FS Class 650
| Industry | Rail transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 |
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Railway locomotives and rolling stock |
The Class 650 steam locomotives of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS; Italian State Railways), initially numbered SFAI 1181-1200 and later classified as Rete Mediterranea Class 300, also known by the name "Vittorio Emanuele II," were the pioneering continental European engines to feature the 4-6-0 'Ten-Wheeler' wheel configuration.
Design and construction
Cesare Frescot conceived the Class 650 locomotives in anticipation of the opening of the new relief line on the Giovi railway in 1889, which was designed to complement the original route from the 1850s by offering a gentler gradient—reducing the maximum incline from 3.5% to 1.6%.
Earlier express locomotives utilized a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement; however, Frescot incorporated an additional driving axle to enhance traction capacity without surpassing axle load restrictions. Departing from the SFAI's typical use of the Belpaire firebox, he opted for a round-top firebox design, which subsequently became standard practice in Italian locomotive engineering. The initial models operated at a boiler pressure of 10 kilograms per square centimetre (140 psi), while later units were built to withstand a higher pressure of 11 kilograms per square centimetre (160 psi); additionally, three units were equipped with extended boilers featuring combustion chambers. To minimize overall length, the leading bogie was designed with a short wheelbase.
Construction began in 1884 with a single locomotive produced at SFAI's Turin workshop. The remaining fifty-four machines were manufactured between 1887 and 1896 by three different builders: thirty-six by Ansaldo, thirteen by Maffei, and five by Officine Miani & Silvestri.
Service and alterations
Only the initial locomotive received a running number from the Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia and was uniquely named "Vittorio Emanuele II" in tribute to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. This occurred because the handover from SFAI to the Rete Mediterranea was underway as the locomotive was completed.
The Class 650 demonstrated notable performance, capable of hauling 130 tons at a velocity of 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph) on the newly constructed Giovi railway. Nevertheless, as train weights steadily increased, these locomotives were progressively supplanted by models with greater power. By the 1920s, all Class 650 engines had been retired, with none preserved for posterity.
During the FS era, certain locomotives from this class underwent reconstruction featuring boilers from the FS Class 656.
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 Publishing. ISBN 0905878035.
- Hollingsworth, Brian; Cook, Arthur (2003). The great book of trains : featuring 310 locomotives shown in more than 160 full-colour illustrations and 500 photographs. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 0861019199.