FS class E412
Encyclopedia
The E412 class is a batch of multi-role electric locomotive
s built for the mountain lines, particularly for the northern Italian
lines of the Brenner pass
. They are known as Brenner or Brennerlok locomotives. 28 units from both the groups have been acquired by Trenitalia
, as part of a process of unifying the rail networks between Italy
, Switzerland
, Austria
and Germany
. The locomotives are qualified for running on French
rails, too, making the E412s a potentially fit for service on most Europe
an lines except the high speed lines.
They were initially produced by Adtranz
(a consortium made up of ABB Trazione and AEG
), but now are built by the Canadian
company Bombardier
.
started an operational plan to organize an integrated rail system with the countries on Italy's northern border, following the European political-economic unification process. Austria and Germany used different railway electrification system
s, necessitating the use of a locomotive able to use a variety of electric systems: alternate and direct current, varying from 1,500 to 15,000 Volt
s.
The E412 class was to be used on the longest, steepest and hardest mountain-crossing line, connecting Verona Porta Nuova
and Brennero/Brenner, crowded with cargo and passenger trains and with different electrifications. Before the E412's were introduced, the route required three locomotive changes. The Italian railroad's goal was for trains to reach Germany without changing locomotives.
The contract was signed in 1993 with an Italian-German consortium, Adtranz
, headed by ABB Trazione and AEG
, based in Vado Ligure
. The first unit was delivered on 14 April 1997. It successfully passed its initial tests, showing excellent performance and strong reliability. The remaining 19 units in the first batch were delivered shortly after the completion of the test to the Italian railway administration. Another 8 (Polish class EU43) were ordered in 1996 but never bought by Polish railways (PKP
). Those locomotives were afterwards bought by the Italian company Rail Traction Company to serve on the same line and still have Polish EU43 designation.
In 1998 new trials were made to for service on Swiss
lines. These trials resulted in failure when the deal between Trenitalia
and the Logistics division of SBB
was scrapped.
In 2004 the class was certified as backup power for malfunctioning locomotives. In 2005 talks began to move the class of locomotives to the passenger division, swapping them with older E646 and E656 class locomotives used for passenger service (but better suited for cargo). These machines could have been removed from passenger trains, and refitted as E645/E655 by changing the transmission gears. Having 3 bogie
s instead of 2, these locomotives have better adhesion on steep grades and could be easily fitted with multiple traction control. However, those old machines have proven not very reliable, so they have been deemed not suited to the intense use on this line.
E412-001 was the first Italian locomotive to be built with the new unified color scheme "XMPR".
The Italian E464
class (for light commuter trains) is based on E412, sharing part of their components to reduce building costs and to simplify maintenance.
The E412 has four very powerful three-phase asynchronous traction motor
s, with an electronic digital traction system based on experience on the E632
s, E402
s and experimental E444
s. The device was modified to adapt it for use with the different voltages, featuring technical innovations such as the use of a primary multitension converter as a front-end inducer to the filter feeding current.
The 6 megawatt
of nominal power makes these the most powerful electric locomotives in Italy. They are 400 W more powerful than the previous record held by the E402B.
s are single-armed "Y" shaped, built by the German company Schunk
. The two pantographs are different, designed for use on two different electrification systems: one (WBL 85/15, on side B) for the 15 kV alternated, one (WBL 85/3 on side A) for the 3 kW / 1,5 kV continuous. The first can stand 3 kA
, the second only 0.8 kA.
The closed circuit, liquid cooled converters feed the triphase motors. Every converter gives energy to only one motor on every bogie, to reduce breakdown effects. Two more 450 V 60 Hz converters energize all the secondary devices, including a semiautomatic emergency fire extinguishing system.
Bogie
s are fixed to the chassis with Flexicoil suspension
units, a solution that removes the necessity of a central rotation point. A low traction bar and an auxiliary bar hold the weight: the traction motors are partly placed on these, connected with the Adtranz bogies.
Braking
on the bogies is made in two ways: mechanical and "energy recover
". The first is a common system with 8 self venting discs on the 4 axles, automatically regulated. The second one is an advanced electric system that uses the traction motors as generators, recovering some electricity and sending it back to the line. This is a particularly efficient system on mountain lines, and is currently gaining market shares on different locomotives. The brake has different presets, fitted to cargo trains or passenger trains.
There is a third mechanic "station brake", controlled by electrovalve regulated coils. An emergency system enables the driver to totally shut down the machine pressing two big red buttons on the console, cutting off electricity and engaging the brakes.
