The 2C2 3100 were a class 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 of the

Chemins de fer du Midi The Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi (. CF du Midi), also known in English as the Midi or Southern Railway, was an early French railway company which operated a network of routes in the southwest of the country, chiefly in the area between ...

, France. They were ordered in 1914 but, because of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, deliveries did not begin until 1923. They were designed for

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 ...

at 12 kV, 16⅔ Hz but, before construction, they were re-designed for

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 ...

at 1,500 V.

History

These locomotives were ordered from Constructions Electriques de France (CEF),

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

in 1914 following the decision to electrify the Midi network at 12 kV 16⅔ Hz and to order six prototypes locomotives. Their delivery was delayed by the

and then by the government decision of 1920 to adopt 1,500 V

for new electrification schemes. It was not until 1923 that the first two prototypes began their tests. The original livery was blue.

Technical details

The machines were initially designed with three Westinghouse motors arranged horizontally but were re-designed with 1,500 V Dick Kerr motors arranged vertically and, presumably, driving through

bevel gear Bevel gears are gears where the axes of the two shafts intersect and the tooth-bearing faces of the gears themselves are conically shaped. Bevel gears are most often mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at oth ...

s. It is unclear whether there were three or six 1,500 V motors. If there were only three, it is likely that they would have had double armatures to allow series-parallel operation.

Career

They were the first French electric locomotives designed to reach, and even exceed, 120 km / h. For a time, they held the global blue ribbon for speed with an average of 108 km / h on the

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

route. Later, with the increase in train weight, following the arrival of metal carriages, they were seen as underpowered and were replaced by the 2D2 locomotives of the

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 ...

(PO).

Scale models

The 2C2 3100 was reproduced in HO scale by the British manufacturer DJH / Model Loco, as a kit (white metal and brass) to be assembled and painted.

History

Technical details

Career

Scale models

References

Further reading