The AL P7 Class, was a class of 4-6-0 mixt traffic engines, built for the Kaiserliche Generaldirektion der Eisenbahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen.
History[]
In 1900, the Nord Railway, in France, presented to the world the two prototypes of the futur Atlantic 2.641 class. These engines, were co-developed by the chief mechanical engineer of the Nord Railway, Gaston Du Bousquet, and the chief mechanical engineer of the the SACM, in Alsace, Alfred De Glehn. With there good perfomances, the Elsaß-Lothringen Imperial Railway, were intrested to provide some engines from the conception of De Glehn. After receiving the agreement from the General Directorate of the German Railways, the studies to creat a series based from the SACM Atlantics began.
Because of the weak armed lines of the EL, It had been decided to developped a class with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement, not 4-4-2, to have a lower axle load.
Germany[]
EL A17 838 to 843, 871 to 897, and 909 to 915, then S4 201 to 230, then P7 2301 to 2330[]
In 1902, the first batch of engine was delivered to the EL, and were marked A17 no. 838 to 843. The two last batches were delivered the following year, in 1903, and the engines werre marked as A17 no. 871 to 897, and no. 909 to 915.
The entire class was considered at the beginning as speed engines. In 1906, the EL used a new numbering system, modeled from the Prussian States Railways, and the A17s were renumbered as S4 no. 201 to 230, the letter "S" was used to indicate that the class was a speed engines class.
At the beggining of there career, the S4s were allocated to the depot of Strasbourg, from where they were used to pull express and prestigious trains between Basel and Luxembourg. However the engines show to struggle at the head of high speeds trains, due to the small driving wheels diameter and the steam passage sections. In 1912, the EL would improved the numbering system, and the class was renumbered again, becoming the P7 no. 2301 to 2330, the use of the letter "P" instead of "S" indiquated a reclassify of the class as a mixt traffic engines class. They would be replaced for the high speed trains by a similar class, but more suitable to ensure these type of trains, the S9 Class.
France[]
AL P7 2301 to 2330[]
0n November 30th 1918, after the signature of the armistice of November 11th, which put an end to World War 1, the German government gives to the French army the control over the EL. On June 19th 1919, the French State created the Administration des chemins de fer d'Alsace et de Lorraine (AL), which replaced the EL. The P7s were all incorporated in the AL roster, except for the engines no. 2307 and 2324, lost in Germany.
On the AL, the P7s were used to pull passenger trains, express goods trains, and local from the depots of Strasbourg, Metz and Mulhouse. There career was quieter, then the one of their sisters, the S9s. In 1923/1924, the AL planned to gives a superheater system to the P7s, just like the S9s, but they would never received these modifications. In 1931, however, the tenders of the class would received water scoop, after the installation of water through on the Franco-Luxembourg border, after a demand of the Customs Department in Metz to prevent the use of water tanks for fraud.
SNCF 1-230.C between 301 and 330[]
At the creation of the Société National des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF), 23 P7s were still in service, they were renumbered 1-230.C between 301 and 330, and the tenders were marked as 1-20.B between 301 and 330. In August 1939, the SNCF had withdrawn 11 engines, the 12 remaining engines were allocated in France to the depot of Metz-Sablon, and in Luxembourg at the depots of Luxembourg, and TroisVierges.
During World War 2, the three French departments of Alsace and Moselle and the Grand-duchy of Luxembourg, were occupied by Germany. In 1944, at the liberation, 11 engines of the class were found in Luxembourg, with one engine at Troisvierges (1-230.C.302), and the ten other at Luxembourg (1-230.C.304, 305, 308, 310, 312, 318, 319, 323, 325 and 330). The SNCF would removed 7 of them to France, the rest of the class remaining in Luxembourg. The seven engines were allocated to the depot of Metz-Frescaty. In Fabruary 1947, the withdrawn of the class continue with the engines no. 302, 305, 323 and 325, and continue until the last engine, no. 312, was written off on August 1949.
Luxembourg[]
CFL 3801 to 3804[]
In 1946, the Luxembourg State created the Société nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), the four ex-P7 engines were incorporated in, and received the numbers 3801 to 3804. Their career was quite short as the engines number 3801, 3803 and 3804 were withdrawn on december 1950. The engine 3802, was incorporated on the CFL's roster only on paper, as the engine was lost in East Germany. the CFL would finaly written off no. 3802 in 1953.
