FS Class 396

VE 37-42 from 1865 SFAI 703-708 from 1869 SFAI 767-772 from 1885 RM 3942-3947 from 1905 FS Class 396
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Cail Build date 1860 Total produced 6
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Driver dia. 1.49 metres Length 13.404 metres Loco weight 30 tonnes Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 7 bar, c.100 psi Cylinders 2 inside Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Maximum speed 50 km/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 7 bar and they had two inside cylinders and Stephenson valve gear.

Further reading

• Cornolò, Giovanni (1998). Locomotive a vapore FS. Parma: Ermanno Albertelli. pp. 182–184. ISBN 88-85909-91-4.