SNCF 141R 420 met extra trein tgv viering NS 150 bij vertrek,
Den Haag HS,
06 juli 1989.
890706 195-05a Den Haag by Gerard van Vliet
© Gerard van Vliet, all rights reserved.
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SNCF 141R 420 met extra trein tgv viering NS 150 bij vertrek,
Den Haag HS,
06 juli 1989.
‘Railway Magazine’ published a profile of author George Behrend that included this painting by George Heiron. The view depicts one of the many US-built 2-8-2 locomotives that reinforced the depleted SNCF roster immediately after World War II, becoming the 141R class. The loco is seen hauling a train of very mixed rolling stock through the Massif Central. The caption describes it as a MEDLOC troop train. The presence of a pair of British railway carriages behind the engine intrigued me. Some of the passengers in the leading coach literally appear to be demob-happy.
I had no idea what these MEDLOC trains were, and the RM article made no direct reference, so I trawled through the Interweb to learn more.
I discovered that MEDLOC stood for ‘Mediterranean Direct Line of Communication’, comprising a regular service of troop trains that ferried demobilised servicemen and others on leave after campaigns in Italy and the Mediterranean. The principal route ran from Milan to Calais, (MEDLOC B) while other MEDLOC trains set off from Toulon to Dieppe (MEDLOC A). MEDLOC C was a service from Villach, Austria. The GWR, LNER and LMS contributed rolling stock to help ship up to 3,800 service personnel per day.
The service began to wind down from 1947, but the MEDLOC C service from Austria continued until 1955. (I came across a photo of an LMS Period II carriage with German lettering, taken in Vienna in 1953.)
Back to the George Heiron painting: it is for sale as a print, which the advertiser described as a scene from September 1945. However, the first shipments of 141Rs did not reach France until November 1945. Whatever, it’s a vivid illustration of an intriguing part of European railway history.
R2407. Deep in the northern French countryside, 141R Class 2-8-2 141R 73 heads a goods train near Watten-Eperlecques. This is on the line between Lille and Calais.
Saturday, 12th June, 1965. Copyright © Ron Fisher 2025.
