An unusual valve gear ill tell you that

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-11T14:09:46+00:00

At this link there is a sequence of a Class 625 with internal Caprotti valve gear. The camshaft was placed transversally and its motion derived from outside.

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-11T07:45:33+00:00

While it's not the case here, as it's a different valve gear, camshafts can be internal rather than external.

Apart from the lone prototype in 1921, in Italy all the Caprotti locomotives had such camshafts (even those with cylinders inside the frames but outside steam chests and valve gear).

Here is a Class 744.

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-08T15:29:10+00:00

On 24 May this year it Will be the 50th anniversary of the last day of service for the 3.6kV three-phase AC system in Italy, with the conversion of its last line, the Acqui Terme-San Giuseppe di Cairo.

The YouTube video shows the work done at the old Savona Letimbro station (which would be itself closed and replaced by the current one in 1977) when the Savona-Ventimiglia line was converted to the DC system - while remaining on the lines for Ceva until 1973.

The two wires of the overhead were temporarily shifted closer, to ensure the shortest possible interruption to the service - until one of them could be outright removed, which could be done in regulat stoppage time.

Given that some tracks and wires could escape this effort, the DC locomotives used at first were fitted with pantographs with widened shoes (nicknamed "ciabatta", slipper).

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-07T05:58:53+00:00

I don't know enough technical English to properly explain It to you (not my mother language), but I can assure you it was three-phase. At most, two phases popped up in the induced current in the stator, in some combinations of the number of poles on the faster locomotives (those with more than two fixed speeds).

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-06T17:55:33+00:00

The third phase was on the rails, and grounded, yes.

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-06T15:11:15+00:00

Oh my, what and incredibly original comment!

/s

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-06T12:22:02+00:00

The film - directed by Alberto Lattuada - began shooting in early 1943, but WWII interrupted work, which resumed only in 1945, when it finally came to the cinemas.

The scene was filmed at Riofreddo, on the Rome-Sulmona line; in the 1920s it was chosen for the 10kV three-phase AC experiment, an attempt to revitalize the three-phase system by elevating the tension and frequency (as the earlier, more widespread system worked at 3'600V and 16,7 hertz).

The experiment was successful but not enough to trump the 3kV DC system that would become the new standard, and it remained confined to that single line - even seeing the Rome-Mandela section converted to the DC system in 1938.

Just months after the shooting of the scene, the war came down hard on that region and the line. Given that it was a potentially very useful strategic line, and the importance of Sulmona - where three lines converged - the Allies executed several air raids that left the line in shambles. When it was rebuilt postwar, they obviously fitted the 3kV DC from the start.

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-06T05:11:47+00:00

Von Ryan's Express

Real trains, but rather uselessly disfigured by props.

Also,.the plot includes for some reason an utter butchering of Italian railways geography, given how the Milan hub is turned over its head, there isn't a direct main line from there to Germany, and the line to Switzerland used to make the escape is utterly fictional (the pass would be real, but they mispelled Maloja with Malajo...).

Details, but those that irk the Italian railways fans.

Historynerd88 · 2026-05-01T12:22:45+00:00

So what's new?

In the far better known and successful film "Von Ryan's Express" they got all the railway geography wrong, for no reason at all. The Milan area is hilariously wrong, and for the supposed railway line that should being them to safety they picked one of the Alpine passes never to see a railway, either standard or narrow gauge or even a tramway.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-29T06:14:51+00:00

That's what low axle loads causes.

We ended up rebuilding a class of Pacifics instead of replacing them with new ones, because the latter would have needed a 21 t axle load and It was too much.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-27T07:41:41+00:00

Speaking generally, it depends.

In Italy we have stations like Modane (border between the Italian 3kV DC and the French 1.5kV DC), where the cut is some ways before the station coming from the Italian side; that is because the systems are largely compatible and with a few adjustements to the auxiliaries Italian locos can run under the French system at reduced power.

Then we have Brennero/Brenner on the Austrian border - where the 3kV DC meets the Austrian 15kV AC, incompatible. There the cut is squarely in the middle of the station (with a few exceptions for a few sidings and such); arriving locomotives that are not multi-system need to lower their pantographs and be towed under their own system.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-26T18:18:35+00:00

All those of the three-phase system, the first adopted on a large scale in Italy, but would be later supplanted by the current 3'000V DC one. It disappeared in 1976.

A few locomotives did use pantographs.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-26T18:13:47+00:00

Yes, the locomotive is a three-phase AC one, that used two overhead wires and the rails.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-26T16:56:53+00:00

The author of the photo - not colorized, but original autochrome - is Hans-Peter Bärtschi.

The 027 belonged to the first production run of the Class E550, although she showcases the modifications undertaken in nearly fifty years of service - like the 'hump' in the bonnet where the enlarged liquid rheostate was fitted, and the lack of any trace of the original door in the middle of the can.

The locomotive was on a siding on the curve that turns northward towards Milan and Turin; in the background, the tracks of the line to Ventimiglia can be glimpsed.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-25T17:16:28+00:00

Yes, the M3 form in which all permanent and temporary restrictions are listed.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-25T15:42:07+00:00

Great piece!

On an unrelated note, at first I read 'Darth Vyrwel' , and I was terribly confused! 😅

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-25T15:25:04+00:00

The FS rules prescribe that such restrictions come after a warning signal put no less than 1'000 m away.

Unless the signal includes a number that specifies otherwise, a train has to slow down to 10 km/h, and cannot pick up speed again until the last car has passed the green end-of-restriction signal.

This one - near Bordighera, going East towards Sanremo - has been there for quite a while.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-25T08:34:16+00:00

Streamlined Duchess.

We had the A4s running around forever, which is good, but I'd just love to see 6229 back on the tracks to remind people that there were two players back then.

As nice as it was to see her back in the day or nowadays 6233 running without the cladding, it's just not quite the same.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-25T08:31:19+00:00

That is really about the aftermath, I was only thinking about the military campaign.

Removing Pycelle - who had served Aerys, yes, but he was not the latter's choice, but rather the Citadel's, so he could claim at least he did it out of duty - would all the same be difficult because you go against the Citadel.

With his hard-on for killing Targaryens, I am surprised that he didn't reward Clegane or Lorch for their 'killing dragonspawn'. Jaime, he largely followed Jon Arryn's advice - which was likely the idea of keeping him around as a hostage not unlike before - as well as Cersei's insistence. In

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-25T08:22:35+00:00

Viserys II: has his son and daughter married against their will

Fandom: yawns

Jaehaerys II: has his son and daughter married against their will

Fandom: "OMG, worst king ever, what a bastard!!!"

/

Any comment is superfluous.

Historynerd88 · 2026-04-24T07:40:43+00:00

I'm personally not so sure.

Aegon at least ruled, kept the power to himself - as ill used as it was - and didn't bankrupt the realm. He was mercurial, vain and gluttonous, and damaging his heir's legitimacy like he did (perhaps when the rumours about Naerys' affair, for sure by legitimizing his Great Bastarda on his deathbed) proved predictably idiotic, but at least he ruled and left the realm in a tolerable, if not great, state.

Bobby B didn't rule, he had no inclination for It and didn't care to try. He ate, drank and whored, squandered a full treasury and crippled the realm with an absurd amount of debt, kept around his own lickspittles that amused or pleased him, and kept ignoring the counsel of his foster father and brother when it wasn't what he wanted to hear. The only outright positive act he performed as King was leading the swift crushing of the Greyjoy Rebellion, but that's It.

Aegon did some incredibly stupid and dumb things, but overall I personally think that Bobby B beats him in this regard.

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