FS Class 290

Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane

Industry	Railway
Founded	July 1905 (1905-07)
Headquarters	Italy
Area served	Italy

The Class 290 steam locomotive of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS; Italian State Railways), originally known as the Class 350 bis under the Rete Adriatica, features a 0-6-0 wheel arrangement.

Design and construction

Derived from the earlier FS Class 270 model designed during the Rete Adriatica era, the Class 290 retained the same wheelbase but was equipped with a slightly larger boiler featuring a subtly tapered rear ring. Production continued after the establishment of FS, becoming one of its twelve standardized locomotive types and representing the final and most effective Italian 0-6-0 design.

Manufacturing took place between 1899 and 1913 through several Italian and international firms. The initial batch of thirty units came with a two-axle tender capable of holding approximately 3,400 kg (7,500 lb) of coal and 8,000 L (1,800 imp gal; 2,100 US gal) of water. Later models were outfitted with a three-axle tender, which gained widespread use across FS locomotives, notably behind the FS Class 625 and FS Class 640 II series.

Originally, the first 112 locomotives were designated as Class RA 350 bis, numbered from 3631 to 3742. Of these, fifty-two were absorbed by FS upon its inception in July 1905, while the remaining sixty were managed by the Strade Ferrate Meridionali (Southern Railways), a successor entity to Rete Adriatica, until it merged into FS in July 1906.

Service

This class was extensively utilized across the Italian railway system, with the earliest units assigned as helper locomotives on the challenging gradients near Fabriano and Sulmona.

While some of these engines were retired relatively early, a considerable number—up to 60—remained in operation following World War II. Their service ultimately concluded by the close of the 1950s.

Preservation

The final surviving locomotive of this series, numbered 290.319, has been preserved and is currently housed at the Pietrarsa railway museum.

References

• Cornolò, Giovanni (May 2014). "Locomotive a vapore". TuttoTreno (2).
• Kalla-Bishop, P.M. (1986). Italian state railways steam locomotives : together with low-voltage direct current and three-phase motive power. Abingdon: Tourret. ISBN 0905878035.