The FS Class D.345 is a class of

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

used in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, introduced in the 1970s and still in service.

History

After the positive experience with class D.343, in 1970, Italian state railways,

Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...

, ordered further 70 diesel locomotives with some minor improvements. The FIAT engine was confirmed, while the Breda-engine was to be abandoned and a new, more reliable cooling system was fitted. The locomotives were manufactured by FIAT, Breda and SOFER, with electrical equipment provided by

Magneti Marelli Magneti Marelli S.p.A. () is an Italian developer and manufacturer of components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufacturing plants, 12 R&D centres, and 26 application centers in 19 c ...

, TIBB and Italtrafo. The last unit was delivered in 1979.

Description

The D.345's structure is very similar to that of D.343. The central compartment, housing the engine, the generator and the cooling system, is missing the baggage room, which had been never used in the previous class. The engine is a 4+4 V cylinder FIAT 218SSF with direct fuel injection, with a power output of 1,350 HP at 1500 rpm. The electric generator is a DC one produced by

Tecnomasio Italiano Brown Boveri Tecnomasio was an Italian scientific and precision instrument company founded in the 1860s. By the beginning of the 20th century the company has begun to produce electrical equipment. After financial problems in the early 1900s the company was acq ...

(TIBB), with a power of . The electric motors, one for each bogie, were produced by Ansaldo. The command circuit includes electro-pneumatic switches and relays, located in a large cabin in the front cab. D345 also introduced a static regulation with field-weakening (shunting) of the traction motors, which is divided in five levels that are automatically inserted (one at a time on each motor) when the throttle controller (which looks like a steering wheel and has 13 positions) is in any notch between 10 and 13.

References

External links

FS D345 @ Trainspo
* {{FS locos D.343 Bo′Bo′ locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1970 Gio. Ansaldo & C. locomotives Breda locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of Italy