In the first half of the 90s, the state owned Czech railways had a surplus of DC locomotives, some of them, brand new, still in the hands of Skoda builder.
Because of the E 620s unreliability and new opportunities with open access, FNM was in need of locos so the three parties came to an agreement and the Lombardy company became the owner of nine practically new class 163 locomotives.
Reclassified as E 630, these units were repainted, had the driving desk displaced from right to left and changed pantographs and ATP. At the same time FNM also bought second hand M2 coaches from Belgian railways and someone was transformed in driving trailer so the Czech locos received the push-pull equipment to be remotely controlled from this stock.
With these locomotives, FNM started to operate the heavy peak hours trains and, jointly with other second hand traction stock, began the open access freight era.
E 630.05 at the head of a rake of belgian coaches is waiting departure time at Milano Cadorna station in 2001.
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E 630.01 going out of Melzo freight yard with an intermodal service to Rotterdam in 2004.
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The two images by S: Paolini courtesy of Photorail, probably the best italian site for railway photography.
With the progressive abandonment of loco-hauled trains in the original FNM network and the coming of more powerful (and generally policurrent) locomotives for freight services, E 630s became redundant and in 2010 they were bought by Regio Jet, a Czech open access passenger operator, returning in their homeland. The units are still in service, painted in a smart yellow with red lettering.
Ciao
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