Originally built for 150-160km/h, this locomotive was upgraded to 200km/h in 1967/1968 (together with BB-9278, 9281 and 9288), first to upgrade flagship Rapide "Capitole" Paris-Toulouse to 200km/h (28th May 1967), then to introduce a 2nd daily "Capitole" (29th September 1968).
The upgrade to 200km/h primarily included:
• improvements to original bogies; and
• new single-arm pantographs (AM18).
In 1974, these 4 locos got adapted buffers, so as to haul the overnight "Barcelona-Talgo" III-RD formation on Paris-Toulouse, no faster than 140km/h, though.
In 1979, they were re-built to 160km/h with standard dual-arm pantographs, and adapted to pull-push operation of Corail formations (for Paris-Orléans-Tours-Poitiers).
Paris-Austerlitz, June 1975.
Photo by Georges Grenier (Acknowledgements)
# georges-grenier@wanadoo.fr
Posting and comment by P.L.Guillemin (plguillemin@yahoo.fr)