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#3944· SNCF CC 72000

SNCF Class CC 72000

🇫🇷 France ·built by Alstom· from 1967· class of 92 French 3550hp B′B′ diesel-electric locomotives

SNCF Class CC 72000, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Florian Pépellin· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

The SNCF Class CC 72000 was a class of C′C′ diesel-electric locomotives designed and built by French manufacturing conglomerate Alsthom. They are regarded as being the most powerful class of diesel locomotives to be built in France. Ninety-two locomotives were produced between 1967 and 1974, numbered CC 72001 to CC 72092.

who runs it

base stats

  • speed 160 km/htop speed
  • power 2.7 MWpower output
  • weight 114 tin working order
  • built 92made in total

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 59 years ago, in 1967.
  • Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
  • 2.7 MW is about 31 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
  • Weighs about as much as 19 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • 20.2 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Still in service after 59 years.

diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).

spec sheet

built
1967–1974
in service from
1967
status
in service
number built
92
kind
Diesel engine
traction
diesel
origin
🇫🇷 France
builders
Alstom
operators
Société nationale des chemins de fer français, ONCF
top speed
160 km/h
power
2.7 MW
gauge
1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement
C′C′
length
20.2 m
weight
114 t
Dutch name
SNCF CC 72000

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q2157297, Wikipedia: SNCF Class CC 72000 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.

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