This lovely engine was produced in few units. The design is very characteristic of the early days of electric traction, with big wheels as those used in fast steam  engines.

Initially I reproduced this model as a static model (1,2). I then resolved to make a dynamic model.

1st version

The real problem was how to make the beautifully webbed  wheels in metal.

I am a fan of additive manufacturing technology. So I have used this technology to see how it may work. 

I printed the wheels  with my SLA printer (4) in a epoxy resin. Both the big driving wheels as well as the small bogey wheels came out well. 

I then used electrodeposition to add a thick layer of copper on the rims . This is done first by coating the rim with a silver nano particle paint, which makes the rim conducting. Then the electrodeposition is performed in a copper acidic bath with a pure copper anod.

After about 3 hours a ~0.2 mm thick layer of solid copper had grown on the rims (5). 

As the layer of copper was uneven, I turned the wheels on a dremel with sandpaper, to make them smooth (6). I will later coat them in nickel to improve the harness.

The driving wheels will be equipped with  30 tooth gears that engage in the 3 worms attached to the motor shaft connecting the two motors (7).

The bogeys are attached to the main carriage with M1 screws. The bogey wheels are snapped into the conical recesses in the bogey sides (8).

While I await for the 30 tooth gears to test the model I am rather satisfied by the look of it.

The next step in the driving wheel making is the nickel electrocoating.

This is made in a nickel acetate (self made) bath with a pure nickel anode.

In half an hour the wheel rim is coated with a protective layer of shiny nickel (9). 

Do you see in the picture a cut in the shaft? This is used to cut the axle precisely in half. Then a 0.8mm steel rod is inserted in the hollow shaft (10) and then the gear is jammed on the rod between the two wheels (11). Everything is then sealed with cianoacrylate 

This locomotive is the summa of three-phase railway technology in Italy. It was designed to pull fast passenger trains. 

It was also the last locomotive to pull a train the day  the three-phase network was switched off.

The difficulty of modelling this locomotive was to find the large drivers to realise the motor plant. 

I had to wait quite some time to find 2 sets of wheels from a Br24 at acceptable price. The bissel wheels are instead from a Br89 (with geared axle replaced by a steel shaft).

The motor plant uses two 4mm∅ motors connected to the same input shaft which trough 2 spur gears drives a transmission shaft on which four worms drive the wheel pinions.

All this is housed in a chassis made of two plastic plates held together by two M1 screws.

The plates (1B) are printed in PLA by FDM , together with the two bissels (1B) a retainer for the wheelsets (1C), a retainer for the motors (1D) and the pantograph parts (1E).

The shell is instead printed by SLA in resin.

For the side rods I could just use one of the Br24 ones, the others I had to make from a  0.3mm thick  brass sheet.

The body shell is painted in the traditional 'castano and isabella' with buffer plate in 'rosso-segnale'. All colors are from Puravest. The chassis is painted in bruno.

This splendid engine was brutalised by a transformation programme that yielded the ugly e444r (the only ones you can still see pulling trains in Italy).

I chose to reproduce the engine in its original beauty, the model (1) is on Shapeways.

Like in N-scale it easy to motorise this model with the chassis of a Märklin DB DR216 (2)

I made first a home print (3) on my filament printer to check the accommodation of the DR 216.

It worked very well. To show the complete appearance I set up two PlusUP pantographs (4), which however looked too small.

I finally made the Shapeways model and it looks very well (6) side-by side its N scale bigger brother from Rivarossi.

For this last picture I printed FS type 52 pantographs (5) with my filament printer. 

By the late 80's class E444 had been for 20 years on rail. Pulling with ever more frequency faster trains, as the rail network was being improved for speed.

The more frequent high speed use, with heavier trains, showed the quality of the initial design, but also some limitations.

In 1989 FS, based on all the lessons learned on other classes, decided to rejuvenate the E444 with a revamping programme.

The class, that emerged from the programme, was called E444R. Several mechanical and electrical improvements were introduced. But the most notable was the replacement of the cabins. The old, beautiful all-round steel cabins were replaced with composite angular ones. Apparently aerodynamics, crew comfort,  noise and vibration control gained a lot. About aesthetics, I am not sure.

Initially and only for 7 years the new class wore a flashy livery in the colours 'grigio perla', 'grigio ardesia' and 'rosso segnale'.

This is the same I have reproduced. I have  derived the model from my E444 model by performing, in CAD, the same operations that FS did: cutting the cabins and adding the new angular ones. 

The first motor plant  I realised for the E626 did not work very well. It was very unstable and despite the huge ballast, it did not have good traction force.  

