It isn’t every day that a 116‑year‑old travels 500 km east from her usual home. But on 22 September, this venerable lady boarded a low‑loader lorry in Saint‑Valery‑sur‑Somme, Picardy — she is a little on the heavy side at just over 21 tonnes — and spent her first night away in Belgium. The following day, she continued her journey and arrived safely in Brohl‑Lützing, in the German state of Rhineland‑Palatinate.
The old lady’s name is Béton‑Bazoches — though she also carries the number 3714 — and she was born in 1909. The following year she began her career on the metre‑gauge network in Seine‑et‑Marne, east of Paris, operated by the Société Générale des Chemins de Fer Économiques, one of France’s major light‑railway companies.
She worked on this network until the late 1940s. By 1950, however, the railway had been reduced to a single branch between Jouy‑le‑Châtel and Nangis, used solely for sugar‑beet traffic. Yet 3714 and one of her elder sisters, 3708 (Cail, 1902–1904), survived until 1965 — and 3714 was the lucky one, rescued from scrap by pioneers of French railway preservation.
In 1971, 3714 found her way to the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme heritage railway on the Picardy coast. In 1982, she became the first “big” locomotive to be restored to working order — a milestone for a preservation society still finding its feet. A new boiler followed in 1998.
On 3 and 4 October 2026, the Brohltalbahn (“Vulkan‑Express”) celebrated its 125th anniversary and invited the CFBS to take part with one of its steam locomotives. This was a friendly return gesture: the German railway had attended the CFBS steam gala in 2021 with its own large Mallet locomotive. Since then, the two railways have built a warm relationship, with members visiting each other.
3714 was chosen for the trip to Germany, where she spent ten days. The visit began with successful line tests hauling empty stock, with a CFBS crew in charge. The Brohltalbahn is steeply graded throughout — a far cry from the flatlands of the Somme estuary where 3714 usually runs. On 3 October, her first ascent with a heavily loaded train pushed her to the very limit, and even sparked a small lineside fire. For the remainder of the Bahnfest, it was deemed wiser to restrict her to shuttles between Brohl station and Brohl harbour. Two other metre‑gauge steam locomotives shared the stage: the Brohltalbahn’s double 0‑4‑0 Mallet and a Swiss HG 3/3 0‑6‑0 tank engine (No. 1068) from the Brünig railway.
Guest engines from abroad have often visited the CFBS steam galas — from Belgium, Germany, the UK and Switzerland — but 3714’s journey east marked only the second time a CFBS locomotive had ever left France, and the very first time a French metre‑gauge engine travelled to Germany. It was a milestone for everyone involved, and one we hope will be followed by many more.
And as a final souvenir of her visit: thanks to her gleaming brass steam dome and blue‑tinted headlamps, 3714 quickly earned a new nickname in Brohl — the French blonde with blue eyes. Not bad for a centenarian who still knows how to turn heads.
By: Geoffrey Nickson, CFBS Administrator and Board Secretary
