Data from F Barbier and R Godfernaux,"Locomotive a Grand Vitesse, Systeme Thuile", Les Locomotives de l'Exposition de 1900" (Paris: V Ch. Dunod, 1902), pp.204-210; and Gustav Reder (Michael Reynolds, trans), The World of Steam Locomotives (New York: Putnam, 1974). (Thanks to Alexander Blessing for his 16 June 2024 email supplying corrected data and the link to Barbier & Godfernaux book that supplied it.)
Designed to a requirement for a locomotive that could pull a luxury passenger train of 180-200 tons at 120 kph (76 mph), this cab-forward engine, rated at1,600-1,800 cylinder horsepower, debuted at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
The engine showed several features intended to achieve high-speed performance. A short boiler pear-shaped in cross-section rode behind the engineer's wedge-shaped cab. Its large-diameter Serve tubes had the internal fluting characteristic of the type. While the engineer watched ahead, two firemen stoked the large Belpaire firebox, which extended over a three-axle pivoting bogie.
A five-axle tender, itself an unusual arrangement, carried enough water to confer a 180 km (112 miles) range on the locomotive. Coal capacity eqaated to a 350 km (217 miles) range, about twice as far as the water tank.
Test runs showed the Thuile pulling a 205 ton train up a 1% grade at 80 kph (50 mph). According to Reder, however, the engine was not a success, barely making its intended speed and derailing often. When the designer was killed during one test (by putting his head in the way of a lineside pole), further development was abandoned.
(See also The Locomotive Magazine, October 1900)
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | unknown |
| Locobase ID | 2502 |
| Railroad | Thuile Locomotive |
| Country | France |
| Whyte | 4-4-6 |
| Number in Class | 1 |
| Road Numbers | |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 1 |
| Builder | Schneider-Creusot |
| Year | 1900 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 9.19 / 2.80 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 40.19 / 12.25 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.23 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 35,274 / 16,000 |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 70,548 / 32,000 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 177,210 / 80,381 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 7265 / 27.52 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 7.70 / 7 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 59 / 29.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 98.40 / 2500 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 213.20 / 1470 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 20.08" x 27.56" / 510x700 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 20,465 / 9282.78 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.45 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 183 - 2.244" / 57 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 14.27 / 4.35 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 263.72 / 24.50 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 50.38 / 4.68 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 3204 / 297.70 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 3204 / 297.70 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 317.18 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 10,741 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 10,741 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 56,225 |
| Power L1 | 15,654 |
| Power MT | 978.37 |