Ouest 2-4-0 Locomotives in France

Class 0231 (Locobase 6057)

Data from I N Jevica's [] (visited 29 May 2004).

Locobase isn't sure about the gauge of the rail of this tiny tank. Jevica's illustration shows a compact version of a typical French tank, but with "coupe de vent" wind-splitting fairings on the smoke box and the leading edge of the cab. It's a charming touch on a design whose 52" drivers weren't likely to propel the locomotive at break-neck speed.

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Class 117 (Locobase 20423)

Data from August Perdonnet et Camille Polonceau, Nouveau Portefeuille de L'Ingenieur des Chemins de Fer, Tome Second (Paris: Librairie Scientifique, Industrielle et Agricole, 1866), pp. 534-535. See also "Old Tank Engines of the Western Railways of France", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XXI [21] (15 January 1915), pp.6-7.

ocobase 6048 has a description of this long-running suburban tank locomotive class. This entry reproduces the data for one batch as shown in Perdonnet-Polonceau. The 25 locomotives were the among the last to be built to this design. Kitsons adhered to French practice in their capturing steam in a giant dustbin-style dome just behind the stack and over the lead guide wheels. Squeezed between the dome and the stack was the Crampton-type regulator. To operate it, a long rod led backthrough the dome, the sand box, and Webb-design safety valve casing.

The long side tanks stretched the full length of the frame and were equalized through a large copper pipe connecting the two tanks.

LM's report noted an unusual design to transmit the motion of the pistons to the crank axle. Under the boiler, a single connecting rod forked at both ends. The front ends connected to the crossheads of each piston rods. The rear ends forked vertically to present two studs above and below the crankshaft. A cap fit over the two studs to clamp the connecting rod to the axle.

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Class 744 (Locobase 6052)

Data from I N Jevica's [] (visited 29 May 2004). Principal builders were Ernest Gouin et Cie (34), Andre Koechlin (26), which later merged with Graffenstaden (which supplied 54) to form SACM. and Cail et Cie (13). Manufacture of the class continued from 1862-1875.

It's not clear if this is another in the series of Gouin designs although the dimensions and layout suggest that is so. Jevica's illustration showed a large, cylindrical dome well forward with external steam pipes leading to the inside cylinders, outside link motion and frames, splashers over the coupled drivers and overhanging springs.

The firebox rode behind the rear coupled axle and behind the firebox, the crew manned a footboard virtually devoid of weather protection. At first, a small weatherboard with viewports shielded the crew from air pressure created by the locomotive's passage. Later, additional shielding extended up and back at an angle to provide some measure of precipitation protection.

These engines were twice fitted with new boilers. The oldest machines were updated in 1875-1883. Survivors of the class were again rebuilt in 1900-1910 with boilers fitted with the internally finned, large-diameter Serve tubes.

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Class 9/329 (Locobase 20345)

Data from "Early Tank Engines of the Western of France Railway", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XX [20] (15 June 1914), p. 148; and F Achard, "Correction", LM, Volume XX (15 September 1914), p. 256. See also Roland Arzul, "Les machines tender a deux essieux couples du reseau de l'Ouest", 17 March 2012 blog entry in Les machines de l'Ouest 1837-1908, last accessed 8 February 2018 at [] . These were among the earliest tank engines to operate on the Ouest's suburban service around Paris and specifically intended for the Paris, Versailles and Chartres line. Arzul commented that the design used two coupled axles instead of the previously favored 2-2-0 or 2-2-2 layout to put the weight of the coal and water on the adhesion axles. This was useful in a service that required many stops. Moreover, a tenderless layout meant that the locomotive was "indifferent" to the direction which it operated and its short engine wheelbase made it more suitable for smaller turntables. The class had names, which were Epernon, Maintenon, Jouy, Chartres, Courville, Pontgouin, La Loupe, Nogent. The first seven were renumberd 329-336 in 1858 and modified in 1862.

. The data in Locobase's specifications incorporate M. Achard's corrections to the original article's data, which were supplied by the Etat. The Etat's data refer to the class when fitted with a new boiler later. Firebox area increased to 5.85 sq m, tube heating surface area to 91.1 sq m and a total of 96.95 sq m in evaporative heating surface area. Boiler pressure increased to 8.34 bar and engine weight increased to 33,700 kg.

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Class Bicyclette (Locobase 6048)

Data from I N Jevica's [] (visited 29 May 2004). See also August Perdonnet et Camille Polonceau, Nouveau Portefeuille de L'Ingenieur des Chemins de Fer, Tome Second (Paris: Librairie Scientifique, Industrielle et Agricole, 1866), pp. 534-535.

Jevica's illustration shows tank engine with coal piled on either side between the tank and the firebox. The large steam dome sat well forward, just behind the stack. Jevica's note says that this design was produced from 1861 to 1880.

Roland Arzul -- [] -- gives us more information, noting that these Bicycles were the main motive power for Parisian suburban service when it was first established. They gained their nickname from their relatively tall and closely spaced drivers.

See Locobases 11355-11358 for data on some of the batches produced within this long series. See Locobase 7375 for a later version with a trailing axle.

