The SNCF BB 1280 class were a class of 600 V DC 4 axle

Bo′Bo′ B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications i ...

electric locomotives, formerly

Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans The ''Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans'' (PO) was an early French railway company. It merged with the ''Chemins de fer du Midi'' to form the ''Chemins de fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi'' (PO-Midi) in 1934. In 1938 the PO-Midi ...

machines (originally PO E.1 to E.13), initially built for an underground section of line connecting the

Gare d'Austerlitz The Gare d'Austerlitz (English: Austerlitz Station), officially Paris-Austerlitz, is one of the six large Paris rail termini. The station is located on the left bank of the Seine in the southeastern part of the city, in the 13th arrondissemen ...

to the

Quai d'Orsay The Quai d'Orsay ( , ) is a quay in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is part of the left bank of the Seine opposite the Place de la Concorde. The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole-France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai Branly west of th ...

in inner Paris. The locomotives were converted for 1500 V DC use in the 1930s, and renumbered PO E.281 to E.293. They were absorbed by the SNCF, and operated as shunters until the late 1960s.

History

At the end of the 19th century the

(PO) was seeking to extend its railway into a more central location in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

: an extension from the

Gare de Austerlitz The Gare d'Austerlitz (English: Austerlitz Station), officially Paris-Austerlitz, is one of the six large Paris rail termini. The station is located on the left bank of the Seine in the southeastern part of the city, in the 13th arrondissemen ...

to the new Gare du Quai d'Orsay was constructed, including covered sections; the new section was similar to the recently constructed

Baltimore Belt Line The Baltimore Belt Line was constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in the early 1890s to connect the railroad's newly constructed line to Philadelphia and Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, New York City/Jersey City with the re ...

(USA), constructed by the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(B&O) and operated by electric locomotives built by General Electric, which had worked well, and achieved speeds of 80 km/h. Eight locomotives were ordered for the new line, delivered between 1900 and 1904, numbered E1 to E8, with electrical equipment from GE, and mechanical equipment and structural parts manufactured by Blanc-Misseron. The line was electrified by 600 V DC, supplied by a third rail, with overhead collection via a mini-pantograph in the Orsay tunnel. Unlike the B&O locomotives the PO units used geared drive, rather than the co-axial gearless motor drive of the 1896 B&O machines. Locomotive E.1 was exhibited at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. 281

The first eight units were a single cab

steeplecab Steeplecab is railroad terminology for a style or design of electric locomotive; the term is rarely if ever used for other forms of power. The name originated in North America and has been used in Britain as well. A ''steeplecab'' design has ...

design. Further units were acquired as the system's electrification spread beyond the initial Orsay-Austerlitz line; five units were acquired, with a twin cab design, with a baggage compartment (''locomotives-fourgon''). In service the locomotives were used throughout the PO system where electrified; the initial specifications of the design, matching those used for the tunnel shuttle service on the

were too low geared for the general network, and in 1904 seven locomotives were upgeared and the top speed raised to 100 km/h. In the late 1920s/1930s 1500 V DC began to be used on the PO rail system; the locomotives were converted for 1500 V operation at workshops at Vitry-sur-Seine using a

Metadyne A metadyne is a direct current electrical machine with two pairs of brushes. It can be used as an amplifier or rotary transformer. It is similar to a third brush dynamo but has additional regulator or "variator" windings. It is also similar to an ...

for traction control. A new pantograph as well as sand boxes were added. After conversion the class were renumbered E.281 to E.293. During the second half of the units operational life they were used for shunting at depots to the southwest of Paris. In 1949 the units were renumbered BB 1280 to BB 1293 as part of the SNCF. The class were withdrawn between 1965-7. One unit, numbered E.1 is preserved at the Musée français du chemin de fer in Mulhouse.

Models

Tin plate version of the locomotive were manufactured by '' Maerklin'' in Gauge I, and by '' Bing'', '' LR'', and '' Jouet de Paris (Jep)'' in Gauge 0."LES BB 1281 à 1288 "BOITES A SEL" et BB 1289 à 1293 de la S.N.C.F.Du réel à la miniature", D - LES REPRODUCTIONS EN HO DES BOITES A SEL: Kit versions have been produced by ''Maison des Trains'', ''Pullman'', ''RMCF'' ''Keyser'', and ''Apogée Vapeur'' in HO scale.

Notes

References

Sources

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External links