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BB 9400 translation
SNCF Class BB 9400 This series of light general-purpose locomotives was ordered to replace steam locomotives on electrified secondary lines, in passenger and freight traffic.

Description
With moderate power, they accomplished their task for nearly thirty years before being judged unsuitable for pulling freight trains that had become increasingly heavy. Their reform was then started in 1994. Robust machines and easy to troubleshoot online, they were appreciated by the majority of drivers.

Throughout their career, they were familiar with the line of the Causses, from Béziers to Neussargues, their “feather” weight, their low center of gravity and their bogies accommodate a fragile track.

There are two sub-series characterized by their appearance:
 * BB 9401 to 9435: "low" roof, pantographs mounted on two large extensions
 * BB 9436 to 9535: "high" roof, pantographs mounted on small blocks

In addition, 5 examples (9531 to 9535) were equipped with roller axle boxes, specific pantographs, a PBL2 type brake control (instead of the H7A valve) and a double reduction gear that can be operated by stopping (PV 120 km/h, GV 180 km/h), which allowed their use as speed machines { {,}}.

The three-current prototypes BB 26000, later 30000 are derived from these versions,

At the start of their career, only BB machines 9461 to 9516 and 9531 to 9535 were equipped for operation in multiple units (UM) allowing them to tow full trains heavy with hydrocarbons of 3200 t from the Badan marshalling yard (via Lyon-Perrache) to Dijon-Perrigny. Subsequently, the other machines in the series were also equipped with it.

The 9533 and 9535, thanks to their HV equipment, were assigned to traction (and push) at 160 km/h of the "Cyclope" train on the Paris-Austerlitz - Orléans connection. - Tours - Poitiers. This train composed of cars USI was from 1972 to 1978 an experimentation of the principle of reversible trains, commonly used for the Parisian suburbs and omnibuses, on express inter-city connections imposing returns. The pilot car owes its nickname "Cyclops" to the driving position, summarily fitted out in place of a toilet, and featuring a single front window. This successful experiment allowed the development of reversible corail trains from 1978.

At the end of the 1980s, the increase in freight traffic required higher speeds and tonnages, and required the use of more powerful BB 8500s, then used for pulling light reversible trainsets. It was therefore decided to make 42 BB 9400 reversible to replace them for this task. Many modifications were made, with some machines being rebuilt using elements from several machines. These machines are renumbered in the BB 96003 series, the rest of the series is reformed.

Services performed
(non-exhaustive list)
 * Paris - Tours
 * Paris - Orléans - Tours - Poitiers, with the reversible "Cyclope" train (turnarounds at Orléans and Tours)
 * Paris - Limoges
 * Bordeaux - Montauban
 * Béziers - Neussargues
 * Ambérieu - Culoz - Bellegarde
 * Ambérieu - Culoz - Chambéry
 * Lyon - Valencia - Avignon
 * Valence - Tournon - Miramas (via the right bank of the Rhône)
 * Lyon - Saint-Étienne
 * Bordeaux - Le Verdon

Successive liveries
The BB 9400s have successively undergone the following liveries and transformations:
 * original delivered: light bluish green 313 reinforced with edging at the bottom of the body and the area of ​​the louvers in dark bluish green 312, as well as aluminum accessories: whiskers in the shape of wings under the windows and light bezels connected from front to back by a strip of gray paint; the area of ​​the hitch is red;
 * in the 1960s the reinforcement of the cabins led to the elimination of the corner bays;
 * end crossmembers lose the hitch and coupling fairing, and corner skirts are removed;
 * from the 1970s the handles of the cabin access doors were moved: initially in the high position near the window, they were placed at the bottom in a housing which was previously used to pull the door for the close.
 * end of the 1970s: installation of unified headlights and red lights;
 * early 1980s, the aluminum headlight whiskers and bezels were removed;
 * delivery Arzens predominantly "chocolate" on a light gray background applied to part of the series (according to a diagram also applied to some BB 9200 predominantly chocolate or green)
 * light green livery with wide white side stripes, nicknamed "Béziers"
 * the side markings abandon the raised numbers and are screen printed ("Oullins" type marking)
 * concrete livery, in 1985, based on concrete gray 804 with mustache under the front windows and band surrounding the body (at the level of the upper part of the sleepers) painted in orange 435;

This livery will be applied to the series modified in BB 9600 to ensure reversibility with the RIOs (Inox Omnibus Trainset) replacing the BB 8500 for the Stelyrail timed service between Lyon and Saint- Étienne.

Depot allocations

 * Avignon (from 1961)
 * Paris-Sud-Ouest (from March 1963 to April 1965, then a single example until 1973)
 * Lyon-Mouche (from 1966)
 * Bordeaux (from 1981)
 * Tours-Saint-Pierre (from 1990)

Machines preserved

 * The BB 9411, exhibited at the Nîmes Railway Museum, is the last machine of the series still in existence.
 * BB 9460, in “Beziers” livery, belonged to the French Association of Friends of the Railway (AFAC); long abandoned at the Montpellier - Arènes freight station, it was demolished in 2008.

Derivative foreign series
When in 1960 the Hungarian administration placed an order for a prototype series of seven machines V43 from the 50Hz Group, it was the French BB 9400 then being delivered which served as the basis for its study. After this first series of seven machines built in Essen (Germany), 372 additional machines were built under license by Ganz in Budapest.

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