FS Class ETR 300
The ETR 300, better known as Settebello, was an Italian luxury train.
Rolling stock
1952 Ferrovie dello Stato procured (FS ) two, in 1959 a further electric motor coaches of the ETR 300 series for the fast passenger, the top customer segment in Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie. The vehicles were given the operating numbers ETR 301-303. The trains consisted of seven parts, of which three and two times two times two parts were combined. The three-piece units shared by four, the two-piece three two-axle chassis. Six of the chassis were powered by two motors and developed 3,120 horsepower. The train reached a maximum speed of 180 km / h
The interior of the Settebello has been extremely exclusive and luxurious. The seven-part multiple unit had a spacious seating configuration and exclusively with first class (after class reform of 1956). Of the seven cars were only four pure car seat. The other served as dining and bar car, one of the kitchen and one for the transportation of luggage. A special characteristic of the vehicles have ever been a pulpit cart with a view compartment at the top and at the end of the train. So that was structurally possible, the engineer was housed in an elevated, but set-back cabin.
Use
The vehicles perverted from 1953 first as a daily service on the Italian highway between Milan and Naples, and carried - depending on the direction of travel - the name of MN / NM. But a year later the train route has been reduced to the Milan-Rome route, changed the Train designation in accordance with MR / RM and from 1973 to 802/ 803 stops that existed in Bologna and Florence.
As of May 26, 1974, the trains ran as a third Trans - Europe Express link between Milan and Rome with the train numbers 68/ 69 Until 1978 it succeeded in driving times - even by opening sections of the Direttissima Firenze- Roma - 5 hours 20 minutes for the now 602 km long route to shorten. This corresponded to a cruising speed of 112.9 km / h
1984 had to be deducted in part over 30 years old rolling stock from the compound that now. Since 1984, the connection is now carried the name Colosseum, got the train numbers 76/77 and was operated by locomotive-hauled trains from New Gran Confort car. The Settebello trains continued to use until 1992 Rapido in the link Milan - Venice.
Name
The name Settebello ( " Beautiful Seven" ) is the name of the Joker in an Italian card game and also an allusion to the seven luxury cars, from which each of the railcars was formed. While the name had been widely accepted by the public, he was part of the FS only been officially in 1958 for the ETR 300 and the distance traveled by him connections.