i present you a steam loc from my region, she’s class on historical monuments :
some technic :
-national company (SNCF)
-construction year : 1922
-compound 2500 hp
-104 tons, 130 km/h (80 mph)
in France, steam locs were numeroted like that : 231 = wheel arrangement (2 carrying wheels, 3 motor wheels, 1 carrying wheel) / G = construction year / 558 = number in the serie
Is “Sotteville” the normal point where the engine is( or was) based ?
Once it is explained, the system of locomotive numbering makes a lot of sense.
Is it strictly only a French system, or common to other countries as well?
I think England used the same system.
yes, Sotteville is the place where the loc is based, also where is made the technical maintenance
for the number system, i don’t know if other countries made the same…
this picture shows the loc in a hall that is the “Buddicom” factory where first steam locs of the “compagnie de l’ouest” were built and repaired on 1841 at Sotteville les Rouen, on the line PARIS-ROUEN-LE HAVRE.
In the UK they generally use five-digit numbers where the first two indicate the “class” or type of engine and the last three are the engine’s individual numbers.
For example an English, Welsh and Scottish 60-class diesel EWS 60016:
BTW if the colors look familiar, EWS was / is a subsidiary of Wisconsin Central !!
