FS Class E.444

The E.444 series, nicknamed Tartaruga ( German: tortoise), is a fast - electric locomotive Ferrovie dello Stato, the Italian State Railways. It was created to coincide with the 103 of the German Federal Railways and enjoys cult status in Italy a similar as its nationwide German counterpart.

History

The planned in the 1960s new line Florence-Rome needed locomotives that have occurred in up to eight cars long Rapido trains at 200 km / h or the gemischtklassigen, maximum twelve cars long express trains at 160 km / hr. Therefore, a trackside gentle, powerful engines BoBo electric locomotive was designed in the study office of the FS machines service Servizio Materials e trazione, which was characterized by low-mounted, trunnion and weigh less bogies with a short wheel base. The alternative development of a CoCo - electric locomotive in the E.666 series did not come out on a prototype. Since during the delivery of the locomotives, the Italian railway industry rearranged to carry the locomotives the nameplates of up to 12 different companies.

Construction

The locomotive body of E.444 overloaded secondary springs and semi-trailing arm on an auxiliary handlebar. This is in turn at Gleitdrehbahnen on the bogie frame. The train and braking forces are transmitted by low-mounted steel cables, which are conducted under the truck. Hollow-shaft drives transmit torque to the axles, where to find transmission angle lever joint couplings with so-called "dancing ring " use.

The E.444 has a finely stepped contactor control, which works in conjunction with six field weakening degrees and 43 combinations of resistors. The 1120 kW motors are connected in series-parallel grouping. The brake resistor carries between 200 km / h and 50 km / h, a deceleration force of 88 kN. Inside the electric locomotive Traction and braking resistors are built; The heated air is discharged through the air box to the outside.

Use

The E.444 are mainly used in high-quality long-distance passenger traffic. They were at that time also virtually solely responsible for the traction of TEE trains on the FS railway network ( international connections: TEE Roland, Lemano, Ligure, Mediolanum and Cisalpin; inter Italian TEA 's: Adriatico, Ambrosiano, Vesuvio, Cycnus, Aurora). These trains reaching speeds up to 180 partially km / h; Long runs with daily output of up to 1500 km were not uncommon. From 1985, the first scheduled attracted E.444 standard with 200 km / h trains traveling in Italy on the Direttissima Florence-Rome. Since the release of the successor type FS E.402 enter the " turtles " gradually back into second place.

Variants

The E.444 series knows besides the four Vorserienloks two major retrofit versions:

• E.444 pre-series: The four Vorserienloks in 1967 and 1967 put into operation. It was found that the required maximum speed of 200 km / h in the scheduled operation, partly due to insufficient bogies could not be reached ( during test drives yet was with a passenger train with a top speed of 207 km / h ). The maximum speed of Vorserienloks was then limited to 180 km / h. Furthermore, the Vorserienloks have compared to the regular production of a still rather homespun acting locomotive body with " straight " fronts, which is down only slightly rounded at the sides. In contrast to the regular production the Vorserienloks have not been modernized. The only Vorserienlok the E.444.001 remained as a functioning museum locomotive.

• E.444 AV: For use with 200 km / h on the Direttissima Florence-Rome eight machines were for version AV ( Alta Velocità; German: high-speed ) retrofitted with swirl dampers and modified cab signaling. These specimens were later the series designation E.447.

• E.444R: From 1989 to 1997, all E.444 were modernized: The cab has been rebuilt and now has a box-like instead of the elegant round shape. Thus, the cab was spacious. At the same time the leaders cabins are asbestos-free, sound-proofed and air-conditioned. Traction Electrical remained unchanged, but received an electronic pilot control. At the same time, the motor generators were replaced by static auxiliary converters, when this was not done before 1982. The converted electric locomotives were designated E.444R ( riqualificata, German: wiederbefähigt )

Trivia

• The nickname " Tartaruga " ( German: Turtle ) was the result of FS- internal ideas competition. The cartoon of a flying turtle graced as a kind of logo locomotives until the introduction of XMPR design.
• The E.444.005 served from 1976 to 1981 as a test vehicle for stepless thyristor chopper control;