Also what annoyed me was that unlike the real loco, this chassis was using only 2 out of the 6 axles.

So back to the drawing board. I designed a new chassis and bogeys so that all 6 axles were powered. Due to the little space available and the strange articulation of the bogies I used three independent motor  plants.

The two bogies have side mounted motors (9), while the central car has the motor centred (10).

The central car is framed in the chassis and the two bogies are retained by  elastic bands  which allow their rotation (11),(12).

It definitely moves much better than its predecessor.

Once again I revisited this model to make another motor plant (the third).

The motivation was to have a solution less expensive and easier to assemble and tune than the previous one.

This time I wanted to go back to the idea of using a single motor, similar to the first motor plant I made, but this time motoring all the wheels.

The complication of this model is that there is a central chassis that holds 2 wheelsets and 2 bogies that have a cantilever attachment to the chassis which also acts as pivot.

So I designed an articulated transmission shaft that holds a large cog, 6 worm gears and it is split in three sections connected by helical springs 

The springs act also as pivot point for the bogies.  

The motor is glued to the chassis and drives the shaft through a pinion.

I made the springs from a 0.25 mm ∅ phosphor-bronze wire. The springs are glued with gear-glue to the 3 sections of the shaft.

Since the bogies are 'floating' with respect to the central chassis, I have made 2 lead blocks that are 'sitting' on each bogie.

The blocks are fixed neither to the chassis nor to the bogies, however they discharge all their weight just on the bogies.

Current pick up is on all 12 wheels. Wheels come from the usual Br89 stock.

Here is a short video I made to document the assembly and the first ride.

The class E632/633 was developed after a long experimentation of electronic traction control performed on a modified E444.  

The solutions adopted by FS avoided a sharp departure from well known ways.

The 632/633 still adopted brushed DC motors (while more advanced systems used  three-phase motors),  The electronic control  implemented PWM. 

The wheel arrangement maintained the three bogies scheme started with the class 636, however the split chassis was abandoned in favour of a rigid chassis.

Initially the class suffered from very low reliability, which was due to lack of experience in power electronics. Eventually the problems were resolved and the class was so successful that and improved version (class E652)  was commissioned.

I reproduced the original version with the large rheostats on the roof (1), which requires Faveley pantographs. I have also made available a kit that includes the details needed to complete the model (supports, trolley sides, and pin for fixing the central trolley)

First motorisation

For the first motorisation, two Rokuhan shorty (2) wereglued back-to-back. The shorty is made of two shells. A thin one that acts as a lid and a tank that contains the engine. The lid is not needed. Once detached, acting on the clips on the two heads, it can be thrown away.

At this point the central carriage can be inserted into the pivot and secured with the T-pin which is in the kit on shapeways. You can now add the two "bellies" of the underbody (always in the kit).

I printed a proof of the case with my 3D printer (0.25mm nozzle and PLA), to check the dimensions. Everything was alright.

The two shorties must be deprived of the protrusion on the side of the idle carriage. Then you can glue them together. I used cyanoacrylate.

To recreate the central pin for the carriage, I used a 2mm brass tube, which I hollowed out at one end with the dremel to create a fork. The fork was then inserted between the two frames and glued with cyanoacrylate.

The central carriage must be modified by digging a slot in which the pin can slide (as well as rotate). A rat tail file and patience are enough.

I then printed the final version of the case with shapeways and painted it with puravest colors, pearl gray, oriental blue, signal red and semi-gloss black.

The FS front logo in oriental blue will be done with the decals.

I printed the horrifying mini-club hooks that replace the arnold ones mounted as standard by rokuhan with a very simple operation.

However, following the development of my magnetic hooks, I will not use the Märklins.

Second motorisation, end 2018

using two tacked-on Rokuhan frames seemed like a dirty solution to me.

So I decided to redo the engine by designing a frame that replaced the two Rokuhan frames stuck together.

The chassis uses two geared bogies, an idler bogie and two motors.

FS e636 082

The class E636 was conceived in 1937 by chief designer A. D'Arbela, as multi-role locomotive. D'Arbela had the idea of splitting the body of the locomotive in two sections which would then sit on three separate bogies. This design allowed the locomotives to spread the mass of 110 tons on 6 axles, thus coping with the limited load capacity of Italian track, and also with the split chassis, the locomotive could easily negotiate the narrow bends of the many Italian mountain lines.

The design was the progenitor of a long series of articulated B0-B0-B0 locomotives that have been the signature of FS for many years.

