SNCF Class X 3800

SNCF X 3800
Preserved example, unit number X4042, shown in 2009.
Manufacturer Renault / ANF / De Dietrich Ferroviaire / SACM
Constructed 1950–1961
Number built 251
Fleet numbers X 3801 – X 4051
Specifications
Car length 21.851 metres (71 ft 8 1⁄4 in) over buffers
Width 3.090 metres (10 ft 1 5⁄8 in)
Height 3.952 metres (12 ft 11 5⁄8 in)
Wheel diameter 860 mm (33.86 in)
Maximum speed 120 km/h (75 mph)
Weight 31.5 tonnes (31.0 long tons; 34.7 short tons)
Prime mover(s) Saurer BZDSe or Renault
Engine type Diesel
Power output 250 kW (335 hp)
Transmission mechanical
UIC classification B′2′
Bogies
  • Motor: Y 107
  • Trailer: Y 108
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

The SNCF X 3800 class are diesel railcars with an elevated off-center control cabin.[1] It is often said that they were nicknamed “Picassos” because the off-center cabin was reminiscent of paintings by Pablo Picasso featuring faces where the eyes and nose were completely offset.[2] The nickname may though have come from the number of early paint schemes applied to the class.

Technical Details

The X 3800 featured a mechanical transmission with a truck-type clutch and gearbox. The units had a 20m long carbody that rested on two bogies, and weighed 34 tonnes. They were run at speeds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) (with 120 kilometres per hour or 75 miles per hour possible). They could haul unpowered trailers and could be operated singly or twinned with other units. However, the direct mechanical engine controls required each powered unit to have its own driver so they could not be operated as true multiple units. Units were built with two types of diesel engines; a Renault 517 diesel powered units 3801 to 3835 and a Saurer BZDS diesel powered units 3836 to 3856. The units were designed to be robust and simple (but were noisy), often parked outside in the winter. The driver sat facing sideways in a raised cabin above the engine compartment, accessed from the baggage compartment. The main mechanical controls were directly connected by levers to the diesel engine, clutch and gearbox. The units were widely used from the 1950s to the 1980s, particularly on secondary lines with often poorer quality track than the main lines of the period,[3] at a lower cost than comparable steam trains of the era. The units were reliable and, from the end opposite the engine compartment, offered passengers a wide-open view of the track.[4] The diesel engines produced 300 hp and were water-cooled. The X 3800 burned 50–55 litres of diesel fuel per 100 km (5.1–5.1 mpg‑imp; 4.3–4.3 mpg‑US), giving the unit a range of about 700 kilometres (430 mi). The car bodies were of welded construction.[5]

The X 3800 were built from 1950 to 1961. 251 units were built, given unit numbers X 3801 to X 4051 by the SNCF. Each X 3800 could hold 62 passengers,[6] with smoking and non-smoking compartments, a toilet, and a baggage area located behind the engine compartment [5]

References

  1. ↑ Caron, François; Bachet, Olivier (1999). Le patrimoine de la SNCF et des chemins de fer français, Volume 2 [Heritage of the SNCF and of French Railways, Volume 2] (in French). Flohic. ISBN 2842340698.
  2. ↑ Papazian, André. Encyclopédie du train, volume 1, locomotives & automotrices [Encyclopedia of the train, Volume 1, locomotives and railcars] (in French). éditions E.T.A.I.
  3. ↑ "Michelines et Autorails, L'autorail X-3800 dit Picasso". Editions Atlas (in French). 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ Michel Joindot. "Les autorails- L'X3890 : autorail "Picasso" baptisé "Ville de Loudéac"". CFCB - Chemins de Fer du Centre-Bretagne (Central Brittany Railroads) (in French). Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Autorail X3800, dit "Picasso"". vendee-vapeur.fr (in French). Association Chemin de Fer de la Vendée. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "X 3800 "Picasso"". Autorails.com (in French). 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
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