FS ALn 668
| FS ALn 668 | |
|---|---|
 Historic ALn 668
|
|
| Number: | 787 in 12 series |
| Manufacturer: | Fiat Ferroviaria or Breda |
| Year of construction (s): | 1954-1981 |
| Axis formula : | (1A) (A1) / sub-series = 2'B ' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Service mass: | 116 t |
| Top speed: | 110/130 km / h |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 920 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 920 mm |
| Drive: | diesel-hydraulic |
| Seats: | 68 |
The FS ALn 668 diesel multiple units are a group of light railroad vehicles that were built between the 1950s and 1980s for the Italian state railways and are still in service today.
history
At the beginning of the 1950s, the diesel railcar park of the Italian state railways had become practically unusable for the services for which it was actually designed. In addition, the large number of different types caused some difficulties in maintaining and providing spare parts.
To modernize passenger traffic on the Sicilian narrow-gauge network of the FS, railcars of the type FS RALn 60 were used from January 1950 . During the construction of this series, technical experience was gained, which could subsequently also be used for the standard gauge diesel railcars from FIAT.
In 1954, the project of a standardized diesel railcar was started, which - based on the experience with the two railcar series already in operation - should solve the problems in the diesel vehicle fleet of the FS. The new railcar was designed for 68 seats, eight of them first and 60 second class. According to the FS classification system, it was referred to as "Automotrice Leggera a Nafta 668" (light, naphtha- powered railcar 668), or ALn 668 for short. The doubling of the initial number "66" was introduced in order to identify series capable of double traction.
Thanks to the wide range of possible uses of this vehicle and the more than 700 copies that the Italian state railways acquired in 30 years, this series of railcars became the real backbone of Italian regional transport, especially from the 1960s, and has only recently become - through the Minuetto - almost entirely displaced on secondary lines.
Project planning and requirements for the vehicle
In 1954, the FS ordered the first three prototypes of the series from Fiat Ferroviaria : They were given the numbers 1401, 1402 and 1403.
After the mixed experiences with the large single-engine railcars FS ALn 990 and FS ALn 880 , the project planning of the new vehicles was based on the successes with the pre-war railcars, the " Littorine " ( FS ALn 40 , FS ALn 56 , FS ALn 80 etc.), which were equipped with two motors. Of course, the technical progress that had occurred since the pre-war period was also taken into account and the technology was significantly improved compared to the Littorine.
The decision to equip the new railcars with two engines offered various advantages: the two independent traction groups with diesel engines of wide production made it possible to keep the costs for the drive relatively low, the presence of two motorized axles improved the adhesion and the spare parts are cheaper and easier to store. All mechanical parts are simple, light and low-maintenance.
Compared to the pre-war railcars, the controls and the clutch, which are now carried out by electrical signals, have been redesigned. The pedal system known from road vehicles could thus be abandoned. Another innovation was the use of truck engines for railcars. The most important change, however, concerned the position of the engines: These were no longer installed in the box, but are now located below the box. This solves the problems of instability at high speed and the transmission of vibrations from the train while it is in motion to delicate mechanical parts, which was a source of damage and frequent repairs in the previous models.
The first generation
The 1400 series
The first series of the Aln 668 to be produced was the 1400 series, which consists of 80 units (including the three prototypes). The only difference between the prototypes and the other vehicles in this series is the addition of a bellows (Italian: intercomunicante a soffietto) and the displacement of the air intake point for the engines from the roof to the side. Engines of the type 203S (110 kW), a further development of the FIAT 682 truck engine, were installed in this first series. Due to some differences in the wiring, the prototypes could not be used in multiple control with the other vehicles in the series. After the prototype 1401 was renewed for tourism reasons, this difference was eliminated and the electrical equipment was adapted to that of the other vehicles in the series.
The 2400 series
Almost simultaneously with the production of the 1400 series at FIAT, the 2400 series was produced in the Breda plant in Sesto San Giovanni (MI) . The most interesting deviation was in the two diesel engines; Brif D140S6h (100 kW) were built into this series. The two diesel engines are on the opposite side of the luggage compartment, so the wheelbase (2'B ') was different. This series was also equipped with multiple controls. In addition, they would theoretically have been able to operate together with the control car FS Ln 664 from FIAT production; however, it seems that this option was never used in regular operation.
Compared to the series produced by FIAT, the vehicles of this series were more delicate, especially the engines, which led to many problems in operation.
The second generation
The 1500 series
This second series of FIAT almost corresponded to the first; however, a more powerful engine (type 221H, 115 kW) has now been installed and the original gear shift has been replaced by a 4-speed “Wilson” shift, which was built by Breda under license from SGC.
The 1600 series
The 1600 series is almost identical to the 1500 series, only the gear shift has been replaced by a 5-gear shift from FIAT.
The 1999 series
This "series" - actually only two vehicles - was a test railcar to further develop the ALn 668. During the operation of the first series towards the end of the 1960s it became apparent that some technical details had to be reconsidered. Particular attention was paid to the bogies and the chassis - the so-called third generation of the FIAT bogies was developed from the bogies developed for these vehicles. These vehicles were powered by type 221HS (158 kW), a further development of the 221H engine.
The ALn 668 1999 was never officially registered with the FS, but was sold to Ferrovia Suzzara-Ferrara after the tests were completed - together with the second vehicle in this series . There they were designated as ALn 668 11 and ALn 668 12.
The 1700 series
The 1700 series, consisting of twenty vehicles, was built at the Breda plant in Pistoia . The new FIAT diesel engines 8217/12 (166 kW) were installed for the first time, which were then used in all subsequent variants of FIAT diesel railcars until the 1990s.
1800 series
In the 1800 series, the experience gained with the test vehicle in 1999 was directly used: the new bogies were used and a new, easier-to-maintain floor was installed.
