SNCF No. 241A65 is a 4-8-2 "Mountain" Type steam locomotive built in 1931 by Fives-Lille for the Chemins de Fer de l’État. After test of the 241001, the prototype of the series, on the Chemin de Fer de l'EST and the construction of 40 others engines for the Chemin de Fer de l'EST.
The Engine was the first of its class on the État, and was immatricaulate État 241-001. Affected at the parisian depot of the Batignolles, at the beginning of its career, she was used to haull high speed passengers trains between Paris and Le Havre and Paris and Cherbourg.
When the SNCF saw the day on January the 1st 1938, the 241-001 was re-register 3-241-A-1, and was affected at Le-Mans. During World War 2, the Engine was taken to Germany and was located at Erfurt. After the War the Engine returned to France and was assigned with its 48 other sisters from the Etat to the EST region, and Hold temporarily the registered 1-241-A-301, before getting its definitive registration 1-241-A-65. During its work on the EST region, she gained its current smoke deflectors "type Léguille". From the depot of Chaumont, the Engine haulled passengers trains between Paris and Basel (Switzerland), until its withdrawn on July 23, 1965, being by the way, the last engine from the EST and ÉTAT Mountain combine to be withdrawn from services at the SNCF. And during 3 years, the locomotive was changed into a steam generator in Chaumont depot.
Thanks to Monsieur Armin Glaser, this machine, testimony to European technology, arrived in Switzerland in 1968, escaping the scrapyard.
In 1979 this locomotive was restored externally by the inspection staff of the depot at Zurich and then went on show at the Transport Museum in Lucerne.
Today the locomotive is operational and it is owned by the 241-A-65 Association from Burgdorf, Switzerland.
Trivia[]
- The locomotive was featured in the 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express by filming both the wheels, the whistle, and the inside of the cab for the mock-up steam locomotive No. 241-010 in the film.
- This is also the basis for the mock-up steam locomotive in the film but the only difference is that the mock-up locomotive has an american looking headlight, a snow plow, and the smoke deflectors were installed backwards.
- After filming the movie the mock-up locomotive was sold to the Bassenthwaite Train Station in Cumbria, England where it today sits on static display near the station which was converted into a restaurant.
- Since the 1st April 2000, this locomotive has been based at Burgdorf and the Monsieur Wettstein offered it to the 241-A-65 Association.
- In 1982, Oswald Steam of Samstergen recaptured this locomotive and kept it until it's arrival on the VVT in 1989.
- The locomotive was one of a series of 90 machines built by the Fives-Lille and ASFCM. 41 of these engines ran for the EST Railway (compagnie EST), 49 for the Administration of the ÉTAT Railways.
- After WW2, these locos from the fromer ÉTAT were assigned to the EST region (former EST Railways) and get the numbers 1-241-A-301 to 349, then alongside with the engines from the EST were renumbered as 241-A-1 to 90.
- When it was preserved, it still kept its Ivatt 2mt style single chime whistle and was fitted a Pennsylvania Railroad Banshee Whistle. But was then changed into a Star Brass 5 Chime whistle instead which sounds more American.