Pictures of Italian Railways Regional motive power

minesweeper Oct 19, 2017

  1. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    To continue, I am posting a series of picture documenting the typical Italian electric architecture of articulated locomotives.
    There were developed to avoid the wear and tear on the rails from standard 6axle locos (C C arrangement), by having three trucks on an articulated body.
    Starting in the 40s with the E636 (lasted until 2010), going on a regional (no cab car function however)
    2.8MW, 100/120 kph, 106 tons
    [​IMG]

    In the early sixties they doubled the power by doubling the motors from 6 to 12 and we got the E646 (original colour, not orange this time)
    4.5 MW, 140kph, 110tons
    [​IMG]
    and their sisters for freight E645
    112 tons and 110kph
    [​IMG]
    My favourite, and last of the series, from 74 up to the mid 80s, we got almost 600 E656
    5MW, 160kph, 120 tons
    Many have later been regeared as E655 for freight service to 120 kph, saves a lot of more modern 6 MW 4 axle that need to be doubled due to lower tractive effort.
    [​IMG]
    Latest six axle is an evolution using three trucks on a rigid frame allowing the central truck to shift; there were the first with electronic regulation, and three DC motors.
    E632/633/652
    5.5 to 6 MW, 110 tons. 130 or 160 kph
    With an Eurocity (Rome-Munich) on the Brenner line, note the three different liveries for the same passenger coach.
    [​IMG]

    As you can see ..... wires, wires .. and then ... wires.
    All of them have been / are being used for long distance, regional and freight trains......
     
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  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    If possible, some day I would greatly enjoy seeing a topic about Italian railway structures. Stations and any other facilities.
     
  3. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Would do.. in time.
     
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  4. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    You can start from this ITA website (has also the English version)
    http://www.stazionidelmondo.it/indexen.html?14,6
    ITA station buildings were for the most part standardized, the pre unification (1905) were most often designed according to the private railway company they belonged to, after the national Railways FS had their own design, notably, during the fascist regime, the new buildings were built according to the mainstream "regime approved" RATIONALIST style.
    Big stations had a different history, however Rome and Florence main stations were designed during the regime and stick to a mixture of the RATIONALIST and futuristic syle.
    That is Roma Termini in the fifties, it is still like this now; FS is however doing a major rebuilding with a new gallery and parking over the tracks (you will not see these from outside)
    [​IMG]
    The addition to the main building is called the dinosaur for its peculiar shape, it still hosts the ticket counters and many shops while the main gallery is under the main building (its entrance is just outside the picture on the right side).

    Below, the example of the RATIONALIST style, the station of former Littoria, now Latina in the original style.
    [​IMG]

    seen from the other side, with the later post war modifications and additions (in the same style though)
    [​IMG]

    To keep in topic, one of the very first ITA railcars, in the late 20s, running the inaugural train for this section of the then new "high speed" (125mph) Roma to Naples route.
    [​IMG]
    electric wires to come in 5/6 years

    ciao
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    The station buildings and histories are absolutely fascinating. I hope you can share more such information!
     
  6. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    That is not so easy as for the trains, but I will try....
    by the way, a friend of me just told me that a connection between the station of Littoria and the railcar in the picture above.
    I knew that when I was a kid, railcars were called "littorine", and that they had to do with tthe "fascio littorio" (used by the ancient romans to indicate the power of public officers) was also unfortunately one of the most important icons of the "fascist" regime.
    The name "littorina" is linked to that picture, because Mussolini himself went to Littoria for the inauguration of the line, and of the town itself, built on a reclamed marshland. So much was the clamor of the event that the name "littorina" (small littoria) was given to the railcar in question, and then to all others... Strangely enough, it stuck even decades after the regime collapsed (and many of its symbols were taken away).
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2017
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  7. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Oe of the Littorina, together with two electric railcars and the World Speed record holder ETR200 also made to the New York world fair of 1939.
    Here the ETR getting on board the Ship...
    [​IMG]

    And in New York where they also put up some wires...
    [​IMG]

    The railcar unfortunately is at the very end of the line and almost invisible.
    Note the "Fascio Littorio" on the front of the train, between the lights just above the red area.
     
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  8. acptulsa

    acptulsa TrainBoard Member

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    Here in the U.S. we put a lot of stock in the Zephyr and the UP M-10000, which were basically just prettied-up, air conditioned doodlebugs. But in fact, those were Budd and Pullman-Standard trying to keep up with the Europeans.
     
