European Railroad Discussion > Switzerland/Italy: "Swissalpino" Grids?

To go along the excellent notice of SOO last week of ETR-470 being retired http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?17,3890161  , I browsed files to find more pictures.

As you see the colors were very much altered from Cisalpino time (see the other thread). As the trains were according to plan nearing their end of life cycle, it explains much of the condition they looked 2014-2015 in these pictures from Bellinzona, Switzerland.

To my surprise there are large grids atop the second module. I'm amazed, since this is a relatively new (and very troublesome) Pendolino train, are those really for getting rid of the extra energy, as was the case on ancient electric lcoomotives?

 

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Looking at the nose section it appears noone really cared any more what the unit looked like. A little finishing touch would had made all that was needed here. 

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Comments on another discussion group say that one of the Cab sections of SBB set ETR470-003 has been saved and will be sold to CD(Ceske Drahy), to repair one of their Pendolino sets where the Cab section was destroyed in a collision.

Historically, FS generating stations for the 3000 vdc have never had the ability to return current to the domestic AC grid;  thus, if there are not other trains under power [ as opposed to braking ] that can use the current or the line were otherwise nonreceptive, it would have to be dissipated on board.  I believe FS E464's were the first FS DC electric locomotives to have regenerative braking, but they have equipment onboard to sense whether the line is receptive or not and automatically change over from regenerative to rheostatic or v v.

Best rgds, SZ

That explains the huge grids!

Russian running Allegro Pendolinos of Karelian Train have for the same reason a "dynamic braking fan" on top one of the modules, It will get rid of the heat generated by resistors, created originally by dynamic braking downstairs. Russian grids in the Western part of the country so seem to be unable to do the conversion too. Picture of 400 seires looking Allegro and true 400 series VR class Sm3 meeting in Kerava, Finland by Stas.

 

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