231 G Ouest
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 Locomotive 231 G 558 in Bayeux, Calvados in october 1993 |
|
| Power type | Steam |
|---|---|
| Build date | 1914 |
| Configuration | 4-6-2 |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Weight on drivers | 56 tons |
| Locomotive and tender combined weight | 152 tons |
| Fuel type | coal |
| Tender capacity | 9 or 12 tons |
| Boiler pressure | 16 kg/cm² (1.57 MPa) |
| Heating surface: Total | 212 m² |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Cylinder size | 640 x 650 mm |
| Career | Chemin de Fer de l'État |
| Class | 231 G |
| Number in class | 283 |
| Number | 231-501 to 231-783 |
The 231 G was a series of 4-6-2 steam locomotives of the Chemin de Fer de l'État ("the État").
283 engines of this series were built starting in 1914, with deliveries from 1916 through 1923. They replaced and supplemented the 231 B that had a tendency to derail. The class was numbered 231-501 to 231-783 by the État and 231 G 501 to 231 G 783 by the SNCF.
The engines were famous for their service on passenger trains, notably on the Paris-Le Havre and Paris-Le Mans-Rennes expresses.
After World War I other companies received 231-500s thanks to government aid. They were designated 231 TP for Travaux Publics (Public Works), the former name of the Ministry of Transport.
The 231 G was rated at 2200 hp. Engine 231-523 was modified in 1929 from four cylinders to three, and had Lentz valves fitted.
[edit] 231 G in preservation
231 G 558 was a Pacific engine of the État, built in 1922. It had a career pulling express passenger trains on the Paris-Chartres-Bordeaux, Paris-Niort, Paris-Saintes, Paris-Cherbourg, and Paris-Le Havre runs. It ended its career on the run between Nantes and Le Croisic, and pulled its last train on 29 September 1968 when it was moved to Angers. In 1969 it was used in Dieppe as a heater for ferries. The SNCF wished to sell the engine for scrap in 1971, but the depot manager in Sotteville got the engine transferred to his depot in 1972. After five years of campaigning, the engine was sold to the depot staff for the token price of one franc. The engine was listed for preservation on 4 June 1984. After 8,000 man-hours of work, the engine was made fit for mainline use. The engine was reviewed and received its timbre, a stamp showing the pressure of the forebox, on 28 November 1985 and was certified for mainline use on 30 May 1986. The Princess, as it is nicknamed, made its first run to Paris on 29 June 1986.
In the summer of 2007, 231 G 558 could be found running daily on the branch line between Paimpol and Pontrieux in northern Brittany.
