FS Class ALe 801/940

The ALe 801/940 are a series of EMUs built in the 1970s for the Italian state railway FS, now used by its successor, Trenitalia.

ALe 801 / ALe 940
Manufacturer	Breda, Stanga
Constructed	1975–1979
Entered service	1976–2016
Number built	65 ALe 801 65 ALe 940 130 Le 108
Formation	4 cars for trainset ALe 801 + Le 108 + Le 108 + ALe 940
Fleet numbers	ALe 801.001–065 ALe 940.001–065 Le 108.001–130
Capacity	80 seats (ALe 801) 94 seats (ALe 940) 108 seats (Le 108)
Operators	Trenitalia
Specifications
Car length	26,815 mm (87 ft 11+3⁄4 in) (ALe 801/940) 26,110 mm (85 ft 8 in) (Le 108)
Height	3,820 mm (12 ft 6 in)
Wheel diameter	1,040 mm (41 in) (ALe 801/940) 940 mm (37 in) (Le 108)
Maximum speed	150 km/h (93 mph)
Weight	70 t (68.9 long tons; 77.2 short tons) (ALe 801/940) 41 t (40.4 long tons; 45.2 short tons) (Le 108)
Traction system	electric
Electric system(s)	3 kV DC, overhead line
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′ (ALe 801/940) 2′2′ (Le 108)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Description

The ALe 801/940 are usually run in 4 car trains, with a power car at each end (ALe 801 and ALe 940) and two trailers (Le 108) in the middle.

History

In the early 1970s, Ferrovie dello Stato decided to improve the rolling stock for its commuter rail services.

As chopper technology was at that time only at a prototype-state (with the so-called ″Treni GAI″), FS decided to order EMUs with traditional electric equipment. The ALe 801/940 were ordered in 1973, as an evolution of the older ALe 803, with better capacity and acceleration.

These trains were delivered between 1975 and 1979 and put into service around the larger cities of Italy.

Originally painted in a showy orange and yellow livery, that gave them the nickname of "Arancia Meccanica" (Italian title of the movie A Clockwork Orange, in the late 1990s they received the new XMPR-livery, based on green and blue tones.

Sources

• Giovanni Cornolò, Automotrici elettriche dalle origini al 1983. Duegi Editrice, 2011 (reprint of 1985). P. 249–260.

External links

Media related to Category:FS ALe 801+ALe 940 at Wikimedia Commons