Locomotives From Europe

[leewal]

Will a Rivarossi locomotive, manufactured for use in Italy, run in the U.S. or is there a difference in the electrical current?

[selector]

If the current at the walls is not 60 cycle and 113 volts, then the locomotive will probably not run...for long...in N. America.  You'd need a step-down transformer and something to fix the cycle, or to rectify it to DC if the motor is DC.

[gmpullman]

Hi,

The locomotive itself should be just fine on 12 volts DC. A friend of mine sent me some imported locomotives from Brazil and Italy and they run very well on the DC 12 volts variable.

However, it MAY be a Three-Rail AC locomotive which Rivarossi, Fleischmann, Roco and Märklín have made* and are popular in Europe. Check to be sure it is not three-rail AC.

https://www.reynaulds.com/rivarossi.aspx

 

 *perhaps others

Cheers, Ed

[RR_Mel]

I have many Rivarossi locomotives and they all came with instructions in Italian as well as English so I would assume that the standard is the same as in the US.

 

I’d Give it a shot and see if it runs, I doubt if you would do it any damage even if its not compatable.

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[Darth Santa Fe]

As long as it's 2-rail DC, it'll be fine.  I don't remember Rivarossi making anything for 3-rail AC even for Europe.

[gmpullman]

Darth Santa Fe

I don't remember Rivarossi making anything for 3-rail AC even for Europe.

I provided a link in my reply above:

https://www.reynaulds.com/catalog/dept_227.aspx

Here is the Rivarossi extention of that link. I could be wrong.

Happy Modeling,

Ed

[DSchmitt]

They will work.  They run on the same  DC votage in Europe and America.  The AC to the wall outlet is different. Use an American transformer.   European Transformers will not work in America (It is not likely you will have one anyway)  They can't even be pluged in to an American outlet

[Anonymous]

There is one point to observe. Standard equipment is built to NEM not NMRA standard.

Wheels according to NEM can have a flange depth between 0.025'' and 0.05'' instead of the NMRA's 0.025''.

Wheel back to back measures differ 0.004'' but that shouldn't be a problem.

Some European manufacturers offer American prototype equipment with RP25 wheels. But you should look carefully.
Regards, Volker

[IRONROOSTER]

DSchmitt

They will work.  They run on the same  DC votage in Europe and America.  The AC to the wall outlet is different. Use an American transformer.   European Transformers will not work in America (It is not likely you will have one anyway)  They can't even be pluged in to an American outlet

 

European power packs do work in America(after changing the plug).  But you get half the voltage out.  My Fleischmann puts out 7 DC volts max (instead of 14), but otherwise works - just the trains don't run as fast.

Paul