History
Shortly after the close of World War Two the SNCF sought and received authorisation for twenty 2,000hp six axle diesel electric locomotives. However the serious shortage of raw materials would prevent the first order not being placed until August 1952, with delivery taking place during July 1955. The locomotive delivered was a 120 ton, 105 K/ph Co-Co machine capable of hauling 2,000 ton freight trains.
They were constructed at the Compagnie des Ateliers et Forges de la Loire (CAFL) workshops at Saint-Chamond. Electrical equipment was supplied by Compagnie Electro-Mecanique (CEM), with the power unit supplied by Sulzer through their Compagnie de Construction Mecanique (CCM) subsiduary.
The Sulzer 12 cylinder 12LDA28 powering these locomotives was a derivation of the original 12LDA31 fitted to the earlier PLM locomotive (and its Roumanian counterpart). The engine RPM was set at 710 to provide the necessary 2,000hp, the first time this had been achieved through a single Sulzer power unit. Increasing the RMP to 750 would later provide 2,300hp, as was fitted to British Railways's Class 44's (D1 - D10) four years later.
As was common practice in these early days the first ten power units were constructed at Winterthur.
Originally numbered 060DA-1 to 060DA-35, they progressed to CC-64001 to CC-64035 & finally CC-65500 to CC-65535. Similar to many early diesels the numbers were carried on metal plates, both on the cabfronts and the side panels. Much later the last two digits of the locomotives were carried below the driver's front windscreen in large white numerals.
The livery for the locomotives changed little, a drab olive green with red bufferbeams and two yellow stripes was carried by them for most of their lives. However a Pandora's box of colours awaited the locomotives that went into private ownership from the 1980's onwards. Used for basic engineering work and the later construction of the high speed TGV lines, some remained in their SNCF paint, but others gained a variety of yellow/orange/blue paint-jobs.
The first of the class had been delivered four years prior to the nearest BR counterpart Class 44 D1, remarkably two thirds of the class were still working in 2001, some twenty years after all the Class 44's had been retired and some twelve years after the more powerful Class 45's had been laid to rest!
Its June 1955 at CAFL's Saint-Chamond workshops as the first 060DA's are under construction.
Photograph courtesy SNCF.
A view of the Sulzer 12LDA28 power unit and generator set.
Photograph courtesy SNCF.
For the photographs below click on the small image to get a full size picture
The six views below are from the camera of Mark Jones and reveal the state of the locomotives in the twilight of their careers. With much fading paint & rusting metalwork, some await the scrapman whilst others eke out afew more miles on gruelling permanent way workings. But I suppose after some 45 years of service, with some two million kilometres (1,250,000 miles) tucked away in some of those tired machines, SNCF got quite a workhorse.
