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.
ManufacturerSociété Decauville Ainé
Constructed1945-1946
Entered service1945-1973
Number built10
Number preserved1
Number scrapped9
Fleet numbersX 52101 to X 52110
Capacity65 seats, 16 in first class, 46 in second class with 4 folding seats in a luggage compartment with a capacity of 1.5 tons
OperatorsSNCF
DepotsGrenoble
Lines servedLigne des Alpes, Grenoble-Veynes, Grenoble-Marseille and Grenoble-Briançon, also seen on regional lines to Digne, Geneva, Bourg Saint-Maurice and Modano.
Specifications
Car length21.2 metres (69 ft 6+34 in) over buffers
Maximum speed110 km/h (68 mph)
Weight41 tonnes (40 long tons; 45 short tons)
Prime mover(s)two 320 hp Saurer BZDSe powering two 1450 W auxiliary generators
Engine typeDiesel
Traction motorsfour Oerlikon electric motors
Power output640 hp
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)

These were the first diesel-electric railcars used by the SNCF [2]

Routes Served

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The X 52100 units were used on the mountain lines out of Grenoble.

Preserved Units

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Only 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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Autorail, "Micheline" et pneu-rail" (PDF). La Chronique du musée des Berthalais. Musée des Berthalais. October 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2019.