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Italian State Railway class 980
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Italy | 1908
12 produced
980.02 in the SLM data sheet
980.02 in the SLM data sheet
SBB Historic

The FS class 980 was a rack locomotive built starting in 1908 for standard-gauge lines. The first four were ordered from the SLM for the line to Volterra in Tuscany with an incline of ten percent. In 1912 and 1913, SLM delivered eight more for the Paola-Cosenza line in Calabria.

They were designed after the Winterthur system that combines the adhesion and rack drive with compound working. This meant that the high pressure cylinders were at the bottom and drove the wheels, while the low pressure cylinders at the top drove the crank axle for the rack drive. The crank axle worked onto the rack wheels via a 1 to 2,4 reduction gear, what meant that the low pressure cylinders moved at more than twice the speed of the high pressure cylinders, enabling all to be of the same size.

At Volterra, the last stretch with rack operation was closed in 1958. On the Paola-Cosenza line, new vehicles first took over passenger and later also freight traffic. Only 980.002 was preserved and can be found in the Museum of Pietrarsa. The class 981 was a superheated successor of the 980 that was built by Italian manufacturer Breda.

General
Built1908-1913
ManufacturerSLM
Axle config0-6-0RT (Six-coupled) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length29 ft 9 1/16 in
Wheelbase12 ft 5 5/8 in
Rigid wheelbase12 ft 5 5/8 in
Empty weight80,248 lbs
Service weight97,885 lbs
Adhesive weight97,885 lbs
Axle load32,628 lbs
Water capacity872 us gal
Fuel capacity2,205 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area19.4 sq ft
Evaporative heating area951.5 sq ft
Total heating area951.5 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter40.95 in
Boiler pressure203 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersfour, 16 15/16 x 19 11/16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Indicated power436 hp (325 kW)
Optimal speed12 mph
Top speed25 mph
Starting effort33,598 lbf
with start valve40,317 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
passenger
freight
rack railway
tank locomotive
last changed: 01/2025
Image of locomotive
Die Lokomotive, February 1913
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