After too long a delay, I’ve put some more pictures from last summer on my Fotopic Site, of SBB and FS motive power in Lugano and Chiasso, in the Italian-speaking south of Switzerland.
Lugano is the lakeside resort where I stayed from the first few days; it’s a remarkably compact and very modellogenic station, on a very busy line.
Chiasso, a few miles further south, is the frontier station with the Italian network where all trains must change locomotives due to the different electrification systems of the two countries; Swiss 15kv AC locomotives give way to Italian 3kv DC ones.
I’m curious about Chiasso.
Both systems seem to use overhead electrification, yet surely 15kV AC and 3kV DC cannot run down the same wires.
How do they manage the switch?
A lot of the catenery in the station area is switchable; it can be energised to either 3kv DC or 15kv AC, although obviously not at the same time.
What happens to southbound trains is the train arrives behind a Swiss locomotive under 15kv. The loco uncouples and runs into a siding. Then they switch the catenery in the platform to 3kv, and an Italian loco backs onto the train. After the train has departed for Italy they switch the catenery back to 15kv ready for the next southbound arrival.
When I was there they weren’t doing this in reverse on northbound trains. Instead the Italian loco coasted into the platform with it’s pantograph lowered. Then a shunting engine (which was dual voltage) removed the loco and a replacement Swiss engine backed on to the train to take it northward.
Facinating, thanks Tim!
The different styles do seem to reflect certain national thought processes.
Interestingly, the exterior styling of the Swiss Re460 locomotives (the modern-looking streamlined ones) is the work of the Italian designer Pininfarina.
I’m with Tim on this one. Have been there 3x this year and the latter arrangement appears normal.