Commissioned by the Paris-Orléans Company, this steam locomotive 121 A 340 was built in 1883 according to the plans of the engineer Victor Forquenot. The boiler, the dome, and the runner are made of brass. At the Cité du Train-Patrimoine SNCF, Forquenot’s machine tows a wagon from Emperor Napoleon III’s train. At the time, the imperial train consisted of seven carriages, painted in garnet and dark blue, and owed its interior design to renowned artists such as Viollet-le-Duc. The emperor was a great user of the railway, which he used for both official and private travel. A must-see in the Cité du Train.