SNCF Class BB 1600

The SNCF Class BB 1600 were a class of 1,500 V DC electric locomotives built for the Pau – Lourdes line of the Chemins de fer du Midi by CEF (Constructions électriques de France). Numbered E 4001 to E 4050 at Midi, they became BB 4500 – B4550 when SNCF was created, then were relegated to shunting duties under the numbers BB 1601 to BB 1650 in the 1950s.

BB 1617 at Montereau in 1954

Type and origin Power type Electric Builder CEF Build date 1922–1926

Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Bo′Bo′ Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Length 11.85 m (38 ft 11 in) Loco weight 76 t (75 long tons; 84 short tons) Power supply 1,500 V DC Electric system/s Overhead Current pickup(s) 2 Pantographs Traction motors 4× DK 80

Performance figures Maximum speed 50 km/h (31 mph)

Career Operators Chemin de fer du Midi SNCF Number in class 50 Numbers E 4001–4050, Midi BB 4501–4550, SNCF BB 1601–1650, SNCF Nicknames BB Midi Withdrawn By 1984

Bibliography

• Davies, John. Chemins de fer du Midi and Chemins de fer de Paris à Orleans Locomotive List 1840–1938. Woodbridge, Queensland: Dr. John Davies. pp. 57, 61. ISBN 0-9585541-0-2.
• Defrance, Jacques (1978). Le matériel moteur de la SNCF. La Vie du Rail.