The SNCF arrived in 2001, after being purchased by one of the SNBR members, and is the 5th Mardyke Diesel to be based at the SNBR.
She is mechanically similar to her sisters, although she sports different bogie frames to other 6 wheel bogie mardyke diesels. She is
affectionally known as Sniffer as sort of short form of SNCF which is the other name she is known by. The sniffer originally ran at the
SNBR Kestrel weekend, when she was borrowed by the SNBR to celebrate the event.
The sniffer, being privately owned is not used as a front line SNBR engine, but still clocks up many miles of use, average 1000 passenger trips
per year. Her lights are also very useful on 1812 night up until 2005, when the SNBR was banned by the police from operating after dark at that event.
Sniffer has not as yet visited any other railways, and is therefore the only Mardyke diesel to have not gone to another railway. At the beginning of
2007 she still retained her ex-works paint scheme, although it is expected that in the near to medium future she will be repainted.
Sniffer also sports flag mounting holes, which have been known to carry the odd union flag now and again, although never a French or Belgium flag. Being based on
the popular SNCF engine, her bigger sister has been preserved and is on static display in a museum.
