Ouest No. 721

Category:France
Category:French steam locomotives
Category:French locomotives
Category:2-4-0 steam locomotives
Category:2-4-0 locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Ouest No. 721 was a French series 120 2-4-0 steam locomotive that was built for Chemins de fer de l'Ouest.
== History ==
Number 721 was built in 1877 for the 120 class, it featured a slightly larger boiler and bigger wheelbase between the driven axles than its predecessors. 36 units of the version were made. The size of the locomotive is unknown, but it’s listed at weighing 50 metric tons and was able to travel faster than 65kph/40mph, and on the 22nd of October, 1895, NO 721 was involved in a horrific accident. it was hauling the granvillie-Paris express, it consisted of 3 baggage coaches, 10 Coaches and a mail Coach, the train (NO 56) left Granvillie at 08:45 AM and began heading to Paris, upon reaching paris however, the driver realised something, the train had been running late, and the driver was trying to make up for lost time, it had approached faster than normal, from 25-37 MPH, however, he was to close to the end of the station, he tried to apply the Westinghouse air brakes, but they were useless or in effective, 721's brakes alone were inefficient enough to stop the Train anyway, the moment forced the train through the buffers, through the 98 ft wide (30 Metre) concource, crashing through a 60-CM thick (24 IN) wide glass pain window, onto the street below, the BufferBean hit the floor first, then the Locomotive fell back, pinning its tender against the wall, a woman named Marie-Augustine Aguillard was waiting in a stand by the station for her husband to return with the evening New Papers. he returned to find her and the stand crushed by the fallen massinery, the Driver was finned 50 Francs for the fact he drove his train to fast into the station, and was also sentenced to 2 months behind bars, one of the guards was also finned 25 francs as he was failed to apply the Hand Brake, being occupied with paper work. 721 was jammed there, they first tried to move it with 14 horses, but that failed, then with a 250 Tonne winch, the Locomotive was liffted up a bit then lowered to the ground, then the Tender was pulled back into the Station, the Locomotive was pulled back into the station, and upon reaching the railway works, was found to have suffered little damage, it was repaired and returned to service, it was scrapped at some point, its possible that it was scrapped in 1909 or around then, as the Chemins de fer de l'Ouest stopped running then.
== Gallery ==
File:Screenshot 2024-09-24 11.26.26.png|thumb|721 hanging outside of the Montparnasse station
File:A Locomotive of the same class as NO 721.png|thumb|Series 120 number 393 photographed at the factory in 1869. Photos of the type are scarce and this locomotive is near-identical to the one involved in the accident.
== Trivia ==
* not much is known about 721, it is known it was built in 1877, and was part of a main french railway
* when it crashed through the station, the Locomotive suffered not to much damage, but it took forever to get it moved, the Locomotive would not budge, it was on a second attempt they managed to move it, with a 250 Meter rope and several men
* it isn't known at all what happened to the Locomotive after, its known it was repaired, but it isn't know (by my Knowledge) when the Locomotive was scrapped
* the Locomotive makes an appearance in the 2011 movie Hugo, in a dream sequence, when the main carector Hugo, dreams he was ran over by the train, and that it derailed
* 721's infamous accident has been remade several times, the best remake was a Roblox game titled, "The 1895 Granvile to Paris Express Derailment train simulator"
Category:Four-coupled locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives