FS Class D.345

Ferrovie dello Stato

Company type	State-owned company
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1905 (1905)
Headquarters	Italy
Area served	Italy

Template:Infobox locomotive The Class D.345 diesel-electric locomotives, operated by the Ferrovie dello Stato in Italy, were introduced during the 1970s and continue to be active today.

History

Following the successful deployment of the FS Class D.343 series, the Italian state railway company, Ferrovie dello Stato, placed an order in 1970 for an additional 70 diesel locomotives featuring slight enhancements. The FIAT powerplant remained standard, whereas the Breda engine was discontinued in favor of a newly designed, more dependable cooling system. Production was carried out by FIAT, Ernesto Breda, and SOFER, with electrical components supplied by Magneti Marelli, TIBB, and Italtrafo. The final unit was delivered by 1979.

Description

The design of the D.345 closely resembles that of its predecessor, the D.343. However, it omits the baggage compartment found in the earlier model’s central section that houses the engine, generator, and cooling system—a space which had previously seen no utilization. Power is provided by a FIAT 218SSF V8 engine configured as two banks of four cylinders (4+4), equipped with direct fuel injection and delivering 1,350 horsepower at 1500 revolutions per minute.

The DC generator, manufactured by Tecnomasio Italiano Brown Boveri (TIBB), delivers an output of 750 kilowatts (1,010 hp). Each bogie is powered by an electric motor produced by Ansaldo.

Control systems incorporate electro-pneumatic relays and switches installed within a sizable compartment located in the front cab. The D.345 introduced a static regulation feature employing field weakening (shunting) for the traction motors, divided into five incremental stages that engage automatically—one per motor—when the throttle controller, designed like a steering wheel with thirteen settings, is positioned between notches ten and thirteen.

External links

• FS D345 at Trainspo