The CC72000 series represented the apogee of French diesel-electric express passenger power for over forty years, from their introduction in 1967 to their final services in 2017. Each was powered by a 16-cylinder four-cycle medium-speed (1500 rpm) turbocharged AGO engine and was rated at 3660hp. They were alternator-rectifier machines equipped with just two large traction motors, each mounted to the frame of one truck and driving all axles. Capable of a sustained 160kph, they frequently led the most prestigious of non-electrified trains, include the Trans Europ Express services. The last survivors are expected to be retired within a few months.
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