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French railway history sources (docrail.fr[2], Wikipedia’s[3] SNCF Class CC 7100 article) date the 331 km/h record run to March 28-29, 1955, crediting both the CC 7107 and BB 9004.- Start
- Mar 28, 195590% CONFIDENCEsource
- End
- Mar 29, 195590% CONFIDENCEsource
SNCF Sets the Rail World Speed Record at 331 km/h
France's SNCF pushed two modified electric locomotives to a then-world rail speed record of 331 km/h (206 mph) on a test track near Facture on March 28-29, 1955. An Infrastructural Game Changer cites the run as the moment fast trains overtook cars and planes.
- In March 1955 SNCF's CC 7107 and BB 9004 locomotives both attained 331 km/h between Bordeaux and Dax, with records dated 28 and 29 March 1955[2][3]
- CC 7107 was ready on 28 March and BB 9004 on 29 March; the test director declared the two locomotives ex-aequo[2]
- CC 7107 was modified with a changed gear ratio, monobloc wheels and a streamlined bonnet and rear fairing; BB 9004's rear pantograph was destroyed around 290 km/h and changed before the run[2]
- Earlier tests on 21 February 1954 between Dijon and Beaune reached 243 km/h with CC 7121[2][3]
- The locomotive speed record stood until 2 September 2006, when a Siemens Taurus reached 357 km/h; the tests fed into the 1967 Mistral and the TGV[3]