The chassis is in steel
beams with bent steel foils as coverings, except for the upper part in aluminium
and the front shields in composite plastics. The front of the two control cabs have two characterizing "masks", styled by the designers Roberto Segoni and Paolo Pizzoccheri Des.Tech.studio made by thermoforming technology. The chassis is solid and compact, well isolated and responding to the strict standards of comfort needed by the new work laws.
The E412 locomotives have a remote control system made with a UIC TCN-18 cable for use with pilot cars, or for multiple unit
operation (with a 78-wire cable). This could allow the locomotive's use with newer locomotives, but is now certified only for use with the E405. An E412 could serve as master (the locomotive controlled by a human operator), as slave (controlled in remote by another locomotive) or as router (joining a modern 78-wire control connection and an older 18-wire connection).
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s built for the mountain lines, particularly for the northern Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
lines of the Brenner pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
. They are known as Brenner or Brennerlok locomotives. 28 units from both the groups have been acquired by 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:...
, as part of a process of unifying the rail networks between Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The locomotives are qualified for running on French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rails, too, making the E412s a potentially fit for service on most Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an lines except the high speed lines.
They were initially produced by Adtranz
Adtranz
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....
(a consortium made up of ABB Trazione and AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
), but now are built by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
company Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
.
History
In the early 1990s, Ferrovie dello StatoFerrovie 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:...
started an operational plan to organize an integrated rail system with the countries on Italy's northern border, following the European political-economic unification process. Austria and Germany used different railway electrification system
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
s, necessitating the use of a locomotive able to use a variety of electric systems: alternate and direct current, varying from 1,500 to 15,000 Volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
s.
The E412 class was to be used on the longest, steepest and hardest mountain-crossing line, connecting Verona Porta Nuova
Verona Porta Nuova railway station
Verona Porta Nuova is the main railway station of the Italian city of Verona near the city centre in the square of Piazzale 25 Aprile. It was originally opened in 1852, but was substantially rebuilt between 1910 and 1922. It was rebuilt again between 1946 and 1949 after being largely destroyed by...
and Brennero/Brenner, crowded with cargo and passenger trains and with different electrifications. Before the E412's were introduced, the route required three locomotive changes. The Italian railroad's goal was for trains to reach Germany without changing locomotives.
The contract was signed in 1993 with an Italian-German consortium, Adtranz
Adtranz
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....
, headed by ABB Trazione and AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
, based in Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure
Vado Ligure, in antiquity Vado Sabatia, is a town and comune in the province of Savona, Liguria, in northern Italy.- Economy :Vado has a large industrial and commercial port....
. The first unit was delivered on 14 April 1997. It successfully passed its initial tests, showing excellent performance and strong reliability. The remaining 19 units in the first batch were delivered shortly after the completion of the test to the Italian railway administration. Another 8 (Polish class EU43) were ordered in 1996 but never bought by Polish railways (PKP
Polskie Koleje Panstwowe
is the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
). Those locomotives were afterwards bought by the Italian company Rail Traction Company to serve on the same line and still have Polish EU43 designation.
In 1998 new trials were made to for service on Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
lines. These trials resulted in failure when the deal between 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:...
and the Logistics division of SBB
SBB-CFF-FFS
Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
was scrapped.
In 2004 the class was certified as backup power for malfunctioning locomotives. In 2005 talks began to move the class of locomotives to the passenger division, swapping them with older E646 and E656 class locomotives used for passenger service (but better suited for cargo). These machines could have been removed from passenger trains, and refitted as E645/E655 by changing the transmission gears. Having 3 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 instead of 2, these locomotives have better adhesion on steep grades and could be easily fitted with multiple traction control. However, those old machines have proven not very reliable, so they have been deemed not suited to the intense use on this line.
E412-001 was the first Italian locomotive to be built with the new unified color scheme "XMPR".
The Italian E464
FS Class E464
The E464 is a class of Italian railways electric locomotives. They were introduced in the course of the 1990s for hauling light trains, especially for commuter service. They were acquired by FS Trenitalia to replace the old E424 and E646, dating from the 1940s and 1950s...
class (for light commuter trains) is based on E412, sharing part of their components to reduce building costs and to simplify maintenance.
