ETR 200 | |
---|---|
The original trainset of the World Record, now preserved as historical train, was re-numbered ETR 232 in the 1960s
|
|
In service | 1937–1993 (as ETR 220) |
Manufacturer | Società Italiana Ernesto Breda |
Refurbishment | 1960, transformation into ETR 220 |
Number built | 18 trainsets |
Formation | Three-car trainset |
Capacity | ETR 201-206: 35 1st class, 69 2nd class ETR 207-218: 100 1st class |
Operator(s) | Ferrovie dello Stato |
Specifications | |
Train length | 62.8 m (206 ft 1⁄2 in) |
Maximum speed | 160 km/h (100 mph) |
Weight | 116.8 t (115.0 long tons; 128.7 short tons) |
Power output | 1,050 kW (1,408 hp) |
Electric system(s) | 3000 V DC catenary |
Current collection method | Pantograph |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The ETR 200 (Italian: ElettroTreno Rapido 200; meaning Fast Electric Train, series 200) is an Italian electric multiple unit (EMU) introduced in 1936. On July 20, 1939 the ETR 212 obtained the world record average speed, between Bologna and Milan
In the 1930s, the Italian state railways, Ferrovie dello Stato, electrified the main line Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples and needed a fast train to use on it and on other newly electrified ones. The project was started in 1934, using new technologies for steel and aerodynamics. The innovative nose of the train was developed after studies in the wind tunnel at the Politecnico di Torino engineering university. The first example was built by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda, (now AnsaldoBreda), in 1936, with three cars on four bogies, two of which had a single T 62-R-100 motor while the others were provided with two similar motors each.
The train had been designed for speeds up to 175 km/h, but the first pantographs caused problems over 130 km/h (81 mph). The ETR 200 entered service in 1937 on the Bologna-Rome-Naples line. They were considered the most comfortable and fast trains in Europe, and Benito Mussolini had one sent to 1939 New York World's Fair. On December 6, 1937 the ETR 201 reached a top speed of 201 kilometres per hour (125 mph) on the Rome-Naples line (between the stations of Campoleone and Nettunia).