The PLM C145 4-4-0 streamlined steam locomotive has been built in 1900 at Les Ateliers P.L.M. d'Arles. The P.L.M. route (From Paris, Lyon to Marseille) lay down the valley of the River Rhone which is well known for its bitterly cold and very strong wind called Mistral. This fact led to an early effort at streamlining, not for show, but for the practical purpose of lowering wind resistance. A pointed casing was fitted over the smokebox and between the chimney and dome, giving the locomotives the nickname "Coupe vent" as they cut the wind The locomotives were capable of pulling a 200 tons train at a speed of 100 km/h. After the first world war they were replaced by more powerful engines, and the last member of the class was withdrawn from active service in 1938. The engines had a weight 57.4 tons, a length of 19.33 meters (including the tender) and the driving wheels had a diameter of 2 meters.
