FS Class 396 explained

VE 37-42
from 1865 SFAI 703-708
from 1869 SFAI 767-772
from 1885 RM 3942-3947
from 1905 FS Class 396
Powertype:Steam
Builder:Cail
Builddate:1860
Totalproduction:6
Whytetype:0-6-0
Driverdiameter:1.49m (04.89feet)
Length:13.4m (44feet)
Locoweight:30t
Fueltype:Coal
Boilerpressure:7bar
Cylindercount:2 inside
Valvegear:Stephenson
Maxspeed:50km/h

FS Class 396 was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives originally built for the Victor Emmanuel Railway (VE). They were designed for hauling passenger trains and were nicknamed "Mammoth".

History

VE ordered six locomotives from the Cail rolling stock factory and they were delivered in 1860. They were numbered 37-42. In 1865 the locomotives passed to the Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia (SFAI), which renumbered them 703-708, and later (probably in 1869) 767-772. In 1885, at the creation of the great national networks, the locomotives passed to the Rete Mediterranea (RM) and took the numbers 3942-3947. In 1905, at the time of nationalization, only five units arrived at the FS, which registered them as Class 396 with numbers from 3961-3965. They remained in service until 1911. By then, they were obsolete and they were scrapped in 1912.

Technical details

The locomotives were of simple design. The boiler pressure was 7bar and they had two inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear.

Further reading