Steam locomotive 141R 460 with spoked and Boxpok wheels and a coal tender with a riveted water tank, in green livery

The 141 R were ordered by France in the USA in a total of 1,340 units in two subseries (141R1 to 700 and 701 to 1340) with coal or oil firing to address the acute shortage of locomotives at the end of World War II.

The locomotives delivered from November 1945 (17 machines and their tenders were lost when the cargo ship sank) were highly regarded by the SNCF drivers for their robustness and high operating comfort for that time. The machines were present in all regions of the SNCF and were used in mixed passenger and freight traffic until 1974.