Lew,
I've enjoyed this topic, especially the great photos you and David have posted. It really is a shame that JEP never introduced better passenger coaches postwar to supplement the hodgepodge of prewar cars offered and give their best locomotives some equally nice cars. I did get to wondering how some of the Marx streamlined coaches with the fluted sides, resprayed overall silver, would look with this locomotive......
A few minor points regarding the history of these machines:
- The JEP models are of the two prototypes, CC 7001/2, which were built in 1949/50. They were almost identical to the production 7100 class except for the trucks, and having windows in their cab doors.
- Actually BB9004 was the world record holder at 205 mph; the CC reached 'only' 202 !. SNCF just wanted to give the CC's, of which they had just purchased the 60, better publicity, so at that time they said they both reached the identical top speed.
And you can "almost legally" run these locos with the pan down; a handful of CC7100's also received third rail shoes for the line up to Modane for Italy, so just say your model is one of those in case any scale nitpickers come visiting......
Here are a few photographs I took in 1966, including the Sud Express and CC 7001 herself at Paris Austerlitz. In later years a heavy overhaul reduced their good looks somewhat.
Best regards, SZ
