Italian Steam

Italian Steam – a modellers’ perspective Jim Ford Southport and District Model Railway Club 18th October 2011

Today’s talk • Why model steam era Italian railways?

• A bit about Italy and Italian railways • An overview of Italian locomotive development • Locomotive policy of the Ferrovia del Stato • Translating Italian Steam into model railways

Why model steam era Italian railways?

• • • • • • • •

1970s Visit to Italy with Auntie Marie Dissatisfaction with primitive UK items Clochmerle Don Camillo Nick Woods San Nazario Tavola

A bit about Italy and Italian railways • What do these countries have in common?

– Italy, Greece, Germany, Estonia and Norway

• When was the last new Italian steam loco built - 1927, 1937, 1947 or 1957?

• What 4 letters sum up Italian steam design?

• What happened in 1905?

• What was the immediate consequence?

Northern Italy

Central Italy

Southern Italy

Italian locomotive development • • • •

Early imported products - UK, US builders 1850s – Medoc (2-4-0) and Borbonese (0-6-0) 1870s – early domestic designs, Turin etc 1905 – 12 standard classes – Common components – Compounding – Superheating – Caprotti, Crosti and Franco-Crosti

Early imports

Early Domestic designs - FNM 200

FNM 200 by Hornby Rivarossi • Chinese • 3.8 mm/foot • Spectacular coaches like WHR

FNM 270 • • • •

FNM Milan Late 19th C Personal favourite

Modelling Italian Steam in the 60s • Good range of locos produced until the early 1980s by Rivarossi and others • Good stock too, but preserved in aspic as:• But 3.8mm scale therefore not compatible with modern Chinese Hornby-Rivarossi • Excellent runners, but bulky motors • Representative of standard classes

835 prototype • • • •

1905 standard Florentine widespread Counter pressure brake • 1960s converted to diesel

835

835 R/R model • Fairly basic • Lacks detail • But compare it with Triang Jinty!

851 • 1898 • Adriatic • Mountain lines, but • Later used for shunting • 6 plinthed

851

851 R/R model • Later model • Superdetailed • Excellent runner

685 Walschaerts • 1912-27 • Simple 4 • 390 built • 685.410 trialled with turbine ’34 • w/d 1980

685 Walschaerts

685 Walschaerts

685 Walschaerts Acquired from Alan Needham Fleishmann model - Chunky/clunky But still 3.8mm scale……

685 Caprotti • Originally class 686 • 1924-34

685 Caprotti • More recent Rivarossi product but still 30 years old • Acquired Southport show

740 • • • •

1918-23 470 built 2-cyl simple 80 still in use in 1980

740

740 Rivarossi • Merseyside show 2 years ago • Trenhobby kit – wired the wrong way round!

940 • 1921-25 • Superheated • Tank version of 740 • 25 left in 1980

940

940

625 • 1910-22 • Simple • Outside Walschaert’s and inside cylinders

625

625 • Nice model but still quite basic

623 Franco-Crosti • 1952-54 rebuilds of 625 • 25% savings • 10 were Caprotti • 1970 scrapped

623 Latest and best of the old Rivarossi - 1980s

691 • 1911-18 • 1928-34 Rebuilt

• 1958 w/d due to electrification

• 691.022 preserved static

691class

Rivarossi 691

• Top of the range • Obtained at Southport Show

Not available in 3.8 mm • • • •

640 741 743 623

Imports

• 8Fs • Dean Goods • America n • Austrian

Thanks for listening!

A fond farewell from sunny and snowy Italy!