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Class Bicyclette - 21 (Locobase 11355)

Data from August Perdonnet et Camille Polonceau, Nouveau Portefeuille de L'Ingenieur des Chemins de Fer, Tome Second (Paris: Librairie Scientifique, Industrielle et Agricole, 1866), pp. 534-535. Locobase 6048 has a description of this long-running suburban tank locomotive class. This entry reproduces the data for one batch as shown in Perdonnet-Polonceau.

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Class Bicyclette - 41 (Locobase 11356)

Data from August Perdonnet et Camille Polonceau, Nouveau Portefeuille de L'Ingenieur des Chemins de Fer, Tome Second (Paris: Librairie Scientifique, Industrielle et Agricole, 1866), pp. 534-535. Locobase 6048 has a description of this long-running suburban tank locomotive class. This entry reproduces the data for one batch as shown in Perdonnet-Polonceau.

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Class Bicyclette - 51 (Locobase 11357)

Data from August Perdonnet et Camille Polonceau, Nouveau Portefeuille de L'Ingenieur des Chemins de Fer, Tome Second (Paris: Librairie Scientifique, Industrielle et Agricole, 1866), pp. 534-535. Locobase 6048 has a description of this long-running suburban tank locomotive class. This entry reproduces the data for one batch as shown in Perdonnet-Polonceau.

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Class Express (Locobase 7406)

Data from Titre Exposition universelle internationale de 1889 a Paris. Rapports du jury internationale. Auteur - Volume France. Ministere du Commerce, de l'industrie. Picard, Alfred, ed. Volume Groupe VI - -Outillage et precedes des industries mecaniques. Electricite (5e partie) Classes 60 a 63. Rapport sur le materiel des chemins de fer; tables beginning on p. 183 ([] (accessed 1 September 2005).

Locobase 616 describes an Ouest 2-4-0 from slightly earlier in the decade than this exhibit at the Exposition that introduced the Eiffel Tower. If Locobase understands the Jury's French adequately (his failing, not theirs), Fives Lille modified an Ouest three-axle express engine design to allow for a wider spread of drivers to allow for dropping the firebox between them and thus avoiding having to adopt a fourth axle.

Since Ouest also showed a 4-4-0 at the Exposition (Locobase 5408), Locobase suspects this experiment was short-lived in effect.

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Class Polonceau (Locobase 613)

Ernest-Alexandre Gouin based his design on the Polonceau freight engine design. These were high-drivered express engines and had inner half-cranks aligned with the outer cranks that carried the eccentrics. The firebox overhung the rear driving axle. 381-400 carried the cylinders ahead of the smokebox. These engines were followed by the larger 707-743, 636-706, and 621-623 express engine series; see separate entries.

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Class Polonceau (Locobase 614)

Data from Reports of the United States Commissioners to the Paris Universal Exposition, 1878, pp. 433-434 and Reder (1974). Batignolles works numbers were 862-871 (road 734-743) in 1877; 877-893 (708-723, 707) in 1877-1878. SACM works numbers were 2525-2534 in 1877.

Further elaborations of Gouin's express version of the Polonceau design produced two decades after the first series, but based on the 744s of 1873. These had a larger firebox located over the rear coupled axle and slightly larger drivers and greater spacing between the coupled axles.

They were followed by the 636-706 (Locobase 615) and 621-623 series.

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Class Polonceau (Locobase 616)

Data from Sixth Group, Charles B Richards (ed). Reports of the United States Commissioners to the Universal Exposition of 1889 at Paris, Volume III (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891) p. 440.

These Polonceau-type express engines were the final variants. They had the longest wheelbase, the highest boiler pressure, and the firebox hung between the driving axles. The slide valves were relocated inside and operated through a transmission shaft from the outside-mounted eccentrics. These and the 71 engines of the 636-706 series were fitted with a front truck from 1901-1911, raising the permitted speed to 68 mph.

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Class Polonceau - 636 (Locobase 615)

Data from Gustav Reder ( , 1974). See also Roland Arzul, "1881 - Les Locomotives 636 a 706" on his webpage Les Locomotives a deux essieux du reseau l'Ouest, last accessed 14 August 2023. These 71 express engines (636-706) extended the 707-743 series (Locobase 614) further with higher drivers, slightly larger cylinders and boilers, but a slightly smaller grate. They were the heaviest of the Ouest 2-4-0s.

Roland Arzul commented that this particular variant was easily recognizable. Its frame lay outside of the wheels, the cylinders, and their valves, but its motion, including the link motion arms, were in full view outside the frame. The horizontal line of the running board dropped ahead of the leading axle to continue at the level of the smoke box bottom.

From 1901-1911, the front carrying axle was replaced by a single-axle truck, which raised their permitted speed to 68 mph.

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Class unknown (Locobase 11348)

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. 373-374 and tables on 376-387.

The authors say that this mixed-traffic design was "perfectly suited" to the Ouest, apart from a tendency to prime its cylinders because of insufficient height in the steam space above the boiler's water. The cylinders were positioned inside and both driving axles were located ahead of the firebox. Gouin first studied this layout on the Paris-Orleans in 1847.

Between Paris and Chartres they tackled 0.6 to 1% grades with trains of passenger carriages and freight wagons.