Electric Locomotives - Italy: Books - History and Technology

Materiale di trazione elettrico

This book provides a detailed guide to electric locomotives used by Italian railways from 1927 to 2010. It is suitable for both experienced readers and beginners with a background in mechanics, electrical engineering, or electronics who wish to explore railway applications in depth.

It covers all direct-current locomotives for line and shunting operations, with analysis, operation details, and electrical diagrams from the E.626 to the E.403.

Topics include:

- Classification of electric locomotives
- Wheel arrangements and drive systems
- 78-pole analog shuttle control
- Notes on compound excitation and electric braking
- Chronology of electric locomotives
- Detailed coverage of models from E.625/E.626 to E.492
- Locomotives used for shunting operations

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La trazione elettrica nelle ferrovie italiane - Dagli accumulatori al trifase (1)

The late 19th and early 20th centuries marked a significant event in the history of Italian rail transport with the introduction of electric traction. Initially experimented with by the two main networks of the time, Adriatica and Mediterranea, three different systems were applied: accumulators, third rail, and three-phase current with overhead lines. The latter, developed on the Valtellina lines, quickly became the dominant system, extending across thousands of kilometers and recognized as the "Italian system."

This is the first of two volumes, dedicated to the history of electric locomotives, intentionally exclude the arrival of 3.000-volt DC traction. They follow the style and format of the successful Pegaso series on steam locomotives, offering a detailed historical account, supplemented with numerous facts and insights on various locomotive groups and individual machines, filling gaps and correcting previous inaccuracies.

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La trazione elettrica nelle ferrovie italiane - Dagli accumulatori al trifase (2)

This book concludes the history and development of three-phase electric traction in Italy, which led to the successful implementation of high-voltage electrification with an industrial frequency of 45 Hz. This system was developed under the design and direction of Kàlmàn von Kandò at the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company plant in Vado Ligure.
Following agreements with General Electric in the United States, Westinghouse sold all its European factories, and the Vado Ligure plant was transferred to Brown Boveri. In Italy, General Electric established the Compagnia Generale di Elettricità (C.G.E.), which forced the use of 3.000 V DC. Given the size and shape of the Italian peninsula, this type of electrification was, and still is, the least suitable option among all possible alternatives.

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