| Nord "Superpacific" | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Build date | 1923– |
| Total produced | 88 |
| Configuration | 4-6-2 |
| UIC classification | 2′C1′ h4v |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 8 t (17,600 lb) |
| Water capacity | 37,000 l (8,100 imp gal; 9,800 US gal) |
| Cylinders | 4 (Compound – 2 HP inside, 2 LP outside) |
| Career | Chemin de Fer du Nord » SNCF |
| Number | Nord: 3.1201 – 3.1248, 3.1251 – 3.1298 SNCF: 231 C 1 to 231 C 88 |
The 231 C Nord was a class of 4-6-2 (Pacific type) steam locomotive of the Chemin de Fer du Nord. It served in the North of France and Belgium. The first batch were built in 1923, and last remaining were retired from service in the 60's. These locomotives were widely known as "superpacifics" due to their high performance, which made them famous even in Britain.
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The Chemin de Fer du Nord had need of a locomotive able to travel from Paris to Lille, pulling a 300 ton passenger train at 120 km/h. The locomotive therefore needed a tender able to hold 37 m³ of water and 8 tons of coal.
In 1923 Marc de Caso designed a four cylinder compound pacific locomotive, with superheating, and a narrow firebox 3 m long. capable of output of 2,700 hp (2,000 kW). The appearance was due to Gaston Schaeffer who grouped all the outside pipes together and ran them along the boiler. Their boilers were superb, which is the reason why Andre Chapelon later based some of his locomotive boilers on this design.
The locomotives were not equipped with mechanical stokers which made the job of the fireman harder as he had to throw the coal uniformly throughout the firebox. The cab was not enclosed, a characteristic found throughout the Chemin de Fer du Nord, and drivers gave it the nickname rendez-vous des courants d'air. The Nord specification tender was built to such a quality that the SNCF used the same design for its own tender locomotives twenty years later.
The class was numbered 3.1201 to 3.1248 and 3.1251 to 3.1290 before the nationalisation of the Chemin de Fer du Nord in 1938, and were the most prestigious locomotives of the company. They were painted in a dark brown livery with cream lines.
The 231 Cs performed well for many years and were only surpassed by André Chapelon's 231 Pacific locomotive, copied from the 231 D Ouest engines of the Chemin de Fer de l'État. The last few examples were withdrawn from service during the 196os. Chapelon often said that the only modification he had made to the design was the fitting of a Kylchap, thus enhancing smoke ejection. (The Kylchap was named so due to the names of its creators, Kylälä and Chapelon.)
The engine is also famous due to a 1:87 HO railway model reproduced made by Jouef in the 1960s.