Photo gallerie of locomotives of the Compagnie P.L.M.

FRENCH COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVES' HOMEPAGE

Locomotives of the P.L.M.

Pacific series 6001 compound and 6101 single expansion

Two historically important locomotives, which have been extensively tested to compare single expansion superheated locomotives to compound mode engines (see 1933 Chapelon's conference for more information). Both built in 1908.


Single expansion Pacific	Identical, but compound unit

Note the slightly different location of the external cylinders.

They have been the starting point of about 5 series of machines for a total of 462 units built all along the twenties. About the half of them was single expansion.

All the single expansion units have later been compounded.

Also, according to the French habits in that matter, most of these Pacifics has been quite deeply transformed from the mid thirties.

In the fifties, they have been dispatched by the S.N.C.F. in all its "Régions" (area) except the Ouest area (area code 3).

One of these, S.N.C.F. 2 - 231 K 82 affected to the depot of Calais has been the last French Pacific in service, working his last train "La flêche d'or", Paris to Calais on january 22, 1969.

Photos showing the various subtypes will be added.

2-10-2 151 A series, 4 external cylinders compound with Dabeg poppet valves and rotating cams, 1932 (S.N.C.F. 5-151 A).

They were the most powerful European freight locomotives of the time with 3,030 H.P. measured on the draw bar.

231 K 17, then I 17

Equipée de distributions Lentz à la H.P. et à la B.P. indépendantes, d'un A.C.F.I. et d'un double échappement P.L.M. à croisillons, elle était une Chapelon à la mode P.L.M. A la différence de ce qu'avaient fait les autre réseaux français et même mondiaux, elle avait été étudiée sans que le bureau d'études du P.L.M. ait demandé quelque conseil que ce soit à monsieur Chapelon. Elle a été remise au type K "ordinaire" du fait de ses performances - disons "dérangeantes" au vu de la puissance moyenne d'une Pacific P.L.M. normale, performances qui faisaient ressortir l'insuffisance de rigidité de son chassis. Elle a cependant été affectée à un service extrèmement particulier durant le second conflit mondial, je développerai ce point un de ces 4 j'espère.


	During the tests. Diagram recording apparatus can be seen close to the cylinder.	Hi-res photo. K17 in the depot of Paris Bercy. Photo by L.M. Vilain.

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