In 1944, SNCF reviewed its predictedpostwar traffic requirements and determined a requirement for a locomotive capable of hauling passenger trains of 700–800 tonnes at 120 km/h (75 mph), and capable of climbing gradients of 1 in 125 (8‰).
The class was initially assigned to the line betweenParis andMarseille, hauling services including the famousLe Mistral expresses, but within a few years they were displaced by electrification. Most of the class was then transferred to the Nord, l'Est and l'Ouest regions. For over ten years they managed the traffic on the line west ofLe Mans, including the 411 km (255.4 mi) line toBrest and 410 km (254.8 mi) line toQuimper. They hauled trains of up to 16 coaches, weighing over 800 tons.[1]
The 241.P class were allocated to the following depots:
Although powerful, the class was not without its problems. The frames, lightly constructed to avoid excessiveaxle load, were not able to handle the power of the cylinders and flexing of the frame under load led to problems such as hot axle boxes.[2] The class also suffered from leaking boiler tubes after passing overpoints, which necessitated structural reinforcement.[3]
241.P.17 at Nantes station during the class's last regular summer of operation, August 1969.
The class was withdrawn progressively from service from 1965 for 241.P.1 to 1973 for 241.P.16. Their last regular work, on the Le Mans to Nantes route, ended in early 1970. The class was nicknamed thegrosses P to distinguish them from the141.P Class, which were called thepetites P.
241.P.9, withdrawn in 1973 and placed in storage in Guîtres, was transferred fromBordeaux toToulouse on 7 December 2008 and is the subject of a restoration project by AAATV-MP
241.P.16, withdrawn in 1973, is on display at theCité du train (National Railway Museum of France) inMulhouse
241.P.17, preserved atLe Creusot and restored to working operation in April 2006, is authorised to run on SNCF tracks with passengers, after a 13-year restoration project and since then travel across France and sometimes Switzerland few times a year. It is classed as aMonument historique
241.P.30, withdrawn in 1969 and transferred to the French-Swiss border town ofVallorbe for public display, was transferred again in 1997 toSaint-Sulpice, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and into the care of the Vapeur Val-de-Travers group for static preservation[4] In 2019 the locomotive was acquired by AJECTA and transported to Longueville.[5]
