Rete Adriatica class 34

After the electrification of the Valtellina Railway or Ferrovia della Valtellina, the class 34 of the Rete Adriatica was not only the first electric locomotive to be used there, but also the first in the world to be operated with three-phase alternating current. The locomotives were ordered from Ganz in Budapest, which at the beginning of the century was considered the world leader in the field of electric traction and also supplied the line equipment. Two pieces were made, which were given the numbers 341 and 342. The locomotives each consisted of two halves, which together formed a large, generously glazed driver's cab.

The three-phase alternating current was transmitted via the two-pole catenary and the rails and its frequency dictated a given driving speed. The four traction motors were each connected directly to an axle without a gearbox, and the wheel diameter of 4 ft 7 in was chosen so large that the line speed of 36 km/h was sufficient for freight trains. This meant that after the start-up phase, the locomotives stabilized at a maximum of 22 mph, regardless of the loading. The locomotives were taken over by the FS in 1905 and were renamed class E.430 in 1914. They pulled freight trains on the Valtellina Railway until 1928 and were then relocated to Bolzano and Franzensfeste in South Tyrol to be used as shunting locomotives for assembling trains over the Brenner Pass. The 341 or E.430.001 is now located in the Technical Museum “Leonardo da Vinci” in Milan.