SNCF X 4200

The X 4200 panoramic railcar is a single-body two-level railcar built in ten examples by Renault, numbered X 4201 to X 4210. Intended for tourist lines, the series entered service between April and September 1959 and was struck off the SNCF lists between December 1980 and June 1985. Three, the X 4203, 4206 and 4208, belong to the association AGRIVAP, and only the X 4208 still runs; the X 4204, kept by Renault, was listed as a historic monument in 1998. It came from the SNCF wish to carry passengers on non-electrified tourist lines after its equipment director was won over by American Vista-Dome cars. The raised first-class cabin over the engine gives a 360 degree view through a dome of four laminated polyester elements of 3.50 by 2.80 m. The engine is a SACM V12SH MGO diesel unit with a Napier turbo-blower, 480 kW (800 hp), and the transmission is electric.