Class BB 22200 Electric Locomotive

A Whiff of the Côte d'Azur
"Ligure", "Mistral" or "Train Bleu": The beautiful and wealthy people traveled for decades to the Côte d'Azur with these deluxe trains. In the Seventies a type of locomotive appeared with more than just these train legends. The sophisticated technology on these locomotives and their extravagant design wrote history on SNCF rails. "Nez cassé" (broken nose) was given by more than just railroaders to the unusual end shape developed by the designer Paul Arzens. It was almost a revolutionary alternative concept to the rather boring rectangular locomotive bodies up to that time. However, the class designated as the BB 22200 fit in perfectly with unique and exclusive flair on the world famous Côte d'Azur. For good measure class 22200 locomotives with their multi-system technology can be used all over France. For example, this makes a 1,000 km / 625 mile long run from Paris via Nice to Ventimiglia pulling the legendary overnight train "Train Bleu" possible. Until the appearance of the TGV high speed trains, the 205 units of the class 22200 locomotives were viewed as the star locomotives of the SNCF. Currently, numerous units are still in use in rather ordinary regional and freight service. Their extravagant appearances on the real life prototype have thus become history. In the small scale the new excellent Märklin model reminds people of the time when the "Nez cassé" attracted a lot of attention on more than just the blue Mediterranean.

Prototype: French State Railways (SNCF) class BB 22200 electric locomotive. Stone gray basic paint scheme. Road number BB 22307. The locomotive looks as it did around 1985.