The SNCFX 3800 class are diesel railcars with an elevated off-center control cabin.[1] It is often said that they were nicknamed “Picassos” because the off-center cabin was reminiscent of paintings by Pablo Picasso featuring faces where the eyes and nose were completely offset.[2] The nickname may though have come from the number of early paint schemes applied to the class.
The X3800 served on secondary lines all over the French rail network. The elevated control cabin allowed the railcars to operate in forward and reverse modes, allowing for ease of operation. One example is preserved at the Cité du Train.[3]
The X 3800 featured a mechanical transmission with a truck-type clutch and gearbox. The units had a 20 m (65 ft 7 in) long carbody that rested on two bogies, and weighed 34 tonnes. They ran at speeds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) (with 120 kilometres per hour or 75 miles per hour possible). They could haul unpowered trailers and could be operated singly or twinned with other units. The direct mechanical engine controls required each powered unit to have its own driver so they could not be operated as true multiple units. Units were built with two types of diesel engines: Renault 517 diesel-powered units 3801 to 3835 and a Saurer BZDS diesel units 3836 to 3856.
The units were designed to be robust and simple (but were noisy), often parked outside in the winter. The driver sat facing sideways in a raised cabin above the engine compartment, accessed from the baggage compartment. The main mechanical controls were directly connected by levers to the diesel engine, clutch and gearbox. The units were widely used from the 1950s to the 1980s, particularly on secondary lines with often poorer quality track than the main lines,[4] at a lower cost than comparable steam trains of the era. The units were reliable and, from the end opposite the engine compartment, offered passengers a wide-open view of the track.[5] The diesel engines produced 300 hp and were water-cooled. The X 3800 burned 50–55 litres of diesel fuel per 100 km (5.1–5.1 mpg‑imp; 4.3–4.3 mpg‑US), giving the unit a range of about 700 kilometres (430 mi). The car bodies were of welded construction.[6]
The X 3800 were built from 1950 to 1961. 251 units were built, given unit numbers X 3801 to X 4051 by the SNCF. Each X 3800 could hold 62 passengers,[7] with smoking and non-smoking compartments, a toilet, and a baggage area located behind the engine compartment [6]
X 3896 was rebuilt on the 23 of July, 1976, by the『Ateliers de Périgueux』into a rail inspection vehicle, replacing the X 42511. As a result, it received a green livery, underlined by grey lines. Since 1988, this unit has been used by the Service de la Recherche for work on the "ASTREE" project, an early iteration of the ERTMS signalling system.
X 3900 underwent the same rebuilding as X 3896 in 1976. In 1993, it was purchased by "l'Autorail Touristique du Minervois", held at the Clermont-Ferrand depot before operating on behalf of the "Chemins de Fer de la Haute Auvergne" (Gentiane Express) in 1997. Since then, it has been stationed at Bort-les-Orgues (19) and is undergoing an exterior refurbishment.
X 3997 was rebuilt into a SNCF maintenance vehicle, and received a green & grey livery with orange bands. Initially, it was used for signalling maintenance/installation, later being equipped with special rail resistance-detecting wheels. In the 1990s, it was used for shunting tasks.
An engine of this class was seen in the movie Le Corniaud
X 3867 : Agrivap, ex Train Touristique du Mont des Avaloirs (Alençon-Près en Pail), racheté par Agrivap en 2000, remis en service depuis juin 2001. Visible dans le film Être et Avoir.
X 3886 : ARE, puis revendu à l'association "Les Autorails de Bourgogne et de Franche-Comté"
X 3900 : Autorail de Commandement, basé à Bort-les-Orgues par l'association des Chemins de Fer de la Haute Auvergne Gentiane Express (cet autorail n'assurant pas pour le moment les circulations du Gentiane Express)
X 3926 : Anciennement CFTS, aujourd'hui rénové avec 1st class entièrement d'origine par le TFBCO en vue d'une exploitation sur Mézy-Montmirail[10]
X 4039 : Autorails de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (ABFC), the only unit certified by the réseau ferré national and for 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph)[12]
X 4046 : Association Autorail Lorraine Champagne Ardenne
Non-operable, preserved for parts, or scrapped[edit]
X 3801 : Chemin de Fer Touristique des Hautes Falaises (Wreck)
X 4046 preserved by l'association Autorail Lorraine Champagne-Ardenne, served as the setting for the song by Laurent Voulzy,『Paradoxal Système』in 1992.[14]
^Papazian, André. Encyclopédie du train, volume 1, locomotives & automotrices [Encyclopedia of the train, Volume 1, locomotives and railcars] (in French). éditions E.T.A.I.
^"Quai No. 4". Les quais de l'histoire. La Cite du Train. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
^"X 3800 "Picasso"". Autorails.com (in French). 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
^ abcdSite CFTSA, Matériel Autorails, avec le détail de leurs parcours depuis la mise en service lireArchived 2008-11-11 at the Wayback Machine (consulté le 25/08/2009)
^Site CFCB, la restauration de l'X3890 : le déroulement du projet de restauration (1991-2005) lire en ligne (consulté le 30 septembre 2010).
^Site du TFBCO (Tourisme Ferroviaire de la Brie Champenoise à l'Omois)
^Source site du TPCF, menu : onglet photos, lien Du Picasso aux Caravelles lire,
L'autorail est finalement parvenu le 14 mai 2001, en gare de Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, où, rapidement remis en état, il a pu faire ses preuves (...) En 2008, il devrait reprendre du service pour le Parcours des Viaducs
(consulté le 24/08/2009)
^« L'X 4039 remis à neuf », Rail Passion n°253, novembre 2018, page 3.
