Jules Petiet (5 August 1813 – 29 January 1871) was a French mechanical engineer who worked on the early development of the French railway network. He was the Chief Engineer of the Chemins de Fer du Nord from 1845, and became a locomotive engineer from 1848.[1] From 1868 until his death, he was head of the prestigious engineering school École Centrale Paris, of which he was also a graduate.
Petiet expanded the fleet of Nord locomotives from 187 at his appointment in 1848 to 841 at his death in 1871.[2]
One of Petiet's "Camels" – Crampton-inspired tank locomotive
He designed a class of 0-8-0T locomotives known as Fortes Rampes; and built 20 even bigger 0-6-6-0 tank engines. Looking like a pair of 0-6-0s back-to-back, they had a long-rigid chassis.[3] They were not as powerful as anticipated, and Petiet's successor rebuilt them into forty 0-6-0T locomotives.[4]
He introduced the Crampton locomotive to the Nord (and France),[5] and developed an A3A (0-2-6-2-0) Crampton-style tank locomotive. Nicknamed "Camels", eight were built, but they soon were sold to the Nord's Belgian subsidiary Nord-Belge[6]
References
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