Eurostar Italia
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These are inter city trains run by a company called Trenitalia and are nothing to do with the British/French Eurostar as far as I know.
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As far as I know the trains are built by Alstom and are more commonly refered to as Pendelinos, which may indicate a link with Virgins trains of the same name.
Incidentally, they are, in effect, the descendents of the APT project, as some of the technologies involved are supposed to have been used to help create the ETR450 'Pendelinos' which were introduced in the 80s.
Incidentally, they are, in effect, the descendents of the APT project, as some of the technologies involved are supposed to have been used to help create the ETR450 'Pendelinos' which were introduced in the 80s.
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I may be wrong here (probably am) but I seem to remember that back in the early days of APT which "tilted" the Italians used a different system which actually hung like a pendulum, hence the word "Pendelino" ?
So, do the Virgin Pendelinos tilt or hang, if they tilt then surely they are not really "Pendelinos" at all - more like "Tiltenionos".
I'm confused, maybe someone can enlighten me.
So, do the Virgin Pendelinos tilt or hang, if they tilt then surely they are not really "Pendelinos" at all - more like "Tiltenionos".
I'm confused, maybe someone can enlighten me.
'Eurostar Italia' is a premium high speed service operated by FS Trenitalia SpA who are the Italian Railways. They currently use a mix of tilting and non-tilting trains, the ETR 460, 480, 483 and 485 (various voltage variants etc.) are the tilting ones and the ETR 500 doesn't tilt - and there are various new versions on the way such as the tilting ETR 600, a 'third generation' pendolino.
I have to say that to relate any of these trains to the APT is probably fairly insulting; the Italians would never design something so ugly! It is true that the ETR 450 incorporated some technology from the APT but the Italians had already build their own successful tilting train prototype, the ETR 401, from which later designs sprung, or swung?! All tilting trains tilt the body off the bogies - to operate like a pendulum then the bodies would have to hang from rigid assemblies that towered up off the bogies and it would look really weird...like a fairground ride - and then people really would be sick on corners!
There is some useful information on the different types here:
http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/italy/italy_fs-p.html
Not all of these ETRs are used for Eurostar Italia service though, but if it's painted silver and black then it's a safe bet!
I have to say that to relate any of these trains to the APT is probably fairly insulting; the Italians would never design something so ugly! It is true that the ETR 450 incorporated some technology from the APT but the Italians had already build their own successful tilting train prototype, the ETR 401, from which later designs sprung, or swung?! All tilting trains tilt the body off the bogies - to operate like a pendulum then the bodies would have to hang from rigid assemblies that towered up off the bogies and it would look really weird...like a fairground ride - and then people really would be sick on corners!
There is some useful information on the different types here:
http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/italy/italy_fs-p.html
Not all of these ETRs are used for Eurostar Italia service though, but if it's painted silver and black then it's a safe bet!
Gödel
Amazing link!
I didn't know that the Italians had a "Pendelino" as such!
I am also planning a holiday to Hungary and will be going past Slovenia. Are the any intersting trains to look out for?
I might also go to vienna during the trip, do you know of any intersting stations or trains there?
Regards,
Ben
Amazing link!
I didn't know that the Italians had a "Pendelino" as such!
I am also planning a holiday to Hungary and will be going past Slovenia. Are the any intersting trains to look out for?
I might also go to vienna during the trip, do you know of any intersting stations or trains there?
Regards,
Ben
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Nice picture David & thanks for posting it.
Is it me or is there is bit of a non-Swiss presision tracklaying on the occupied track ?
Is it me or is there is bit of a non-Swiss presision tracklaying on the occupied track ?
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QUOTE (ben100 @ 29 May 2008, 03:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I didn't know that the Italians had a "Pendelino" as such!
I think the word Pendelino is Italian too.
I think the word Pendelino is Italian too.
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Pendolino is taken from the italian word pendolo, meaning pendulum.
QUOTE (ben100 @ 28 May 2008, 18:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Amazing link!
I didn't know that the Italians had a "Pendelino" as such!
I am also planning a holiday to Hungary and will be going past Slovenia. Are the any intersting trains to look out for?
I might also go to vienna during the trip, do you know of any intersting stations or trains there?
Regards,
Ben
Yes, www.railfaneurope.net is a very good website, it has stocklists and archives of pictures of almost everything if you care to look! Very useful and in English too.
I haven't been to Vienna for a few years but all the big stations are terminus ones currently - so plenty of motive power will be sitting on adjacent tracks and easier to get to than in a through-station. The Viennese are building/about to start on a huge new central station that will replace some of these and speed up connections through Vienna.
You could try the Austrian Railways Group website, they often have useful information about museums/where depots are or places to catch plenty of interesting trains.
Regarding Hungary, MAV have a wide mix of rolling stock - some Taurus locomotives but plenty of Eastern european designs shared with the ex-communist neighbours, see RailFanEurope!! If you stay at the big cities then there will be international trains from Austria, Germany, Czech Republic etc. but it depends what you are looking for.
I'm sorry I'm not much help but I haven't been train hunting in that part of Europe, although I am going later this year, so ask me again in four months time?!
