Despite his genius Chapelon could only develop one locomotive series for Brazil. The private railways and the state-owned railways in France lacked the money for new developments. Thus Chapelon earned his money with the further development of existing steam locomotives. With great success. The most impressive example was the SNCF's massive 242.A.1, which measured from 5,300 hp to 6,000 hp - little less than the much bigger Big Boy of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The model of the Wunder model, the 231.G and 231.K of the Compagnie des Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM), is a 2-3-1 engine, which was taken over in 1938 by the newly founded state railway SNCF. By 1949, 248 of the four-cylinder locomotives were rebuilt according to Chapelon's plans and were usually fitted with new, larger NORD and SNCF tenders. Technically speaking, the series is a distant relative of the Bavarian S 3/6, which was built between 1908 and 1930.

The PLM reached Nice and Cannes and transported British luxury tourists from Calais-Maritime via Paris to the Côte d' Azur. This included the Calais-Mediterranean Express, also known as the Train Bleu (Blue Train). Until 1969, the SNCF's Flêche d' Or was also brought from Calais to Paris by a 231.K.

The five 1-gauge model versions are manufactured in South Korea by the same manufacturer as the German 17¹⁰, using the finest brass craftsmanship, with a total of 40 copies. The 4-cylinder engine is completely replicated. Smoke chamber door, water and sand box lids can be opened. The gap between the supply wheels and fenders/wings will be small according to the prototype, so the model requires a minimum radius of 2,000 mm. Attention is also paid to a narrow locomotive/tender spacing. The lighting is provided by bulbs. A high-performance motor drives the ball bearing mounted axles at a speed appropriate to the prototype. An ESU decoder of the latest generation is used.



The model is 702 mm long with PLM tender, 714 mm with NORD tender. Price with NEM or Finescale wheelsets: 12,990 €. Delivery expected in Spring 2019.

Versions:

• 231.G.191  SNCF, epoch IIIb, Dépôt Belfort, black/black lacquer finish with brass kettle bands, red trim lines and black wheel rims, four-axle 30 m³ PLM tender
• 231.G.138  SNCF, epoch IIIb, Dépôt Nevers, green/black lacquering with brass kettle bands, red trim lines and black wheel rims, four-axle 30 m³ PLM tender
• 231.K.22  SNCF, epoch IV, Dépôt Calais, black/black lacquered with brass kettle bands, yellow-beige ornamental lines and white wheel rims, four-axle 38 m³ NORD tender. Flèche d' Or pluggable plate for smoke chamber door
• 231.K.8  SNCF, epoch IV, Dépôt Calais, black/black lacquering with brass kettle bands, red trim lines and white wheel rims, four-axle 38 m³ NORD tender. Flèche d' Or pluggable plate for smoke chamber door
• 231.K.8  MFPN, epoch V, Dépôt Calais, painted green-black/black with brass kettle bands, yellow trim lines and white wheel rims, four-axle 38 m³ NORD tender. Museum condition. Flèche d' Or pluggable plate for smoke chamber door

Translated with the help of www.deepl.com/translator.htlm. It is being developed in Germany and very often delivers better translations than Google (languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Polish).

Wunder

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