FS ETR 401
| FS ETR 400 | |
|---|---|
 ETR 401 in the original paint scheme
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| Numbering: | ETR 401 |
| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | Fiat Ferroviaria Savigliano SpA |
| Year of construction (s): | 1976 |
| Retirement: | after 2000 |
| Axis formula : | (1A) (A1) (four parts) |
| Genre : | Multiple unit train |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over coupling: | 105,900 mm |
| Trunnion Distance: | 4 × 18,900 mm |
| Empty mass: | 136 t |
| Service mass: | 173 t |
| Friction mass: | 80.5 t |
| Wheel set mass : | 10.5 t |
| Top speed: | 250 km / h |
| Hourly output : | 2000 kW |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 890 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 890 mm |
| Power system : | 3 kV = |
| Number of traction motors: | 8th |
| Brake: | Dynamic brake , magnetic brake , electro-pneumatic brake |
| Seats: | 170 (1st class) |
The ETR 401 (from Italian E lettro T reno R apido ) is a four-part multiple unit produced by Fiat Ferroviaria for the Italian state railway Ferrovie dello Stato . It was designed as a test train for testing active tilting technology , represents the world's first scheduled tilting train and is considered to be the founder of the Pendolino multiple unit family .
history
In the second half of the 1960s, Italy was looking for ways to increase the maximum speed that could be achieved in operation without having to make large investments in the existing infrastructure. To demonstrate the efficiency of the car body tilting devices, Fiat constructed a test train at its own expense and made it available to the FS. These designated the type as ETR 400 and classified the test train as ETR 401. The implementation of test drives showed that the use of tilting technology could increase the permissible speed on winding road sections by up to 35% without additional loads on the superstructure.
After various measurement runs, it was used in regular passenger traffic. The 298-kilometer route from Rome to Ancona was selected , which crossed the Apennines in tight bends . Although the train could only reach its maximum speed over a short section, the maximum possible reduction in travel time was 45 minutes; However, in order to prevent delays that could occur due to technical problems that may arise, these have not been fully incorporated into the timetable. Despite numerous concerns on the part of experts, the concept of the train proved its worth, even if it took until 1984 before a series order was placed, which was designated as the ETR 450 .
Since the ETR 401 was designed as a test train, it only had four cars, with electrical equipment taking up space in the two end cars. With the commissioning of the ETR 450, which with eight parts had twice the capacity of the ETR 401, the planned use of the prototype ended. Now that the railway directorates of other countries became aware of the tilting technology, test and measurement runs with the ETR 401 took place abroad. The multiple unit also made it to Germany, where in 1987 test runs were carried out on the winding Moselle route Koblenz - Trier - Dillingen . In 1989, further test drives and presentations of tilting technology were carried out , including in Stuttgart Hbf . The ETR 401 was pushed by locomotives on routes that, contrary to the Italian electricity system , had been electrified with alternating current instead of direct current .
As a replacement for units that were not available at short notice, the ETR 401 was still in service until the year 2000, for which the FS was repainted with a newer design. Since then, the railcar has been parked in the Ancona station area; its further use is uncertain.
technology
The tilting technology enables the ETR 401 to drive through curves with a tilt angle of up to 9 °. The mass displacement achieved in this way reduces centrifugal forces and loads on the superstructure and enables higher speeds. The inclination devices are controlled by various types of acceleration sensors . In order to keep the effort required to incline the car body as low as possible, the train was made of aluminum with a consequent lightweight construction , which resulted in a low axle load of 10.5 t. In order not to exceed the limits of the clearance profile in spite of the maximum inclination , the car body tapers towards its upper and lower end. The pantographs , which require contact with the overhead line even when the train is inclined , are mounted on scaffolding directly on the bogies and are therefore not affected by the tilting technology.
In order to be able to extend the top speed of 250 km / h on old roads, an effective braking system was essential. In addition to resistance brakes and electropneumatic brakes , the ETR 401 has magnetic rail brakes that act independently of the friction between wheel and rail and enable safe rapid braking .
RENFE series 443
The Spanish railway company RENFE wanted to modernize high-speed traffic in Spain in the 1970s. For this purpose, the Innovation Department was set up, which dealt with the construction of the high-speed line Madrid – Barcelona and the acquisition of trains with tilting technology. The ETR 401, built in Italy, therefore met with interest in Spain. While the planning for the high-speed line was stopped again, the RENFE ordered a train derived from the ETR 401 with the designation 443 001, which was delivered in 1976. Technically, the 443 series differed from the ETR 401. The chassis was adapted for the broad gauge with a track width of 1,668 mm, the output was reduced to 1,700 kW and the maximum speed was limited to 180 km / h in regular operation. The train was also about two meters longer and had a significantly higher maximum axle load of 15 t. While the ETR 401 only had the first car class, the 443 series had both car classes with 51 seats in the first and 116 seats in the second class. The Spanish train control system ASFA, which was new when the train was delivered and is still in use today, was also installed. In addition, the train could be divided into two independent, equivalent halves, each with a driver's cab .
The class 443 was officially called Electrotrén basculante (German: "tilting technology railcar"), but was quickly given the nickname El Platanito (German: "small banana") due to its yellow paintwork . Numerous test drives were carried out up to 1979; Nevertheless, RENFE decided not to place an order in series, but instead ordered articulated trains of the Talgo Pendular type from Patentes Talgo . These trains had passive tilt technology with a smaller angle of inclination, but were of a simpler design and could be manufactured more cheaply. Ten class 490 tilting trains were procured solely for the express service between Madrid and Valencia , and they ran as scheduled from February 1999.
The 443 001 was in scheduled service from October 1979 to 1982 , first between Madrid and Albacete , then between Madrid and Jaén . After further test drives and a general inspection at CAF in Saragossa , the 443 001 was used between 1986 and 1987 from Madrid to Ávila and Sigüenza . In May 1987 he reached a speed of 206 km / h in high-speed tests between Madrid and Alicante . Plans to use the multiple unit in regional traffic were not pursued, so it was parked and has been in the possession of railway enthusiasts since 1994. Today the multiple unit is parked in Castejon de Ebro in Navarre .
literature
- Brian Hollingsworth, Arthur F. Cook: Das Handbuch der Lokomotiven , Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-86047-138-4 , p. 398f.
- Thomas Estler: Fast trains worldwide , transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-71276-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Klaus Ecker, Torsten Berndt: 1000 Locomotives: History - Classics - Technology , Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-625-10541-1 , p. 223.
- ↑ a b c d e f Brian Hollingsworth, Arthur F. Cook: Das Handbuch der Lokomotiven , Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-86047-138-4 , p. 398f.
- ↑ Message Faster into the curve . In: The Federal Railroad . 1988, No. 9, p. 474 f.
- ^ A b Thomas Estler: Fast trains worldwide. transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-71276-8 , p. 45.
- ↑ Image gallery for the ETR 401 on railfaneurope.net , accessed on June 21, 2013.
- ↑ a b Thomas Estler: Fast trains worldwide , transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-71276-8 , pp. 86-88.