The first 10 locomotives were delivered up to 1942. Following the war and with the help of the Marshal plan, further 459 locomotives were built and became very common for all types of trains.

I chose to design the particular unit E636.082 which was modified to have electric braking.

With this model I took the chance to design a new  motion plant 

Unlike the previous chassis, I chose to use a single motor to power the three bogies by means of three worms. The dual shaft motor sits in one of the chassis sections and it powers one outer bogies and the inner bogie directly, while the remaining outer bogie is powered through an universal joint.

Current pick-ups are only on the outer bogies.

Both chassis sections host an hefty lead ballast that allows to reach a considerable mass.

The e646/e645 were introduced at the end of the 50s. They were an evolution of the versatile e636 family which was upgraded in power going from 2100 kW to 4320 kW.

This was achieved by installing 12 (!) motors on the 3 bogies.

The first series had a cab design identical to the old e636 one. The second series had a much more modern and muscular flat cab.

When they entered service these were the most powerful, fast and versatile locomotives of the FS lineup.  They became the emblem of FS. The e646 were assigned to passenger service and the e645 to freight service (having a higher gear ratio), even though occasionally e645 pulled even prestigious passenger trains like the very heavy Simplon Orient Express.

I have been always in love with these locos and in particular with the grey/green livery.  

I reproduced the original version of the II series with the aluminum fittings. Shells are also available on Shapeways. The shells are well painted with puravest colors, after washing them in a solution of hot water (the maximum temperature of a tap), ammonia and degreaser. 15 minutes in an ultrasonic tub or a couple of hours on the radiator. Since the shells have large flat surfaces, I first applied a coat of tamiya spray primer to make them very smooth. The colours are chestnut, isabella, signal red and silver for the 645 and fog gray, magnolia green, signal red and silver for the 646.

The pantographs are those FDM  printed in 2 d and folded that I make at home. They are painted in revell aquacolor 'ferrari' red. Instead the insulators were stained white. 

Window pane tests. The glasses are plotter-cut from a sheet of acetate for projections. Then they are glued with cyanoacrylate applied to the window frame. The result looks good to me.

I then added the frames of the front glass. they are plotter-cut from an acetate sheet, previously painted in silver. 

The mechanics are based on 3 independent and individually motorized bogies, so autonomous. Each bogie uses 4.5 volt motors with M0.3 gears. Each carriage is then inserted into the half-chassis and secured with two screws and relative washers (6). 

The height of the bogies is checked with a German X-type carriage. The bumpers match (7) 

The great thing about autonomous bogies is that they can be tested individually (8). 

But even once inserted (still autonomous) inside the chassis (9) 

Obviously when all the power pick-ups are in parallel and the motors are in series, the locomotive moves even only two wheels take power (10).

Recently I made a model of the NS600 a Whitcomb 65-ton road switcher similar to the FS Ne120,. When I handed over the model to the fellow Zettie, he suggested I could realise the NS1200.

This proposal stroke a chord in me, as when I was 6 I inherited from my father a collection of H0 models in which there was a beautiful LIMA Dutch express train in blue livery with a NS1200 at its head. I really liked the very muscular appearance of the locomotive.

So I decided to make one.

The NS1200 is an interesting model as it belongs to one the different families of American locomotives that arrived to Europe after the war. It was paid by the Marshal plan, designed by Baldwin and Westinghouse but built in 1951-53 in the Dutch Werkspoor factory in Utrecht. The design was likely derived from the New-Haven EP5, built by the same companies, by adapting the loading gauge to the European standards.

It had a long career with the NS assuming very different liveries (1) and being subject of some overhauls that changed minor aspects, leaving the locomotive largely unchanged till today. 

The CAD model includes also the sides of the bogies.

The SLA print came out well, here (3) is with a coat of primer.

The locomotive is motorised with a chassis of a Br103  which has been shortened (by severing the plastic tips) and made lower (by grinding away most of the current pickup selector).

Here (4)  is how the shell looks when sitting on the chassis (the Br103 pantographs are just laid on the roof unfixed.

The model will soon receive new bogie sides, glasses, decals and more appropriate pantographs.

The NS1100 was built by Alsthom for the NS in the 1950s.  It is almost identical to the SNCF BB8100 from which it is derived. The main difference is in the bogies which have a different primary suspension. The class  has served till 1999 while it was refurbished in 1978-1982, with the addition of a impact 'nose' which severely altered the aesthetics of the locomotive.

I like the locomotive as it is very compact and has the unusual  features of buffers placed on the bogies.

Also it  goes very well with the Plan-E carriages I made for my Dutch Zettie friends.

