Locomotive Seguin is the first steam locomotive to use a tubular boiler, a groundbreaking invention that multiplied the developed power by sixfold.[1] Boiling is achieved through the circulation of combustion gases in multiple 'fire tubes' passing through the heating body, significantly increasing the thermal exchange surface and efficiency. The boiler produces 1,200 kg of steam per hour instead of 300, enabling the locomotive to reach a speed of 30 km/h instead of 16.[2]Marc Seguin patented this invention on December 12, 1827, and it was initially applied to boats navigating the Rhône River. The Seguin locomotive was built in twelve exemplars at the Perrache workshops between 1829 and 1835.[3]
The locomotive made its first wheel turns on October 1, 1829, just a few days before George Stephenson's rocket, with whom Marc Seguin maintained continuous communication. It was used on the second French railway line, connecting Saint-Étienne to Lyon from 1830 to 1832, where it started passenger service in 1831.[citation needed]
A replica of this locomotive was created between 1982 and 1987 by Gaston Monnier, a mechanical engineering professor at a technical high school in Paris and the founding president of ARPPI (Association for the Reconstruction and Preservation of Industrial Heritage).[4]
