Paris-Lyon-Mediterrannee 4-6-4 Locomotives in France

Class 232 5 301/232 AT 001 (Locobase 13396)

Data from US Military Railway Service Equipment Data Book on French Locomotives, part of Allen Stanley's extensive Rail Data Exchange, supplemented by Wiki PLM at [], last accessed 7 November 2011. See also "Compound Passenger Tank Locomotive, Chemin de Fer de PLM", Locomotive Magazine (15 July 1914), p. 187. SFCM (Cail) delivered its batch (5 336-5 350) first in 1913 followed by Hainault (3 301-3 320) in 1914, and Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire (3 321-3 335) in 1915.

A compact Baltic tank that was smaller than the earlier 5 501s shown in Locobase 2134. These hauled suburban trains that served both Paris and Marseille. Like the other French tanks with such duty, these engines could be operated from either end of the train so that the driver was always in front.

Internally finned Serve tubes sought to provide still more heating surface area than the smoothbore tubes used in other classes and the engines also had a sizable Belpaire firebox. LM acknowledged that the locomotives didn't have superheaters, saying that it had been found "... in working trains having very frequent starts and stops superheating does not show to the same advanata as in locomotives running ordinatry passenger and freight trains.

The entire class was converted to superheating beginning in 1923; see Locobase 13397.

Class 232 5 501 / 232 BT 001 (Locobase 2134)

Data from US Military Railway Service Equipment Data Book on French Locomotives, part of Allen Stanley's extensive Rail Data Exchange, supplemented by []. Hannover supplied the first 20 (5 526-5 545) in 1908-1909. FUF Haine Saint-Pierre added 25 more (5 501-5 525) in 1913-1914 that were somewhat lighter. (Thanks to Alexander Blessing for his 19 November 2023 email offering corrections for some of the data.)

The tall, narrow Belpaire firebox on this large and powerful Baltic tank was actually relatively small compared to the heating surface it supplied. The first batch was delivered with saturated boilers and some of this class were not modified with superheaters. High-pressure cylinders received their steam through 220 mm (8.66") piston valves; 300 mm (11.81") piston valves supplied the LP cylinders.

These were double-ender commuter locomotives, capable of being operated from either end of the train through electronic controls.

Most of the class was converted to superheating beginning in 1922; see Locobase 13395.

Class 232 AT 001 - superheated (Locobase 13397)

Data from Wiki PLM at [], last accessed 7 November 2011.

Locobase 13396 shows this class as it was delivered with saturated boilers. Described at the time as not needing superheating because of its frequent start and stop service, the class nevertheless underwent conversions beginning in 1923-1924. 232 AT 1, 6, 8, 24, 26, 29, 34, 43-45, the PLM swapped out some of the 150 smoothbore firetubes in exchange for larger flues. By 1936 all but 232 AT 41 had been given a sizable superheater.

Class 232 BT 001 superheated (Locobase 13395)

Data from US Military Railway Service Equipment Data Book on French Locomotives, part of Allen Stanley's extensive Rail Data Exchange, supplemented by .

Locobase 2134 describes this set of suburban double-ender tanks in their original, saturated-boiler form. Beginning in 1922, the PLM modified the boiler to take a superheater along the same lines as several other classes of locomotives.