Roco 70040: Steam locomotive 231 E 34, SNCF

Steam locomotive 231 E 34 of the French State Railways

Edition model

■ Used in heavy express train services
■ Highly-detailed model in filigree design
■ Retrofittable smoke generator

The 231 E series was developed due to a need to construct powerful steam locomotives for the increasingly heavy French express trains after the First World War. Instead of developing expensive new models, André Chapelon was commissioned by the Paris-Orleans Railway to rework existing Pacific-type steam locomotives so that they would meet the new requirements. The engineer was able to achieve the required increases in performance and savings in consumption mainly by making thermodynamic improvements. His success proved him right: His modified locomotive reached test speeds of up to 174 kilometres per hour, and even in everyday operation it achieved peak speeds of 130 kilometres per hour.

By increasing performance by 50 percent and at the same time reducing consumption costs, Chapelon created from the old steam locos future-proof express train steam locomotives.