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French State Railway A1AA1A 68000 and 68500
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France | 1963
110 produced
A1AA1A 68081 in September 2010 at Longueville
A1AA1A 68081 in September 2010 at Longueville
Didier Duforest

The A1AA1A 68000 was a series of mixed-traffic diesel locomotives introduced in 1963 which were suitable for traffic on both main and secondary lines. Due to their heavy steam heating boiler, they weighed 105 tonnes and needed six axles in total. The bogies had a A1A wheel arrangement, what meant two powered axles on the ends and a central unpowered carrying axle. The suspension of the central axles could be switched to change the load on the driven axles between 18 and 20 tonnes.

In total, 81 were built in the 68000 number range with a Sulzer 12 LDA 24 and 29 in the 68500 number range were built with a SACM AGO DSHR 2700, both delivering 1,985 kW or 2,700 hp. With later refurbishments, some locomotives got the other engine type, effectively rebuilding them into the other class.

With the introduction of more powerful four and six axle locomotives in the mid-seventies, they were no longer used for passenger service. Some even got their steam heating boilers removed and replaced by ballast weights. After only being used for freight and work trains for a long time, they were shortly re-introduced into passenger service in the nineties due to a shortage of rolling stock, where they were used double-headed. Today, nearly have been withdrawn.

Variant6800068500
General
Built1963-1968
ManufacturerCAFL, SACM, Fives-Lille
Axle configA1A-A1A 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length58 ft 9 1/2 in
Wheelbase41 ft 0 1/8 in
Rigid wheelbase9 ft 10 1/8 in
Service weight231,485 lbs
Adhesive weight176,370 lbs
Axle load44,092 lbs
Boiler
Variant6800068500
Power Plant
Power
Power sourcediesel-electric
Top speed81 mph
Starting effort62,722 lbf
EngineSulzer 12 LDA 24SACM AGO DSHR 2700
Engine typeV12 diesel
Fuel1,103 us gal (diesel)
Engine output2,662 hp (1,985 kW)
Calculated Values
diesel locomotive
freight
passenger
last changed: 12/2024
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