The SNCF Class BB 8500 class are part of a series of

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...

s built by

Alsthom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...

for

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

. They are the

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...

version of the 25 kV

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

SNCF BB 17000 and dual system SNCF BB 25500. The locomotives are fitted with monomotor

bogie A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

s with two different gear ratios. This allows them to increase their tractive effort in exchange for a reduction in their top speed. This makes them suitable for both

freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...

and

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

s. They acquired the nickname ''Danseuses'' (dancers) due to their tendency to sway from side to side at speed, which led to them being ''blacked'' at a number of depots. They were built in three distinct batches, leading to detail differences. They remain in use as mixed traffic locomotives, mostly with TER and but with some remaining for special duties. Thirty locomotives, dedicated to empty stock moves, have been reclassified as BB 88500. Likewise in 2001, 20 of the class were rebuilt for freight

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

workings on the Maurienne line. They were classified as BB 8700 for this period.

Names

Five members of the class were named.

Preservation

A single locomotive, BB 8616, is preserved at

Mohon Mohon (; br, Mozhon) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Inhabitants of Mohon are called in French ''Mohonnais''. See also *Communes of the Morbihan department The following is a list of the 249 comm ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sncf Class Bb 8500 Alstom locomotives B-B locomotives 08500 Standard gauge electric locomotives of France 1500 V DC locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1964 Mixed traffic locomotives