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!