Engine and transmission
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s, with an electronic digital traction system based on experience on the E632
FS Class E632
The FS E632 and E633 are two classes of Italian railways electric locomotives. They were introduced in the course of the 1980s.The locomotives are nicknamed Tigre .-History:...
s, E402
FS Class E402
E402A/B is a class of electric locomotives mainly used on high speed passenger trains by the Italian railway company FS Trenitalia.- History :...
s and experimental E444
FS 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:...
s. The device was modified to adapt it for use with the different voltages, featuring technical innovations such as the use of a primary multitension converter as a front-end inducer to the filter feeding current.
The 6 megawatt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
of nominal power makes these the most powerful electric locomotives in Italy. They are 400 W more powerful than the previous record held by the E402B.
Power supply
PantographPantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
s are single-armed "Y" shaped, built by the German company Schunk
SCHUNK
SCHUNK Intec, Inc. is a multinational manufacturing company, based principally in Germany and in the United States. The company operates worldwide in more than 50 countries with wholly owned subsidiaries, five manufacturing locations in Germany, USA and China, and distribution partners all over the...
. The two pantographs are different, designed for use on two different electrification systems: one (WBL 85/15, on side B) for the 15 kV alternated, one (WBL 85/3 on side A) for the 3 kW / 1,5 kV continuous. The first can stand 3 kA
Ampere
The ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...
, the second only 0.8 kA.
The closed circuit, liquid cooled converters feed the triphase motors. Every converter gives energy to only one motor on every bogie, to reduce breakdown effects. Two more 450 V 60 Hz converters energize all the secondary devices, including a semiautomatic emergency fire extinguishing system.
Running gear
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 are fixed to the chassis with Flexicoil suspension
Flexicoil suspension
Flexicoil suspension is a wear-resistant and maintenance-free suspension system, used in railway vehicles. It is a secondary suspension, installed between the body and the bogie of the locomotive, passenger car or wagon so fitted....
units, a solution that removes the necessity of a central rotation point. A low traction bar and an auxiliary bar hold the weight: the traction motors are partly placed on these, connected with the Adtranz bogies.
Braking
Brake (railway)
Brakes are used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration or to keep them standing when parked. While the basic principle is familiar from road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control multiple linked carriages and to be...
on the bogies is made in two ways: mechanical and "energy recover
Regenerative brake
A regenerative brake is an energy recovery mechanism which slows a vehicle or object down by converting its kinetic energy into another form, which can be either used immediately or stored until needed...
". The first is a common system with 8 self venting discs on the 4 axles, automatically regulated. The second one is an advanced electric system that uses the traction motors as generators, recovering some electricity and sending it back to the line. This is a particularly efficient system on mountain lines, and is currently gaining market shares on different locomotives. The brake has different presets, fitted to cargo trains or passenger trains.
There is a third mechanic "station brake", controlled by electrovalve regulated coils. An emergency system enables the driver to totally shut down the machine pressing two big red buttons on the console, cutting off electricity and engaging the brakes.
Chassis
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
beams with bent steel foils as coverings, except for the upper part in aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and the front shields in composite plastics. The front of the two control cabs have two characterizing "masks", styled by the designers Roberto Segoni and Paolo Pizzoccheri Des.Tech.studio made by thermoforming technology. The chassis is solid and compact, well isolated and responding to the strict standards of comfort needed by the new work laws.
Controls
The control console is made up of three different but similar parts, to follow Italian, Austrian and German laws. Movement controls are duplicated on both the left and right, and monitors for security systems of both Germany and Italy are present. Moreover, on the right side a third monitor is used for operation in Germany, where the main direction of travel on multiple track lines is the opposite from that of Italy. An on-board computer chooses the active controls, giving priority to one or another based on the electric frequency. The cabs are connected by a corridor, and have climate controls, while in the central body of the locomotive all the technical equipment that can be reached easily from the corridor are placed. The whole electric and electronic systems have a self-control system.The E412 locomotives have a remote control system made with a UIC TCN-18 cable for use with pilot cars, or for multiple unit
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
operation (with a 78-wire cable). This could allow the locomotive's use with newer locomotives, but is now certified only for use with the E405. An E412 could serve as master (the locomotive controlled by a human operator), as slave (controlled in remote by another locomotive) or as router (joining a modern 78-wire control connection and an older 18-wire connection).
Railway computer games
- The E412 appears in the computer games Railroad Tycoon 2 and Railroad Tycoon 3Railroad Tycoon 3Railroad Tycoon 3 is a computer game in the Railroad Tycoon series, released in 2003.-New features:The game interface is in full 3D, with free camera movement...
as "Brenner E412".
External links
- FS E412 @ Trainspo
- Photo gallery
- Technical data on EU43
- Decision for use in service by Trenitalia (PDF)