SNCF Class BB 15000

History

Career

1970s-2007

2007-present

• Twelve locomotives were allocated to SNCF-VFE and worked Basel-Luxembourg EuroCity services, as well as DB AutoZug's night train from Paris-Nord to the Belgian border. These locomotives are fitted with the Memor II+ safety system which enables them to operate in Luxembourg. These locomotives are numbered in the 115000 series. This Basel-Luxembourg EuroCity service ended during the summer of 2016 and the locomotives assigned to it were reassigned at that time.
• Twenty-eight locomotives are allocated to SNCF-CIC and are working medium to long distance regional services between Paris and Amiens/Maubeuge on the one end, and Paris-Caen/Deauville/Le Havre on the other end. Twelve locomotives of this sub-series, called BB215000R, are fitted with MUX which enables them to work in push-pull with the Corail B6Dux driving trailers and will be replacing BB216000 locomotives there. This sub-series is numbered in the 215000 series.
• Twenty locomotives are allocated to SNCF-TER Champagne-Ardennes, Haute-Normandie and Picardie, working fast TER services and replacing the remaining BB516000 locomotives. Fifteen locomotives of this sub-series, called BB515000R, are fitted with MUX in able to operate in push-pull mode with V2N driving trailers on Paris-Rouen and Paris-Amiens and will be replacing BB516100 locomotives there. This sub-series is numbered in the 515000 series.

Technology

Liveries

• The green "Maurienne" livery was worn by locomotives BB15001 - BB15005 between their delivery and 1982, when they were repainted into the TEE-Arzens livery.

• The TEE-Arzens livery was worn by locomotives from number BB15006 onwards by delivery; the first five green locomotives were also repainted in this livery in 1982. There were two variants of this livery: the original livery which consisted of silver, red and orange, and the modified one where the silver was replaced with opaque gray. Nowadays a number of locomotives still wear the original livery, the others having another one listed below.
• The "béton" livery, which was the standard livery of BB7200 and BB22200 locomotives, was tested on locomotives BB15034 and BB15040 in 1986-87 but was considered a failure as the locomotives got dirty too fast.
• The "Multiservices" livery was introduced in 1995 on BB15016 and consisted of two shades of gray, silver and red. Nearly half of the class was painted in this livery by 2002, when the new "en voyage..." livery was introduced on the series.
• The "en voyage..." livery was the latest livery of the class. Introduced on BB15063 in 2002. It consists of silver, purple on cab side 1 and cyan on cab side 2, and the "en voyage..." sticker with stylish motifs. The rights to use this design have expired and all locos still wearing it will be repainted in something else upon their next overhaul.
• A number of BB 15000 locos have been repainted in TER liveries of the regions where they run.

The experimental uses of the class

• In 1972, BB 15001 was used for testing a potential speed increase to on the Paris-Strasbourg main line. While the locomotive had no technical difficulties at those speeds, the project was not continued due to the enormous cost of the infrastructure works which had to be undertaken.
• In 1973, BB15008 was used to test communication interferences on the now defunct Überherrn-Wadgassen line in Germany, exceptionally fed with 25 kV at that time.
• In 1974, BB 15007 was taken out of service and transformed into BB 7003, the prototype for the BB 7200 locomotives. In 1982 the same loco was converted to SNCF Class BB 10003 to trial the development of asynchronous induction traction motors. At the end of the testing in 1997, it reverted to its original configuration as BB 10007.
• In 1976, BB 15015 was tested on the Marseille-Nice main line in order to prepare the line for the arrival of the similar, but bicurrent BB 22200 locomotives.
• In 1977, BB 15041 operated special demonstration rides between Épernay and Châlons-sur-Marne at for Amtrak executives in order to convince them to buy a locomotive based on this design rather than the Swedish-based AEM-7. Eventually six-axle locomotive CC 21003 was rebuilt to US standards and sent to the United States instead.
• In 1978, BB 15012 received the lower-geared bogies of locomotive BB 22201 and was tested on various lines with heavy freight trains with weights up to, in order to test the performances against BB 22000 locomotives.
• In 1979, BB 15063 was equipped with the bogies of BB 7248 which had a modified secondary suspension for operating in the Middle East. The Iranian Railways were interested in purchasing a locomotive class based on the BB 15000 design. BB 15063 was tested with heavy trains up to on various 25 kV lines. BB 15063 retains these special bogies even today.
• In 1979 BB 15030 was used for stability tests in the Marne valley region at speeds up to.
• In 1980, a BB 15000 locomotive hauled middle cars of a TGV Sud-Est train set at high speeds in preparation of their services on the LGV Sud-Est.
• Later that year, BB 15008 was sent to the Rail Tec Arsenal climatic test chamber in Vienna for thermal tests up to.
• In 1981, locomotives BB 15049 and BB 15059 were used for testing the behaviour of the AM18U pantographs at high speeds in tunnels, related to use in the then not yet built Channel Tunnel.
• In 1982, BB 15055 received synchronous motors. Later that year it was renumbered BB 10004. In 1989, it was restored to its original configuration and taken back into service with its original number.
• Also in 1982, BB 15056 received a bimotor bogie with motors similar to the ones used in TGV Sud-Est sets.

Fleet list

Models

• This locomotive was reproduced in H0 scale by Jouef, Lima, LS Models, Märklin and Roco.
• This locomotive was reproduced in N scale by Fleischmann and Minitrix.