FS Class E632
Encyclopedia
The FS
E632 and E633 are two classes of Italian railways electric locomotive
s. They were introduced in the course of the 1980s.
The locomotives are nicknamed Tigre ("tiger").
test locomotive. They were designed to fulfill a requirement from the Ferrovie dello Stato
(or FS, then the quasi-monopolist of Italian railways) for a new locomotive to be used with medium-weight passenger trains and a similar one for cargo services on steep lines.
The first unit ran on October 11, 1979. After a troublesome program of tests with the first five prototypes, a first order for 90 engines (75 E633, the cargo version, and 15 E632) was issued. Regular services began in 1983 in northern Italy. Once the teething problems were solved, the class proved highly successful and reliable.
motors, mounted on single-engined bogie
s, each with two axles. Each motor is provided with a three-frequency chopper which takes place of the resistor network used on older Italian locomotives (rheostat). This allow the motors to run for an indefinite period of time without risks.
The two classes have different transmission gear: 36/64 for the E632, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h, and 29/64, with a maximum speed of only 130 km/h but a higher tractive effort.
Since the beginning, all units were provided with the standard 78-wire cable for coupling with driving passenger cars, useful in the formation of commuter push-pull trains. 40 E633s were also fitted with a 13-wire ZDS cable () in order to allow hauling with multiple units by only one engine crew, from the "master" locomotive.
The locomotives have, in addition to pneumatic brakes, a rheostatic braking system. The braking rheostat is placed on the roof, between the pantographs. Curiously, the air brake employs a mixed shoes-disc system (one shoe per wheel and one disc per axle), due to space issues about the motor placement; also, E632 have 10" brake cylinders, while E633 8".
The chopper regulation and the rheostatic braking allow the driver to set an automatic speed control; the locomotive will try to keep the set speed by electrically braking or by tractioning if needed. This group has been the first in Italy that allowed this.
locomotives for use with 25 kV ac lines in Sardinia
, which however were never mass built.
Class E652 is a type of locomotive derived from E633/2. They unite the acceleration and hauling capacities of E633 with the speed of E632 (160 km/h); externally they are almost identical to E632/3, but the electrical part is very different. The first unit was built in 1989, and have been the first Italian locomotive with electronic board diagnostics and relative screen on the driver's desk.
At this time, they are all assigned to the Global Logistic (Cargo) division of Trenitalia
, hauling freight trains, though sometimes can be seen hauling passenger trains (often long-range ones) on rescue services due to failures.
The B-B locomotive E620 of Ferrovie Nord Milano
(nicknamed Tigrotto) is a two-bogie version of the class.
FS
FS, fS, and fs may refer to:-Computing & technology:* Formula Student, a student engineering competition held annually in the UK* File Separator, a character in the C0 and C1 control codes* File server, a form of disk storage...
E632 and E633 are two classes of Italian railways electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s. They were introduced in the course of the 1980s.
The locomotives are nicknamed Tigre ("tiger").
History
The E632/E633 were the first Italian locomotives to be provided with electronic traction control system, on the basis of the experiments made with the E444.005FS Class E444
The FS E444 is a class of Italian railways electric locomotives. They were introduced in the course of the 1960 until 1975. Starting from 1995, all E444s were upgraded as E444R.The locomotives are nicknamed Tartaruga .-E444 standard:...
test locomotive. They were designed to fulfill a requirement from the Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
(or FS, then the quasi-monopolist of Italian railways) for a new locomotive to be used with medium-weight passenger trains and a similar one for cargo services on steep lines.
The first unit ran on October 11, 1979. After a troublesome program of tests with the first five prototypes, a first order for 90 engines (75 E633, the cargo version, and 15 E632) was issued. Regular services began in 1983 in northern Italy. Once the teething problems were solved, the class proved highly successful and reliable.
Technical details
Differently from many of the previous FS classes, the E632/633 carbody is not articulated. The power plant is made of three 1,635 kW FS T850 DCDirect current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
motors, mounted on single-engined bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s, each with two axles. Each motor is provided with a three-frequency chopper which takes place of the resistor network used on older Italian locomotives (rheostat). This allow the motors to run for an indefinite period of time without risks.
The two classes have different transmission gear: 36/64 for the E632, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h, and 29/64, with a maximum speed of only 130 km/h but a higher tractive effort.
Since the beginning, all units were provided with the standard 78-wire cable for coupling with driving passenger cars, useful in the formation of commuter push-pull trains. 40 E633s were also fitted with a 13-wire ZDS cable () in order to allow hauling with multiple units by only one engine crew, from the "master" locomotive.
The locomotives have, in addition to pneumatic brakes, a rheostatic braking system. The braking rheostat is placed on the roof, between the pantographs. Curiously, the air brake employs a mixed shoes-disc system (one shoe per wheel and one disc per axle), due to space issues about the motor placement; also, E632 have 10" brake cylinders, while E633 8".
The chopper regulation and the rheostatic braking allow the driver to set an automatic speed control; the locomotive will try to keep the set speed by electrically braking or by tractioning if needed. This group has been the first in Italy that allowed this.
Related development
The E632/633 was used as base for the development of the E491/E492FS Class E491/2
The FS class 491/2 were an Italian electric 25kV 50hz AC locomotives built during the 1980s by the TEAM consortium, formed by FIAT ferroviaria, Ansaldo and other companies...
locomotives for use with 25 kV ac lines in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, which however were never mass built.
Class E652 is a type of locomotive derived from E633/2. They unite the acceleration and hauling capacities of E633 with the speed of E632 (160 km/h); externally they are almost identical to E632/3, but the electrical part is very different. The first unit was built in 1989, and have been the first Italian locomotive with electronic board diagnostics and relative screen on the driver's desk.
At this time, they are all assigned to the Global Logistic (Cargo) division of Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
, hauling freight trains, though sometimes can be seen hauling passenger trains (often long-range ones) on rescue services due to failures.
The B-B locomotive E620 of Ferrovie Nord Milano
Ferrovie Nord Milano
450px|thumb|Map of the main branch of the FNM lines. FNM operates also the [[Brescia]]-[[Edolo]] railway in eastern [[Lombardy]], not shown in map.Ferrovie Nord Milano is an Italian public transport company: the second largest railway company in Italy. It operates primarily in the northern Italian...
(nicknamed Tigrotto) is a two-bogie version of the class.