SNCF X 3800

The X 3800 series of railcars, nicknamed Picasso, is one of the largest SNCF railcar series, drawn up by the SNCF railcar study division in 1947 within a vast plan to build unified machines to replace the small disparate series that the old railway companies had bought between the wars. The 251 railcars, delivered between 1950 and 1961, were meant to be reliable, robust and economical. They are known by their raised lateral driving kiosk on the roof, which gave them their nickname, ran over the whole French network, and the last ones stopped service in May 1988; a large number have been saved. The X 3800 is the unified 300 hp type, a diesel bogie railcar run between 1950 and 1988, built by three makers: the Regie Nationale des Usines Renault (110 examples), De Dietrich (21) and the Ateliers de construction du Nord de la France (120).