French State Railway (État) E 501 to 523

For express trains on the line between Paris and Le Mans, the État received 23 locomotives between 1936 and 1938 which were numbered E 501 to E 523. They were directly based on the E 501 to E 550 of the PO, the later SNCF 2D2 5500. The most obvious change was the streamlined body that had been designed by Henri Pacon and didn't have small hoods. With their single headlight, they got the nickname “Cyclops”.

Like their predecessors, they had a 2-D-2 wheel arrangement and Buchli drive. Since they were used on a flatter line, they only had a rheostatic instead of a regenerative brake. The top speed was originally limited to 130 km/h, but was later increased to 140 km/h after the installation of roller bearings.

When SNCF was founded in 1938, they were designated 2D2 5400. In World War II, two locomotives which had been damaged were rebuilt into a new one. When parts of the line between Paris and Le Mans were electrified with 25 kV AC and operated by dual-system locomotives in the sixties, the 2D2 5400 were transferred to the south western region. Withdrawals were between 1975 and 1978.