NOW if you were going to Italy, Tuscany in particular then I would recommend Florence as a great place to see Eurostar Italia trains!! Another large terminus station (Santa Maria Novella - SMN) with about 14 platforms, but the trick is to get off the train one station before, at Firenze Rifredi, which is about five minutes before, because every train from SMN and from some other diverging lines including freight passes through here and the trains are actually moving instead of being stationary as at the terminus SMN. Plenty of tourists get off here by accident too, not realising it is one stop further to the centre of Florence! This entertains the Italians!
Santa Maria Novella is a superb early modernist station - the feeling of space in the always busy atrium is super and the design is very efficient for connecting to buses. A pleasure to travel into/out of.
I didn't know that the Italians had a "Pendelino" as such!
I am also planning a holiday to Hungary and will be going past Slovenia. Are the any intersting trains to look out for?
I might also go to vienna during the trip, do you know of any intersting stations or trains there?
Regards,
Ben
Yes, www.railfaneurope.net is a very good website, it has stocklists and archives of pictures of almost everything if you care to look! Very useful and in English too.
I haven't been to Vienna for a few years but all the big stations are terminus ones currently - so plenty of motive power will be sitting on adjacent tracks and easier to get to than in a through-station. The Viennese are building/about to start on a huge new central station that will replace some of these and speed up connections through Vienna.
You could try the Austrian Railways Group website, they often have useful information about museums/where depots are or places to catch plenty of interesting trains.
Regarding Hungary, MAV have a wide mix of rolling stock - some Taurus locomotives but plenty of Eastern european designs shared with the ex-communist neighbours, see RailFanEurope!! If you stay at the big cities then there will be international trains from Austria, Germany, Czech Republic etc. but it depends what you are looking for.
I'm sorry I'm not much help but I haven't been train hunting in that part of Europe, although I am going later this year, so ask me again in four months time?!
NOW if you were going to Italy, Tuscany in particular then I would recommend Florence as a great place to see Eurostar Italia trains!! Another large terminus station (Santa Maria Novella - SMN) with about 14 platforms, but the trick is to get off the train one station before, at Firenze Rifredi, which is about five minutes before, because every train from SMN and from some other diverging lines including freight passes through here and the trains are actually moving instead of being stationary as at the terminus SMN. Plenty of tourists get off here by accident too, not realising it is one stop further to the centre of Florence! This entertains the Italians!
Santa Maria Novella is a superb early modernist station - the feeling of space in the always busy atrium is super and the design is very efficient for connecting to buses. A pleasure to travel into/out of.
QUOTE (goedel @ 29 May 2008, 14:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>NOW if you were going to Italy, Tuscany in particular then I would recommend Florence as a great place to see Eurostar Italia trains!! Another large terminus station (Santa Maria Novella - SMN) with about 14 platforms, but the trick is to get off the train one station before, at Firenze Rifredi, which is about five minutes before, because every train from SMN and from some other diverging lines including freight passes through here and the trains are actually moving instead of being stationary as at the terminus SMN. Plenty of tourists get off here by accident too, not realising it is one stop further to the centre of Florence! This entertains the Italians!
Now would you believe me but it was in Tuscany (Orvietto) which is about fifty miles from Florence, that I spotted it!
Now would you believe me but it was in Tuscany (Orvietto) which is about fifty miles from Florence, that I spotted it!
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QUOTE Is it me or is there is bit of a non-Swiss presision tracklaying on the occupied track ?
I'm guessing you meant "unoccupied" as there is a kink in that track which matches a similar kink in the platform edge. I've just checked the original which is a lot larger than the image I posted where it can clearly be seen. It looks like someone extended the platform but got the alignment wrong. I should point out this is a terminus. Anything doing more than a few kilometers per hour coming towards the camera would end up heading down Bahnhof Strasse! You can also see that the sleepers are wooden.
David
I'm guessing you meant "unoccupied" as there is a kink in that track which matches a similar kink in the platform edge. I've just checked the original which is a lot larger than the image I posted where it can clearly be seen. It looks like someone extended the platform but got the alignment wrong. I should point out this is a terminus. Anything doing more than a few kilometers per hour coming towards the camera would end up heading down Bahnhof Strasse! You can also see that the sleepers are wooden.
David
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Thanks for the additional information David.
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This news item about the Cisalpino company's plans to introduce a new generation of Pendolinos on Swiss / Italian rail routes appeared today on the swissinfo website. It appears the first generation of Pendolinos were not an unqualified success when first introduced.
David
David
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According to this item on the Swissinfo website the first generation of Pendolinos have been withdrawn before their overdue replacements arrive because they are just too unreliable.
David
David
Hi
Wouldn't it be be more profitable to keep them in service until June, when the replacements arrive?
Or were they too bad?
Thanks anyway!
Ben
Wouldn't it be be more profitable to keep them in service until June, when the replacements arrive?
Or were they too bad?
Thanks anyway!
Ben
My daughter and I travelled on one a couple of years ago .We went from Bologna to Firenze and back 1st class.Great fun and a good train but well loaded and a bit cramped.I found it amazing that we booked up on line and just printed our ticket.I think we had to verify it at the station before departure .
As I dont have much luck posting pics I enclose this link of one at Firenze Station.
Martin
As I dont have much luck posting pics I enclose this link of one at Firenze Station.
Martin
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