The FIAT 8217 represents the latest evolution in a series of horizontal six-cylinder inline engines designed for the FIAT ALn 668 light railcars. Its peculiar layout derives from the arrangement of the ALn 668 railcars, which were equipped with two engines housed under the chassis platform to maximize payload space on the train. The design of the ALn 668 was carried out by FIAT from the 1954 requirements from the Italian State Railways, aimed to renew its fleet after the Second World War, by introducing a new standardized railcar with reduced purchase and operating costs to replace steam vehicles for regional trains. The first ALn 668 was delivered in December 1956 and its mass production lasted until 1983 with over 1330 units manufactured by FIAT and by both Breda and Officine Meccaniche Calabresi under license: 87 units were used by local railways and more than 500 units were sold abroad to various countries, testifying its technical and commercial success. In various regions of Italy, the ALn 668 railcars remained in service until 2025, and some of them, now restored, are employed as historic trains by the FS Foundation. During the course of production, 12 construction series followed one another, in each of which various modifications and technical improvements were introduced. To reduce the development costs and facilitate spare parts management, the first series were equipped with a modified FIAT 203 heavy-duty car engine, adapted for railway use. Similarly, the 8217 engine was later developed and introduced in 1970-1971 in a 156-hp aspirated version, followed by a 200-hp supercharged version from 1975-1976. The latter was used until the latest ALn 668 series, with service power increased to 231 hp.

The engine on display was donated to the Museo dei Motori by Trenitalia in 2024. Decommissioned in June 2023, in the last 10 years of its operational activity it was used for over 500,000 km and was installed first on the ALn 663 1168 and ALn 663 1167 railcars and finally on the ALn 668 3180. These railcars carried out commercial services in various regions of Italy, from Piedmont to Veneto and then Sardinia, Campania, Calabria and Sicily. The restoration work on the railway engine was carried out by Treno D.O.C., a non-profit association of culture and railway activity that has been operating in Palermo since 1995.

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Technical specifications