Tramways de la Sarthe 0-6-0 Locomotives in France

Class 11 (Locobase 9236)

Data from A. Sampite, Les Chemins de Fer a Faible Trafic en France (Paris: Baudry et Cie, 1888), p. 49 and the article [], last accessed 23 Feb 2008, which details the tram locomotives shown in this entry. See also [] for a history of these Freycinet Plan railways.

Otherwise known as Chemins de Fer Sur Route (Railways on the Road), tramways played an important secondary role in the narrow-gauge networks in France. At first comprising the Le Mans au Grand Luce (31 km) and Grand Luce a la Chartre (17 km) lines, the Sarthe eventually counted 416 route-km (258 route miles) in the Le Mans area by 1922.

Traffic initially was limited to 20 km/hour in town (13 mph) although authorities later conceded that speeds could increase to 25-30 km/h, and rail weight came to a petite 15 kg/meter (30 lb/yard).

The Tubize locomotives showed the typical tram locomotive profile. All the running gear was enclosed, which sometimes led to excessive heat during prolonged stops. The cylinders drove on the middle axle, while braking was applied to the two end axles. A Belpaire firebox and short boiler contributed to ready steaming, which was indispensable in a service that had so many stops and had to scale some testing grades. The engines were credited with a maximum speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) and a 35-tonne trainload of seven carriages. Although originally equipped with a motorman's position at each end, they later had just one and used turntables to change direction.