what is it?
The SNCF Class BB 900 was a class of 35 mixed-traffic electric locomotives built between 1936 and 1937 for État. The class was a development of the pre-war Midi Class E4700 and very similar to the later Class BB 300 and Class BB 325. Initial use was on the Paris–Le Mans line.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 90 years ago, in 1936.
- Weighs about as much as 13 African elephants (~6 t each).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1936–1937
- retired
- 1987
- status
- retired
- number built
- 35
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇫🇷 France
- builders
- Alstom
- operators
- Chemins de fer de l'État, Société nationale des chemins de fer français
- top speed
- 105 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 1500 V dc
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo′
- weight
- 79 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2876886, Wikipedia: SNCF Class BB 900 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.