The model is made of several 3D printed parts:

1. the shell

2. the chassis holding the bogies and the dual shaft motor

3. 2x inner frames of the bogies, holding the gear train

4. 2x outer frames of the bogies, holding the wheels through conical bearings

5. 4x wheel pinions

with this model I decided to start using my large stock of Japanese wheelsets, which have a hollow plastic shaft and metallic wheels with conical ends. These wheels allow to pick up current from the conical bearing which is the method that presents least friction.

In order to use the wheelsets, I replaced the hollow shaft with a 3D printed gear.

I implemented the gearing with M0.3 cogs. This is because small items are very fragile when made in 3D printing, Gear teeth in module 0.2 (my preferred choice) would have been very brittle.

Since with M0.3 I could not achieve a high gear ratio,  I had to forego my preferred motorised bogie architecture and settle fir a standard motor plant architecture: the 2-shaft motor drives, through 2 worms, the chain of cogs to the wheels.

The wheelsets are only held in place by the conical bearings.

What is very innovative is the current pick-up. This is achieved by 4 brass ∅0.3mm wires   that loop around the conical tips of the wheelsets and end into a ∅0.8mm tube to which the motor lines are soldered.

This system guarantees very low friction and excellent pick-up.

For those who do not know, here is a little bit of history about this locomotive: Lokomotivbau Elektrotechnische Werke "Hans Beimler" Hennigsdorf ( LEW ) was a state owned locomotive company of the DDR.

From 1952 to 1988 they produced between 1270 and 1488 (according to different sources) of these locomotives for open pit mining transports.

The locomotive, also known as 100 ton locomotive, was exported to all eastern block countries and China.

Some of these locomotives are still in operation (even in Germany).

Mine railways are very interesting and I recommend the documentary on youtube where they are described but also this locomotive is shown in operation.

I have been fascinated by the peculiarities of this locomotive such as two different bogies and the fact it may have up to 8 pantographs. A nice challenge for a model.

So I modelled in CAD (2), and printed a first test model (3,4) 

Shell, chassis and bogies are printed in resin. The pantographs are printed with a filament printer flat on the bed and then folded and assembled. They are all articulated Including the side ones) and can be flattened or extended. The tiny side pantograph were rather difficult to make.

 I have designed also the motor plant based on a dual shaft 7mm coreless motor. and M0.3 DELRIN gear train.

The motor plant is based on a well established plant I have realised for a number of models (including Nm models). Since I have not yet any wagon this locomotive can pull, I will wait to populate the motor plant.

Eventually when I will be able to realise a typical LEAG "braunkohlezug" featuring the type 40 wagons, the grey one in (5), I will populate the motor plant.

The electric railway of Brembana Valley (Ferrovia della val Brembana FVB) was closed in 1966. It was opened 60 years earlier to bring visitors to the San Pellegrino spa (which is where the famous mineral water is bottled) from the city of Bergamo

I was attracted by this railway when I stumbled in this iconic postcard (1).

which shows one of the typical passenger trains at the Ponti di Sedrina location.

I found the scenery magnificent. The location is so packed with bridges to look like an Escher print.

The railway bridge passes under a road bridge 

I have designed the models in CAD, printed, completed them and here is how they look 

I found it as an ideal scenery for a high impact diorama, which I decided to realise.

But first I started with the reproduction of the little train.

The locomotive was produced by Breda of Milan and it was subject to some modifications. in the years.

I have reproduced it in the status of the last years.

Shell, chassis and bogie sides are in resin 3D print.

Railings and pantograph are printed flat on a filament printer.

Motor and bogies come from a Rokuhan shorty.

The FVB railway had also purchased from the Italian branch of Brown-Boveri Company the FVB 11-14 locomotives, to be used for freight service. 

These locomotives were developed following the DR E70 (Bay. EG2) design and you can see they are very similar.

I got fascinated by these locomotives, rather unique for Italy, where the 'crocodile' plan was never used.

The locomotive was very problematic to model due to the tiny body and the little space.

Eventually I made a shell-chassis system that holds motor from the top 

Electric pick ups were realised with 0.05mm thick brass sheet, cut to size and glued on top of the wheel flanges.

Another problem was to realise the connection between the mogtor and the bogies. I have used the method invented with the Ns1100.

The wires coming from the motor are soldered to 0.8mm brass tubes that dangle under the belly of the locomotive.

The bogies have each two whiskers connected to the electric pick-ups. The whiskers  stick out in the back side of the bogie and are inserted in the tubes, thus providing electric continuity without impeding the rotation of the bogies.