Stock List[]
| Numbering | Constructor | Commissioning | Withdrawn | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EL (1902-1918) | AL (1919-1937) | SNCF (1938-1949) | CFL (1946-1953) | |||||||
| 1902 | 1906 | 1912 | Name | |||||||
| A17 838 | S4 201 | P7 2301 | "Weide" | P7 2301 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5244 | 1902 | ? |
| A17 839 | S4 202 | P7 2302 | "Oppa" | P7 2302 | 1-230.C.302 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5245 | 1902 | February 1947 |
| A17 840 | S4 203 | P7 2303 | "Wispe" | P7 2303 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5245 | 1902 | ? |
| A17 841 | S4 204 | P7 2304 | "Helpe" | P7 2304 | 1-230.C.304 | 3801 | EMBG/SACM | 5246 | 1902 | December 1950 |
| A17 842 | S4 205 | P7 2305 | "Luhe" | P7 2305 | 1-230.C.305 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5247 | 1902 | February 1947 |
| A17 843 | S4 206 | P7 2306 | "Prüm" | P7 2306 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5248 | 1902 | ? |
| A17 871 | S4 207 | P7 2307 | "Schollach" | P7 2307 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5320 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 872 | S4 208 | P7 2308 | "Kander" | P7 2308 | 1-230.C.308 | 3802 | EMBG/SACM | 5321 | 1903 | October 1953 |
| A17 873 | S4 209 | P7 2309 | "Eschach" | P7 2309 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5322 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 874 | S4 210 | P7 2310 | "Gertelbach" | P7 2310 | 1-230.C.310 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5323 | 1903 | April 1948 |
| A17 875 | S4 211 | P7 2311 | "Ablach" | P7 2311 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5324 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 876 | S4 212 | P7 2312 | "Klemmbach" | P7 2312 | 1-230.C.312 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5325 | 1903 | August 1949 |
| A17 877 | S4 213 | P7 2313 | "Aitrach" | P7 2313 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5326 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 878 | S4 214 | P7 2314 | "Durr" | P7 2314 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5327 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 879 | S4 215 | P7 2315 | "Alsenz" | P7 2315 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5328 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 880 | S4 216 | P7 2316 | "Ohle" | P7 2316 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5329 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 881 | S4 217 | P7 2317 | "Stober" | P7 2317 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5330 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 882 | S4 218 | P7 2318 | "Briesnitz" | P7 2318 | 1-230.C.318 | 3803 | EMBG/SACM | 5331 | 1903 | December 1950 |
| A17 883 | S4 219 | P7 2319 | "Ehn" | P7 2319 | 1-230.C.319 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5332 | 1903 | October 1948 |
| A17 884 | S4 220 | P7 2320 | "Schwalm" | P7 2320 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5333 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 885 | S4 221 | P7 2321 | "Larg" | P7 2321 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5334 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 886 | S4 222 | P7 2322 | "Vechta" | P7 2322 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5335 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 887 | S4 223 | P7 2323 | "Ause" | P7 2323 | 1-230.C.323 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5336 | 1903 | February 1947 |
| A17 909 | S4 224 | P7 2324 | "Birs" | P7 2324 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5337 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 910 | S4 225 | P7 2325 | "Sitter" | P7 2325 | 1-230.C.325 | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5338 | 1903 | February 1947 |
| A17 911 | S4 226 | P7 2326 | "Limmat" | P7 2326 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5339 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 912 | S4 227 | P7 2327 | "Sense" | P7 2327 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5340 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 913 | S4 228 | P7 2328 | "Tamina" | P7 2328 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5341 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 914 | S4 229 | P7 2329 | "Saalach" | P7 2329 | --- | --- | EMBG/SACM | 5342 | 1903 | ? |
| A17 915 | S4 230 | P7 2330 | "Saane" | P7 2330 | 1-230.C.330 | 3804 | EMBG/SACM | 5343 | 1903 | December 1950 |
References[]
Books:
- BUCCHMAN, Jean, (2012), Les 230 SACM de l'AL, La Revue Périodique du Cercle Historique du Rail Français, no. 5, 14-15.
- GILLOT, Jean, Les locomotives à vapeur de la S.N.C.F. région Est, Editions Picador, 1976, Levallois-Perret
Web sites: