The FS Class E.491 and E.492 were an

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 ...

electric 25 kV 50 Hz AC locomotives built during the 1980s by the ''TEAM'' (Trazione Electrica Alternata Monofase) consortium, formed by FIAT ferroviaria, Ansaldo and other companies. The lines of the locomotive were designed by Italian designer

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...

. Group E.491 was designed to be used on freight trains (max speed ) while E.492 was designed for fast passenger trains (max speed ).

Intended use

They were intended to be used on the rail lines of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, at the time subject of future electrification. The project was later abandoned, but a lot of units had already been ordered and built, and since the

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superfici ...

on the mainland is mostly 3 kV DC (except for high speed lines), and the locomotive was only able to run on 25 kV AC, the group never entered into active service.

Disposal

FS have tried to sell them to foreign railways (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

), but never succeeded. In 2008, the whole batch of 25 locomotives were sold to Fruilexport, a company established in

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...

(Serbia). It seems thenceforth likely that they will be used on the Serbian 25 kV network.

References

External links

Photo gallery of the group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fs Class E.491 2 E.491 Bo′Bo′ locomotives 25 kV AC locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1986 Gio. Ansaldo & C. locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of Italy Passenger locomotives Bo′Bo′ electric locomotives of Europe