A8u | TrainsDepot.org

Source: docrail.fr

A⁸u

Also known as:

Grand Confort

UIC / EVN numbering:

61 87 18-99

Vehicle type:

Regular passenger coach

Registration country:

France

Railway companies:

SNCF - Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer français

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Era:

IV - V

Built by:

DDF - De Dietrich Railways

Gauge:

Standard gauge (1'435 mm)

Length over buffers (mm):

25'500 mm

Width (mm):

2'830 mm

Height (mm | over lowered pantograph):

4'050 mm

Wheelbase (distance between bogies centers) (mm):

18'100 mm

Tare weight (t):

52 t

Bogies:

Y28F

Maximum speed (km/h):

200 km/h

A8u

Y28F bogie

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Vehicle's history

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1967

After studying and commissioning the "Mistral 69" cars, the SNCF decides to classify the trains "Le Capitole" and "L’Etendard" as Trans Europ Express (TEE) trains. SNCF also plans to operate high-quality trains at speeds of 200 km/h on the Paris-Marseille and Paris-Strasbourg routes. Promising results from the trials of tilting body cars, designed to compensate for insufficient cant by tilting the car body in curves with inadequate cant, lead to the development of cars equipped with this mechanism to enhance passenger comfort.

The Division of Studies and Cars within the SNCF's Material and Traction Department examines an evolution of the "Mistral 69" cars featuring a system to correct for insufficient cant, naming these cars "Grand Confort". Several companies respond to the call for tenders, and the company De Dietrich from Reichshoffen wins the contract. De Dietrich's solution, featuring a CORTEN steel structure with a high elastic limit that is less susceptible to corrosion, is selected for being more cost-effective than stainless steel, although the interior layout remains similar to that of the "Mistral 69".

A total order for 90 units is placed, distributed over three programs in 1967, 1968, and 1969, according to five different versions:
- A⁸u: side-aisle passenger coaches;
- A⁸tu: central corridor passenger coaches;
- Vru: dining cars;
- A⁴Dtux: generators cars;
- A³rtu: bar cars.

The deliveries of railway vehicles occur from December 1969 to July 1971.

Initially, these vehicles are put into service without the compensation system for cant, as it is not finalized at the time of manufacturing. This approach is later abandoned in the early 1970s, and the Grand Confort cars never receive this equipment for two primary reasons: the costs associated with its implementation and maintenance, and the strategic decision to focus on the development of high-speed trains, known as TGV.

Furthermore, the number of vehicles initially available proves insufficient for efficient operation, leading to the order of 13 additional A⁸tu cars from De Dietrich in 1972. These additional vehicles are subsequently delivered in 1973 and 1974.

Sources: https://docrail.fr/les-voitures-grand-confort-de-la-sncf/

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