Company of the Railroads of the South
Presentation
The Compagnie of the Railroads of the South ( Midi ) is an old private company of Railroad which served the part of the south-west of the France lain between the the Garonne and the the Pyrenees. At the time, the French territory and divided by 6 large companies and the company of midday are the only one which does not have an direct access with the capital!
In 1934, the company of the South was absorbed by the Paris-Orleans to constitute the company of Po-Midday, which was integrated in the SNCF four years later. In 1934, its network represented 4300 km of lines.
South: the electrification of the railway network
Since 1909 the Company of the South launches a vast program of electrification of its ways. It should be noted that it is an immense challenge for the time, because it largely exceeds the railway framework. It is necessary to build all the infrastructures of production such as: stoppings, power stations of production, and all the delivery system of the current, but also to invent the engines, tries quite as difficult when one starts from nothing or of large step thing. Let us recall that in 1900 traction vapor reigns as a Master on all the territory.
But why this choice? As known as previously the company does not have an access to the capital and is thus very far away from the production centres of coal, fuel necessary to traction vapor (it must even import some of England), whereas the proximity of the the Pyrenees makes it possible to consider the production of hydroelectricity, renewable energy eternally. The coal shortage during the war of 1914-1918 and especially its prohibitory cost after the war will consolidate the company in its choice.
After investigation in Switzerland and Germany it is the tension 12kV 16 ⅔ Hz which is selected for economic reasons (like much of other choices of the Company of the South). Why the choice of this “funny” of tension? Because of the technical constraints of the time, one realizes quickly that the three-phase current is unsuited because too complex and not very flexible, but the single-phase current presents the problem of starting. It was noted whereas around 15 Hz all this master key relatively well, one thus chooses 16 ⅔ Hz because it is the third of 50 Hz.
It is the Ligne Perpignan-Villefranche-with-Conflent (the Eastern Pyrenees) which was selected as site of the future tests because it made it possible to test the installations and materials under conditions of plain and mountain. Foot-note: it is the only line which will not be reconverted in 1500 volts. It will function thus until 1971, date of the radiation of the engines delivered of 1912 to 1915!
As from 1911, the company tests 6 overhead lines and it is the system Westinghouse (American) which is chosen, always by preoccupation with an economy, the overhead line being very simple and realizable masts in rails doubles mushroom of recovery. It is a autocompensée overhead line (able to absorb the temperature variations), flexible and inclined.
In 1920 (on August 29th) the government imposes 1500 V continuous, especially because the army did not want that one uses the same tension as Germany.
The reaction of the South is immediate and the company launches as of December of the same year of the new programmes of electrification in 1500 V. Since 1923, all the installations function under 1500 V (except the Ligne Perpignan-Villefranche-with-Conflent). In less than two years, the network of the South with successful its conversion…
The programme of electrification of the South is impressive because in a dozen years only the electrified network of the South forms a coherent unit. It is completed in 1932, except for Montauban/Sète which will be energized only in 1935 after signature of an agreement with the PO.
The rolling stock of the South
-
Locomotive with vapor
- G8.1 (numbered from 2201 to 2251)
-
Prototype
-
Locomotive electric - to see: BB Midi
-
Cars
- South-western Car modernized with axles
-
See also: : Category: Rolling stock of the South
The railway network
1) Concessions of 1852
See too
Related articles
-
:Category: Rolling stock of the South
External bonds
-
the overhead line Midday, or the electrification of the wide-area networks
- Site devoted to the company of the South
| Random links: | TV5MONDE | ELinks | Ignacio Piatti | Popoli | Thriller (cinema) | Francysk_Skaryna |