Locomotive 232 U1  "La Divine"

This machine was originally designed in the late 1930s for the Compagnie du Nord.  With the creation of the SNCF in January 1938, the project was taken up again but finally stopped because of the Second World War.

It was not until 1948 that this model was finally delivered by the Corpet Louvet workshops.

In total, eight machines of this type were built. Initially planned to carry passenger trains at speeds of up to 160 km/h, they were eventually limited to service speeds of 120 km/h.

Already oversized for their actual use, and with a very high weight per axle which prohibited any re-use (more than 30t in the front bissel alone!), their career would be short since they were written off in 1961.