FS Class E.430

E.430
E.430.1 preserved at theMuseo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinciin Milan
Type and origin Power type Electric Builder Ganz Works Build date 1901 Total produced 2
Specifications Configuration: ​ •UIC Bo+Bo Gauge 1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in) Wheel diameter 1,500 mm (59 in) Wheelbase 4,630 mm (182 in) ​ • Axle spacing (Asymmetrical) 2,000 mm (79 in) Length: ​ • Over couplers 10,300 mm (410 in) Power supply 3,000 V three-phase 15-16.7 Hz AC Current pickup(s) 2×bow collectors Traction motors 4× 150 hp (110 kW) Transmission direct
Career Operators Ferrovia della Valtellina Numbers 34.1, 34.2 0341, 0342 E.430.1, E.430.2 First run 1902 Preserved 1

TheFS Class E.430locomotives, initially classed as RA 34, werethree-phase alternating currentelectric locomotivesof the Italian railways. They were built forFerrovia della ValtellinabyGanzandMÁVAGin 1901 and had a power output of 440 kW (about 600metric horsepower) and a haulage capacity of 300 tons. One locomotive is preserved.

History

Early Type of Valtellina Three-Phase Gearless Locomotive, 1907

Class E.430 is the first example, worldwide, of an electric locomotive powered by three-phase current. It was built forRete Adriatica(the Adriatic Network), which at that time operated theFerrovia della Valtellina,byGanz Works,for the electrical part, and by the Royal Hungarian State Machine Factory (MÁVAG), for the mechanical part. These were, at the time, the most advanced factories in the world in the electric railway sector. The locomotives were numbered 34.1 and 34.2 under the management of the Adriatic Network. Acquired in 1905 by theFerrovie dello Stato,the numbering changed to 0341-0342 and in 1914 they were re-numbered E.430.1 and E.430.2.

Since the Valtellina lines were the first in Italy to use three-phase electric power for the haulage of trains, the E.430 was used from the beginning. The Adriatic Network had commissioned the entire electrification project from the Ganz company in Budapest. The equipment was built under the supervision ofKálmán Kandó,one of the pioneers of three-phase traction in Italy. The electrification work began in 1897, with the establishment of a government commission to experiment with different electrification systems: one withaccumulators(Bologna- San Felice andMilan-Monzalines), one withdirect currentat 650 V from athird rail(Milan -Varese), and finally the three-phase system on the Valtellina line.

The tests of the electric power lines at 3,000 - 3,300 Volt, at frequency 15 - 16.7 Hz, powered by the Campovicohydroelectric plantwere carried out between 26 July 1902 and 4 September 1902, while tests on theLecco-Colico-Chiavennaand Colico -Sondriolines officially began on 15 October 1902. The passenger service was entrusted to a fleet of 10 electricrailcarsbelonging to Class RA 32, while the freight was entrusted to the two locomotives of Class RA 34 numbered 34.1 and 34.2 (later E.430 FS).

Engineering cross section

Theelectric locomotives,built by Ganz and Mavag in 1901 and with a power of 440 kW and a haulage capacity of 300 tons, easily out-performed thesteam locomotivesof the time. The electric railcars, on the other hand, proved insufficient for hauling passenger trains and, subsequently de-motored, they were transformed into passenger coaches of Class RBz.

From 1928 the locomotives were removed from the Valtellina line and transferred to the stations atBolzanoandFortezzawhere, from 1929, they were used asshunting locomotivesto assemble trains of wagons in transit towards theBrenner Pass.

Technical details

The design of the locomotive was unusual. It comprised two half-locomotives coupled back-to-back with a bellows joint in the middle of the cab. This gave the wheel arrangement ofBo+Bo,rather than the more commonBo-Bobogiesystem in later years. Front and rear visibility was ensured by three glass panels and there were four more on each side. Windshield wipers and washers were not provided. Each half-locomotive had two axles withleaf springs.

The four 150-horsepowertraction motorswere mounted coaxially on the axles, with a bellcrank linkage to the wheels, similar to that also used for the Valtellina electric railcars. The wheels and motors were covered by slopingbonnets,each equipped with four doors to allow maintenance. Current collection was by twobow collectors,controlled by groups of four cylindrical springs each.

Brief history of the Valtellina lines

• Colico-Sondrio:inaugurated 16 June 1885, electrified 1901-1902
• Colico -Chiavenna:inaugurated 9 September 1886, electrified 1901-1902
• Lecco-Bellano:inaugurated 1 July 1892, electrified 1901-1902
• Bellano - Colico: inaugurated 1 August 1894, electrified 1901-1902
• Sondrio -Tirano:inaugurated 29 June 1902, electrified afterWorld War I

Preservation

E.430.001 is in theMuseo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinciin Milan. This is the unit once in service at Fortezza station. It is displayed in its later condition with modified current collectors and three large headlights.

See also

• RA 361–363the 1904 locomotives of the Valtellina line

References

• Parshall, H. F.; Hobart, H. M. (1907).Electric Railway Engineering.London: Archibald Constable. pp. 326–329.OL23297005M.

Further reading

• Giovanni Cornolò, Locomotive elettriche FS, Parma, Ermanno Albertelli Editore, 1983, pp. 48–51.
• Michele Mìngari, Gian Franco Ferro, Franco Dell'Amico, Viaggio in trifase. 75 anni di corrente alternata FS, Milano, ACME, 2009, pp.ISBN978-88-96759-07-3