FS Class D.445
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The Class D.445 is a class of
diesel 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 whee ...
s used by the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) railway company and by
Trenord Trenord is a railway company which is responsible for the operation of regional passenger trains in Lombardy. The company was established by the two main railway companies in Lombardy, Trenitalia and Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM), to manage train oper ...
. 150 units were built between 1974 and 1988, divided into three series.


History

The D.445 represented an evolution of the
FS Class D.443 The FS Class D.443 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive used in Italy, introduced in the late 1960s and still in service. History D.443 was ordered by the Italian state railways, Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ...
locomotive, maintaining the predecessor's reliability and operational capabilities. At the beginning of the 1970s FS, during a plan aimed at the expansion and modernization of current service, designed a new version of an unified diesel locomotive which could also resolve the issue of supplying power to heat carriages in an efficient way through a high voltage 2,800 V
head end power In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, p ...
supply (REC) fed by a secondary generator. Previous diesel locomotives were not provided with this and so required the use of a generator wagon (''Carro Riscaldo''), leading to increased weight. The first series of locomotives, introduced from 1974, were built with curved front windscreens which would be later replaced by cheaper and sturdier flat ones. In 1979 a second series was ordered, fitted with the Italian standard 78 wire control equipment for use with driving carriages. At the end of the 1980s the whole group consisted of 150 units which allowed the retirement of the then old D.341 and D.342 locomotives.


Description

The locomotive follows the general unified characteristics of other engines about the chassis and mechanical design. The biggest differences are inside the electrical part: the two MTSC 039/19 DC motors (permanently in parallel) are fed by a three-phase AC generator (in place of a DC one as previous locomotives) through a Graetz Bridge. A high tension secondary DC generator provides a /2750 V output, able to supply enough power for 7/10 coaches depending on the type of climatising equipment installed. The prime mover is a diesel engine is produced by
FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
, type A210-12 supercharged with 12 90° “V” cylinders with a displacement of that produces at 1500
rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
. The engine is cooled by a forced circulation of cooling fluid through
radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...
s with two hydraulically driven fans. The
alternator An alternator is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field with a stationary armature.Go ...
is controlled by an electronic PWM control unit which is commanded by a 13 step regulator. The bogies are a monomotor design with a 'dancing ring' coupling, giving a
B′B′ B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications in ...
wheel arrangement. They are suspended by a
flexicoil Flexicoil suspension is a type of secondary suspension for railway vehicles, typically having steel coil springs between the bogie trucks and chassis/frame of a passenger coach, goods freight wagon, or locomotive. Suspension systems using ste ...
arrangement, with additional traction rods.


Technical details

1st series units originally had curved windscreens, replaced in the 1980s by flat glas, later used on 2nd and 3rd series units. Their maximum allowed speed is . Like most FS stock, some D.445 have received the XMPR color scheme (white, green, blue).


1st series

The first series consists of 35 units (Numbered from 1001 to 1035), in green-over-Isabella brown livery. Equipped with three headlights, weren't provided with remote command system, applied starting from October 1996. They still had curved frontal glass panes.


2nd series

The second series has 20 units (Numbered from 1036 to 1055), in the ''Navetta'' orange/purple livery used by push-pull trains. The main difference between 1st and 2nd series units was the addition of remote control equipment for use with control cars.


3rd series

The third series has 95 units (Numbered from 1056 to 1150), in the same push-pull livery as the 2nd series. These units have five lights on each cab (three headlights and two red tail lights). Like 2nd series, they can be controlled by a control carriage.


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fs Class D.445 D.445 Railway locomotives introduced in 1974 Standard gauge locomotives of Italy B′B′ locomotives Mixed traffic locomotives