Fiat railcars to Pré-St-Didier, Italy

Italian class ALn 772 railcars to Pré-Saint-Didier are seen in 1978 at Aosta (Aoste in French) and at the terminus respectively in the Aosta Valley (the upper part of this valley is predominately French speaking and most signage is bi-lingual). The approved FS design for these railcars from the mid-1930s had a total of 72 seats, hence the 772 designation; the doubling of the leading number indicated multiple unit capability! Despite their multiple-unit capability, however, the lack of passageways meant that the ALn 772 units were not really suitable for multiple trainsets; this shortcoming was addressed by the later models of class ALn 880.

The cars featured two small driver's cabs at both ends, which housed the vertical engines and transmission groups. The two platforms behind the driver's cabs were not identical; the first one, giving access to a small toilet, was bigger and fitted with some folding seats; the one on the opposite side had a small luggage compartment. Both could be accessed by one door on each side of the car, giving access in turn to the driver's cab and the main passenger compartment. The latter was divided in three areas: a 2nd-class compartment with 24 seats on the lavatory side, arranged in twin facing rows; a 16-seats 1st-class compartment in the middle, with the same arrangement; and another 32 2nd-class seats on the luggage compartment side. A central aisle ran for the entire length of the car. With a few exceptions the paint scheme was the standard brown-and-red of the time, called castano-isabella. (Tom Burnham pics)

Specifications

Builder  Fiat-Officine Meccaniche (OM)
Build years 1937–1957
Total produced 327 total: 100 Fiat; 219 OM (4 series); 8 special
Wheel diameter     900 mm
Wheelbase  16 metres
Length 24.560 metres
Width  3.160 metres
Height 3.564 metres
Weight     ALn 772: 37 tons
SD80 version: 34.2 tons
Traction motors 2 x OM-Saurer BXD
Cylinders 6 in-line
Cylinder size  2.38 cc
Transmission hydraulic OM-SRM-DF 1,15
Power output 220 kW
Top speed 130 km/h
First run May 1940
Retired 12 April 1986