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  9. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Here the ALn 556 railcar (same model as the one that went to NY), in Malles Venosta,
    [​IMG]
    Note the different style of the staion as the line was built by the Austrians (the area was part of Austria till WW1).
    These are the lates of the first generation littorine, by 1939 we had some 500 littorinas in regular servie (I do not know if italy was the very first nation developing railcars, but for sure we made good use of them).
    In the late 20 FIAT (yes, the car maker, but they made trains with their brand up to the 21st century) got the idea of fitting two truck engines (with mechanical gearbox) into an adapted bus carbody..... getting a simple, light and fast (these ran to 130kph) railcar that wiped out most steam passenger trains on branch and mainlines. The same idea that made the Budd RDCs a long lasting success.
    Littorine evolved in the years with the FIAT ALn 668 series that was produced from the 50s till the late 80s and sold all over the world (Mexico, South America, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Israel...), here one prototype (in FS livery) in Chicago.
    [​IMG]

    This one stayed for more than a year 1976/77 in the US with excellent results in terms or reliability, especially in winter conditions, unfortunately no orders were placed mainly because it was in the standard italian configuration, including the livery (quite spartan for US standards, and without air conditioning).
    In the end, that 668 joined other 668 derived in Mexico (Chihuahua al Pacifico RWY) and lasted there for quite a long time.
    Below, a picture of a later model, you can see the "italian standard" yourself. 1st class pre war railcars were another thing though, 668 were designed and developed for branchlines; some models used in longer range services in South America and Mexico had luxury interiors, a bar/restaurant, and aircon.
    [​IMG]

    got also a picture of the pre war 1st class ALn40
    [​IMG]
    All railcars has coach style interiors while regula passenfer cars had compartments until a few years ago.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2017
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  10. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    Many of the higher class European passenger cars are very beautiful.

    Doug
     
  11. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very plush seating. First Class was really something special back then!
     
  12. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Most of these 1st class only railcars also had a kithcen to serve hot meals to the seated passengers (just like business class in the planes now).
     
  13. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very cool. Loads of history and progress in this thread.
     
  14. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    We also had some electric railcars, made by Breda between the 50s and 60s, with basically the same round cab design
    The first one is for the METRO in Rome
    [​IMG]
    Then for Sangritana, in the Abruzzi, climbing from the Adriatic, to the mountain valleys
    [​IMG]
    A little more north in Umbria
    [​IMG]
    These went later South in puglia, with the same livery used until a few years before by 1st class TEE luxury trains
    [​IMG]

    While they may look all the same, these were not mass produced (rounded fronts had to be formed by hand hammering the sheets of metal), and have different dimensions, motors, voltage specs.....
    however all of them lasted more than 40 years in service, often on very light and badly laid track.
     
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  15. ddechamp71

    ddechamp71 TrainBoard Member

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    The E636... My absolute preferred italian electric locomotive. And as I don't know this country's diesels nor steamers, It many stand for "my absolute preferred italian locomotive". :)

    Dom
     
  16. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    With 460 locos in service, it was the workhorse of FS from the 40s to the early 80s, when the E656 started to outnumber them.
    Most of them lasted until after 2005, albeit in the ugly XMPR livery.
     
  17. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Here a collection of E464 in the livery of private companies, starting with TFT in Tuscany (Arezzo)
    [​IMG]
    Quite gaudy, isn't it?
    Except for this and another train, this railway is really a museum, all its stock is former FS (sometime rebuilt) that the state railwas scrapped al least 30 years ago.

    This livery was used for trains runnning between Milan ans Switzerland (DMUs, were actually crossing the border, standard trains were not).
    [​IMG]

    Now the trains run in the regional livery of Lombardia TRENORD
    [​IMG]
    You just saw that earlier, the Ferrovie Emilia Romanga Watermelons...
    [​IMG]
    Not a provate, but also gaudy was the first livery for the connection between Rome and Fiumicino Airport
    [​IMG]
    and the other side of the train, the cab car...
    [​IMG]
     
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  18. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Watermelons? Very appropriate nickname.

    I find the E656 have a muscular look to their design. Neat thread!
     
  19. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    The 656 had the look... and the power, the 655 geared for 120kph are still the locos with max tractive effort in Italy, 4 axles now match the power, but could not match the TE as they miss 35/40 tons in weight.
    I just love them.
     
  20. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    Nice work MineSweeper!

    I managed to find a set of four passenger cars in XMPR that are easily mixed with my other set. I've seen it on the real ones -- he he he. It came with a 424 in the XMPR schema. Now if the seller would just mail them to me. Grrr...

    i don't have time to pull my other shots, but I grabbed a lot of phone shots on my trip , either in stations, or while riding trains.

    Box Cab I took a lot of structure shots too. :)
     

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