FS Class ALe 803
The ALe 803 are a serie of EMUs built in the 1960s for the Italian state railways FS, and now used by the railway company Trenitalia.
| ALe 803 | |
|---|---|
 ALe 803 in the original livery | |
 ALe 803 in the XMPR-livery | |
| Manufacturer | Savigliano, Stanga, Aerfer, Ocren |
| Constructed | 1961–1963, 1972–1973 |
| Number built | 53 trainsets |
| Fleet numbers | ALe 803.001–053 Le 803.101–161 Le 803.001–053 |
| Capacity | every car 80 seats |
| Operator(s) | Trenitalia |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 75,430 mm (247 ft 5 5⁄8 in) (1. serie) 75,060 mm (246 ft 3 1⁄8 in) (2. serie) 75,430 mm (247 ft 5 5⁄8 in) (3. serie, 3 cars) 100,200 mm (328 ft 8 7⁄8 in) (3. serie, 4 cars) |
| Width | 2,900 mm (110 in) |
| Height | 3,815 mm (150.2 in) |
| Wheel diameter | 1,020 mm (40 in) |
| Maximum speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) |
| Traction system | electric |
| Electric system(s) | 3 kV DC, overhead line |
| Current collection method | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | Bo′Bo′ (ALe 803) 2′2′ (Le 803) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Description
Each trainset is composed by 3 or 4 cars: a railcar (ALe 803), 1 or 2 wagons (Le 803.100), and a control car (Le 803.000).
The numbers are ALe 803.001–053 for the railcars, Le 803.101–161 for the wagons, and Le 803.001–053 for the control cars.
History
The ALe 803 were conceived at the end of the 1950s to resolve the increasing problems of commuting around the bigger cities of Italy.
They were projected together with the luxury railcars ALe 601, with a similar structure and shared components.
In 1959 the Ferrovie dello Stato ordered a first series of 20 trainsets, and a second series of 15 trainsets specifically conceived for the Naples metropolitan railway, with fewer seats and harsher interiors. Each set was made of three distinct cars - railcar, wagon and control car.
Those series were delivered from 1961 to 1963; the first series was assigned in Rome, and from 1964 in Genoa for the urban railway service.
The FS were satisfied with those trains, so ten years later they decided to order a third series of 18 trainsets, 10 made of 3 cars and 8 made of 4 cars (with two intermediate wagons). This series was delivered in 1972–1973.
Since the end of the 1970s the ALe 803 were substituted by the newer EMUs of ALe 801/940 and ALe 724. In 2009 only 15 trainsets were still in use. The service finished in 2015 with the train ale 803-033.
Derived units
The EN 300 railcars of SEPSA, built in 1977, were strictly derived from the ALe 803.[1]
References
- Le napoletane... In: ″I Treni″ Nr. 320 (November 2009), p. 19.
Bibliography
- Giovanni Cornolò: Automotrici elettriche dalle origini al 1983. Duegi Editrice, 2011 (reprint of 1985). P. 235–249.
- Attilio Di Iorio: ALe 803 per i pendolari. In: ″I Treni″ Nr. 319 & 320 (October & November 2009), p. 27–31 & 14–19.
External links