The third generation
The 1900 and 1000 series
The most obvious peculiarity of the 1900 and 1000 series is the move away from the central entrance. Since the overall length of the vehicles was also increased, passenger comfort could also be increased. The improved engines allow a top speed of 130 km / h.
The 1200, 3000, 3100 and 3300 series
With the 1200 series, the FS returned to the central entrance, but kept the longer box of the 1900 series. Thanks to an enlarged boarding area, the boarding and alighting times could be shortened overall.
The 3100 series - over 100 units were built - can be used in triple control. The motors have an output of 170 kW. In the early days, these vehicles were often used on the Turin - Ventimiglia and Nice tenders .
The last series of the ALn 668, the series 3300, was built until 1981. It has a "mountain transmission" so that the top speed is limited to 120 km / h. They are mainly used on the Terni - L'Aquila line and on the lines around Sulmona , as some of these lines have steep gradients.
Control car
Two types of control cars were also built to match the Aln 668: First the Ln 664 for the ALn of the first series, and then the Ln 882.
Since the control cars are only approved for a top speed of 90 km / h, they are used less and less. Today they are mainly to be found in regional traffic around Milan.
The ALn 668 for the licensed railways
Numerous licensed railways have bought the ALn 668 model.
| ALn 668 for the licensed railways | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| society | Construction year | numbering | number | FS series | Remarks | image |
| FSF | 1959-1962 | ALn 668.05-10 | 6th | 1400 | ||
| SNFT | 1960 | At 68.111-114 | 4th | 2400 | ||
| SATTI | 1962 | D 1-10 | 10 | 1400 | ||
| SV | 1963 | ADn 601-602 | 2 | 1400 | ||
| FSF | 1968 | ALn 668.11-12 | 2 | - | 11 ex ALn 668.1999 FS | |
| FP | 1971 | ALn 668.1009 | 1 | 1800 | ||
| FTC | 1972 | M 001-007 | 7th | 1800 | ||
| SV | 1972 | ADn 603-604 | 2 | 1800 | ||
| FP | 1976-1977 | ALn 668.1010-1013 | 4th | 1900/1000 | ||
| FSE | 1978 | Ad 31-45 | 15th | 1900/1000 | ||
| FSF | 1978-1979 | ALn 668.013-018 | 6th | 3000 | ||
| SATTI | 1979-1980 | D 11-12 | 2 | 1200 | ||
| SV | 1979-1980 | ADn 605-610 | 6th | 1900/1000 |
|
|
| ACT | 1980 | ALn 2463-2466 | 4th | 3000 | ||
| SNFT | 1981 | ALn 668.121-122 | 2 | 1900/1000 |
|
|
| SV | 1981 | ADn 611-613 | 3 | 3000 | ||
| CTP | 1981-1982 | ALn 668.I.9-13 | 5 | 3000 | ||
| FP | 1983 | ALn 668.1014-1015 | 2 | 3000 | ||
| SNFT | 1983 | ALn 668.123-126 | 4th | 3100 | ||
Further developments
FS ALn 663
Technically speaking, the last series of the ALn 668 are the multiple units of the ALn 663 series. However, since these have five fewer seats, the name had to be changed due to the numbering scheme of the Italian state railways. For details on these vehicles cf. the main article FS ALn 663 .
FCU ALn 776
For the Ferrovia Centrale Umbra , the FCU ALn 776 railcar was developed from the ALn 668 and ALn 663 . Five vehicles of this further development are now also in use at Ferrovia Sangritana .
Yugoslavia: JŽ 813
In 1972 the ALn 668.1803 was on demonstration trips in Yugoslavia . For this purpose, the engine speed was temporarily increased to 147 kW in order to a. to meet the requirement of pulling a sidecar over ramps of 17 per thousand.
The successful completion of the test drives between Ljubljana , Maribor and Rijeka in 1973 led to the order for a batch of 48 railcars (JZ 813-001 to 048) and 45 control cars (JŽ 814-001 to 045), which were delivered to the regional railway administration in Ljubljana. The vehicles are largely identical to ALn 668.1800, apart from the paintwork and the engine output of 147 kW at 1,950 rpm and a maximum speed of 102 km / h. Twelve units were produced by FIAT Torino, the rest under license from TAM Maribor.
Most of these vehicles are still in use today by the Slovenian Railways . Part of the fleet went through a modernization program and is particularly recognizable by the different shape of the forehead and the enlarged driver's cabs.
SJ Y1
At the end of the 1970s, the ALn 668 was further developed into a vehicle adapted to Swedish conditions, the SJ Y1 series .
Historic vehicles and test vehicles
The ALn 668 1401 and 1452 were restored to their original condition with original paintwork by the FS Fabriano workshop . They are now part of the FS historic traction park.
With the ALn 668 1999, attempts were made at the end of the 1960s with the box inclination, as it was then used by the Pendolini .
The case of the ALn 668 1207 is made of stainless steel - this is an experiment that was then not implemented in series.
literature
- Wolfgang Messerschmidt: ALn 668 - Chronicle of a diesel traction vehicle concept that has been tried and tested for 25 years . In: Alfred B. Gottwaldt (ed.): Lok magazine . No. 119 . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, W. Keller & Co. , 1983, ISSN 0458-1822 , p. 122-130 .
Web links
- Treno Aln 668 (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stefano Garzaro, Angelo Nascimbene, FS-Italia. Automotrici ALn 668 e rimorchi, collana monograph ferroviarie n.13, Torino, Edizioni Elledi, 1983, ISBN 88-7649-014-0
- ↑ Vittorio Cervigni, Panoramica sulle ALn 668 , in: "i Treni" No. 129, September 1992, p. 26