Arnold HN2544S Gauge N Steam locomotive 141R 463 of the SNCF, epoch III

Steam locomotive 141R 463 with wire wheels and a coal tender with riveted water tank, in black livery

The 141R were ordered by France in the USA in a quantity of 1340 examples in two sub-series (141R1 to 700 and 701 to 1340) with coal or oil firing, in order to solve the acute shortage of locomotives at the end of the Second World War.

The 1,323 locomotives delivered from November 1945 (17 locomotives and their tenders were lost when the cargo ship sank) were highly appreciated by SNCF drivers for their robustness and ease of use, which was high for the time. The machines were represented in all regions of the SNCF and were used in mixed passenger and freight traffic until 1974.