The SNCF X 52100 class are diesel railcars that operated on the alpine lines from Grenoble, France from 1945 until 1973. [1] They were capable of multiple unit operation with other car types, requiring an operator in each car; the lead conductor giving acceleration or deceleration orders using an audible tone. [1]
| X 52100 (builder using: Autorail Decauville X ABDP2) | |
|---|---|
 Preserved example, unit number X52103, shown in 2009. | |
| Manufacturer | Société Decauville Ainé |
| Constructed | 1945-1946 |
| Entered service | 1945-1973 |
| Number built | 10 |
| Number preserved | 1 |
| Number scrapped | 9 |
| Fleet numbers | X 52101 to X 52110 |
| Capacity | 65 seats, 16 in first class, 46 in second class with 4 folding seats in a luggage compartment with a capacity of 1.5 tons |
| Operators | SNCF |
| Depots | Grenoble |
| Lines served | Ligne des Alpes, Grenoble-Veynes, Grenoble-Marseille and Grenoble-Briançon, also seen on regional lines to Digne, Geneva, Bourg Saint-Maurice and Modano. |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 21.2 metres (69 ft 6+3⁄4 in) over buffers |
| Maximum speed | 110 km/h (68 mph) |
| Weight | 41 tonnes (40 long tons; 45 short tons) |
| Prime mover(s) | two 320 hp Saurer BZDSe powering two 1450 W auxiliary generators |
| Engine type | Diesel |
| Traction motors | four Oerlikon electric motors |
| Power output | 640 hp |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
These were the first diesel-electric railcars used by the SNCF [2]
Routes Served
editThe X 52100 units were used on the mountain lines out of Grenoble.
Preserved Units
editOnly one example of the class remains :
- X 52103: Cité du Train, in operating condition. Saved by the SNCF, it was restored by the Oullins-Voitures workshop in 1976 and donated to Cité du Train in 1988. [1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Salon du modélisme - Expo de jouets Lego -Focus #3 : L'autorail Decauville X 52103 vous ouvre ses portes pour les #JEP". Cité du Train (in French). September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "Autorail, "Micheline" et pneu-rail" (PDF). La Chronique du musée des Berthalais. Musée des Berthalais. October 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2019.