Crochat

Crochat was a French railway equipment construction company founded in 1899 by Henry Crochat. It is best known for building locomotives and railcars with petrol-electric transmission.

Crochat petrol electric railcar preserved at Pithiviers

History

Reference

• 1899 - Company founded by Henry Crochat
• 1908 to 1918 - Construction of 420 petrol-electric locomotives for le Ministère de la Guerre (Ministry of War) and a small number for other customers. See table below for details
• 1924 - Acquisition of patents by Decauville
• 1926 - Foundation of Société Auxiliaire d'Entreprise (SAE) by Henry Crochat
• 1928 - Company liquidated

Locomotive types

Petrol-electric locomotive types

This is not a complete list.

Type	Weight	Axles	Gauge	Number built	Customer
14 L 4 60	14 tonnes	4	600 mm	200 5 10	le Ministère de la Guerre la Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Maroc Oriental les chantiers de l'entreprise Collet, Rabat/Maroc
22 L 2 N	22 tonnes	2	1435 mm	130 38 2	le Ministère de la Guerre la Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Nord la Compagnie du Gaz de Paris
44 L 4 N	44 tonnes	4	1435 mm	90 40	le Ministère de la Guerre la Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Nord
?	?	6	500 mm	19	les Salins du Midi

Crochat and Colardeau

Henry Crochat obtained some patents jointly with Emmanuel Colardeau, e.g. patent US1416611. There is no evidence that Colardeau was involved in Crochat's railway business but he may have been involved, with Crochat, in the design of the Saint-Chamond (tank).

Equipment preserved

• Crochat AT1 petrol-electric railcar (1922) from Tramway de Pithiviers à Toury preserved at Musée des transports de Pithiviers
• Five Crochat 6-axle locomotives of 1918 (ex Salins du Midi) preserved at Chemin de fer touristique du Tarn. One of these is a historical monument
• Decauville-Crochat AT3 petrol-electric railcar (1926) preserved at Le p'tit train de Saint-Trojan
• Crochat standard gauge locomotive 44 L 4 N preserved at the Museum of Engineering in Angers (not on public view)