No smoke !

For an artillery locomotive, it was undoubtedly an huge advantage of not having a large white column of steam above ! So french army required a more discrete engine than the steam engines, the only at that time powerfull enough to move big artillery guns worth hundreds of tons

And that's why they called Henri Crochat, who applied a revolutionary patent
Electrical transmission

Engineer Crochat applied in 1912 for an electrical transmission patent: locomotive was provided with gasoline engine (diesel where just at their early stages at the time) driving an electrical generator. This one then feeds 4 electrical motors driving the beast.

From motor to the wheels are 4 gears and not a chain, to use at the best huge starting torque provided by electrical motors.
And boggies

For a steam locomotive, the longer it is, the smaller radius it can turn: because rigid frame with so many wheels ! Here, wheels and motors are grouped by 2 on little frames so the engine can take the sharp curves of the artillery targeting tracks...

Convinced by modernity of the one ? Some even have been provided with radio !

Story

1619-1918

A series of 96 was built for french army to be used in the ALVF, this locomotive was captured in june 1918 during one of the last battles of the war. Germans, who don't master yet this technology, send quickly the engine to the back to study it.

1918-1955

Property of german army, then soviet and finally austrian, locomotive is used during WWII in various shunting yards at austrian boundary. At end of the war, its track is found at Wien Nord, in poor condition. No one knows what this engine is and how it crashed there.

1956-1977

Builder company GEBUS purchases the locomotive and modernizes to sell it to Nettingsdorf paperworks where it is used for almost 20 years. Enthousiasts come for photographs and regular visits. Once the engine identified, some start to be interested by preservation.

Project and progress

Locomotives of this age and this technology are getting pretty rare. That is even the only one in original condition, 3 others surviving having been widely modified in the 50's.

First step was to bring back locomotive to France and to get a roof over. That is Chemin de fer de l'Allier, in Montmarault, which is a starting project with huge potential that accepted to host the locomotive. Thanks a lot to them !

Then, we needed to stop time and wheather action: this is what happen right now, we stop corrosion and replace rust-eaten areas : 6sqm of 4mm plate had to be welded. Then, we will repaint the outside, install windows and make it nice looking.

Once this will be completed, a diesel motor could be reinstalled and the locomotive run again, even if by design it would not be possible to go over 20km/h...