Litttore

1)In the ancient Roman Empire, there was a figure, a role of public
officer called "Littore", and he had the task of carrying the "fasces"
or a bundle of wooden sticks tied together, having an axe in the middle.
( This meant, by the way, that many "weak" elements like wooden sticks
can make a very strong assembly when tied together).

2)The "fascist" italian regime, that was governing in Italy from 1922 to
the end of World War II, tried a revival of the old roman empire, and
had as a main symbol these  "fasces" of the "Littore"'s (you understand
where the name "fascism" comes from).

3)About 1930 the Italian car and railway manufacturer FIAT designed and
produced a railway carriage, or a railcar, consisting in a single coach
equipped by one or two engines (at the beginning petrol, later diesel
engines of the same size of the ones used on heavy trucks). This type of
railway vehicle proved to be very suited to light railway services, and
secondary branches.(It is being produced still today, and spread in many
countries), and was fittingly considered a significant innovation,
representing proudly a result of the italian regime "fascism".

4) Therefore the name "littorina" was given to this vehicle, originating
from "littore" and bringing in the front, in the middle of the engine
cooling radiator, the outline of the "fasces" (Not faces.)

       Pictures courtesy of Renato Gaudio
(l) Littorina at Asmara Station
(r) Detail of Littore from Renato's opening page.
(Corrected for perspective distortion)
The fasces also appeared on the side of the Eritrean cars as part of the logo for Ferrovie Eritree:

These fasces are similar to that which appeared on the Albanian flag under Italian rule:

The name "littorina" in Italian is feminine, and seemed to be
appropriate for such a nice small vehicle, "endearing".

This is the rather long story of this name that remained in the italian
language, even when, after the war, all "fasces" symbols were removed.

It is obvious that these vehicles were diffused also in the narrow-gauge
railways of the African Italian colonies (Eritrea among them), and they
were a symbol of the homeland.

In Italian, the plural of the feminine form ending in 'a' as in 'rina' is 'rine'.  Hence, I use Littorine rather than Littorinas throughout this site.

The use of the fasces was not restricted to Fascist Italy.  Here one can see fasces on either side of the the Speaker of the US House of Representatives' chair.

For some more about fasces, click here.

Renato also provided an alternative story for the origin of the name:
The ethymology of "littorina" is the following.
a) At the beginning of past century (1900-1920) all the country around Rome was marshy and unhealthy.
 b) The regime of Mussolini proceeded to reclaim this part of country (draining water with channels etc.)
 c) On this new land several new cities were founded, say beginning of the  thirties; one of these new towns was named "Littoria" (from "fascio littorio") (by the way: after the war the name was changed, and is today,  "Latina")
 d) It is written in the records that Mussolini paid a visit to this town of  Littoria using this new particular railway vehicle, and after that the  vehicle was named "littorina".

 

Mussolini often used symbology of ancient Rome.  Here he gives a speech in Tripoli with Littore in front of him.