Nord 0-6-0 Locomotives in France

Class 3.201 (Locobase 10468)

Data from "An Old French Locomotive", The Locomotive Magazine, Vol X (15 October 1904), p. 174. Cail works numbers were 34-58 (3.220-3.244) in 1847-1848.

This class was still in service almost 60 years after its introduction, which was the inspiration for the article from which the data are drawn. The first 19 were delivered by the Societe 'L'Expansion' located in Mulhouse, Derosne et Cail of Paris produced the next 25 in 1947, Gouin supplied ten more, and 'L'Expansion' completed the class with ten more. Although delivered with haystack fireboxes, they were soon refitted with the straightback boiler that would long be known in France as the Crampton pattern.

After 40 years on French service, 25 of the class were sold to the Nord Belge, which operated from Liege to Givet. The class's service life was nearing its end on both railways when the LM article appeared in late 1904.

Class 3.453 (Locobase 11259)

Data from Maurice Demoulin, Traite Pratique de la Machine Locomotive (Paris: Libraire Polytechnique, Baudry et Cie, 1898), pp. 109.The first 20 were homebuilt at La Chapelle (15) and Hellemmes (5). In 1890, SACM-Belfort added 20 (works numbers were 4217-4236) and Schneider-Le Creusot 20 more (works numbers were 2468-2487).

Nord 3401-3452 were delivered in 1883-1884. Beginning with the Succeeding the 1882 version of the long-running Mammouths, this more numerous series rolled on taller drivers, produced steam in bigger boilers supported by substantially larger grates. Heavy plate frames held the drivers with only the coupling cranks exposed outside; all the springs over each driver were compensated. The frame curved up in a shallow segment over each axle. The steam dome sat over the second boiler course ahead of the slab-sided, flat-topped Belpaire firebox.

Class 3.606 (Locobase 11258)

Data from Maurice Demoulin, Traite Pratique de la Machine Locomotive (Paris: Libraire Polytechnique, Baudry et Cie, 1898), pp. 109.

Part of the long-running Mammoth series of six-coupleds that first entered service in 1846 (Locobase 10468), this numerous class of stubby freighters had the dome over the center coupled axle. The four-course boiler was longer and the firebox sloped, but the cylinders remained inside the frame and were slightly inclined. Their mid-range driver diameter suited them for service on both mixed-traffic trains as well as fast freights.

Class 3.967 (Locobase 11281)

Data Maurice Demoulin, Traite Pratique de la Machine Locomotive (Paris: Libraire Polytechnique, Baudry et Cie, 1898), p.151-152.

This batch is represented of the numerous terminal-area locomotives built for and by the Nord beginning in 1866. A Belpaire firebox replaced the Crampton (straight boiler) type in 1870. The preceding 20 engines (3.947-3.966) had square cylinders (440 mm x 440 mm) were a little less powerful and had a slightly larger grate (1.25 sq m), weight of 33 tonnes, and a shorter wheelbase of 2.28 m (7.5 ft).

Class Type 17/Neckar (Locobase 21208)

Data from "Locomotives", Type 17, Usines du Creusot-Schneider et Cie (Creusot: A Temporal, 1875), n.a.; Works numbers 132-149 in 1854. Works numbers were 53-62 in 1848.

Schneider's builder's elevation shows the "haystack" firebox clearly. it was most likely one of the last to appear on a Schneider locomotive because its design could grow only so far. As will be seen in later Schneider types, grate area increased rapidly to serve ever larger boilers.

Class Type 20/3.275 (Locobase 20091)

Data from Locomotives Schneider et Cie (Paris : Imp. Draeger, 1920), p. 43, archived as CNAM-MUSEE TR0.5-SCH at [], pp. 9-10. Works numbers were 75-80 in 1852, 91-112 in 1853.

As shown in the works numbers, these Mammouths not only belonged to the earliest days of this famous industrial giant, but also represented an early stage of this long-lasting design. Beginning with 3.307 (Locobase 11260) followed on from these engines with slightly smaller dimensions.

Class Type 25/3.311 (Locobase 11260)

Data from "Locomotives", Usines du Creusot-Schneider et Cie (Creusot: A Temporal, 1875), n.a.; and Maurice Demoulin, Traite Pratique de la Machine Locomotive (Paris: Libraire Polytechnique, Baudry et Cie, 1898), pp. 110. Works numbers were 168-195 in 1854.

Locobase 20091 describes the first batch of 32 Mammouths that first appeared in 1852. Two years later, Schneider tweaked the Type 20 design and delivered another 28 as Type 25.

Even as the Nord was producing the famed Mammouth line of six-coupled freight locomotives, it was also buying much larger engines of similar layout.

Demoulin noted the difference and expresses a little regret that the construction of type was abandoned.

Class Type 56bis (Locobase 20442)

Data from Schneider Catalogue, last accessed 22 September 2018 at [], pp. 19-20 Works numbers were 1731-1740 in 1874, 1771-1780, 1838-1852, 1907-1921, and 2112-2121 in 1881.

Part of the long-running Mammoth series of six-coupleds that first entered service in 1846 (Locobase 10468), these represented the middle range of the type. Schneider's figure for evaporative heating surface area--78 sq m--doesn't square with the calculated tube heating surface area derived from 148 45-mm tubes, each 3.5 metres long. Locobase adopted the larger figure for his specifications.

Class unknown (Locobase 11343)

Data from L Chatelier, E Flachat, J Petiet, and C Polonceau, Guide du Mecanicien Constructeur et Conducteur de Machines Locomotives (Paris: Chez Paul Dupont, 1851), pp. 369-370 and tables on 369-370.

This class of marchandise (goods/freight) engines used the same boiler and firebox as found in the first of the singles shown in Locobase 11341. If Locobase understands correctly the French of the four noted engineers that combined to write the book from which the data comes, these engines had similar issues with poor steaming and instability. It seems that the problems showed themselves to an even greater degree and suffered from priming (bringing water into the dry pipe and thence to the cylinders) "avec une grande facilite" because of the small size of the steam space in the boiler.