The French State Railways (SNCF) have put the electric locomotives CC 6500 into operation in 1969. The locomotives were, at that time, considered the most powerful locomotives of French railway history. In their first years of operation, the locomotives were used because they reached a top speed of 200 km/h and, as a consequence, hauled famous express trains such as the "Mistral" or the "Capitole". However, as the locomotives had an enormous power output, their field of operation changed over time, and the SNCF used them then to haul heavy goods trains.