141 R 1126 in July 2006 at Toulouse-Matabiau station
ignis 
Since there was a major shortage of locomotives after the liberation of France in World War II and the North American manufacturers still had capacities, SNCF ordered a total of 1,340 Mikados for freight and passenger service. The actual design came from Baldwin and was based on the USRA Light Mikado, which was made a little lighter and adapted to the French loading gauge. The locomotives were easier to maintain than the French ones, being built after American principles, and quickly spread across the country. The coal-fired locomotives were almost exclusively used in front of freight trains and the oil-fired ones could also often be found in front of passenger trains. They remained in service until 1974, when all steam operations in France ceased. 