whose logic is difficult to work out (or describe in Frederick Methven Whyte's notation). The two driving axles were positioned at opposite ends of an arrangement that placed three carrying axles under the middle of the boiler. (i.e., OoooO. the French system characterizes the layout as A3A, which makes more sense.

The two eccentric arms were mounted outside of each of the four drivers, the two in front with links facing forward, the two under the footplate with links facing to the rear. Each axle was driven independently, thus constituting a duplex drive.

Petit mounted his steam dryer, a second, smaller cylinder on top of the boiler. It held fifteen tubes that (somewhat) removed the remaining water in the saturated steam created in the relatively low-pressure boilers of the day. Exhaust from the cylinders passed through this dryer and escaped in a curved, horn-like stack with cover. Hidden among all the excess appurtenances was the Belpaire firebox.

The eight locomotives tooks names that sound even more grand in French: L'Aigle,Le Vautour, Le Grand Duc, Le Milan, Le Faucon, L'l Outruche, La Grue, La Cicogne.