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A few pictures from my time in Italy


Vecchio
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Great to see photos of trains in Italy. Compared to other European countries Italy does not seen to be as popular for some reason. Having said that my wife is Italian and we visit regularly, yet I take very few photos of trains... I must do better :-)

Especially when there is an abundance of extremely good RTR Italian outline. And a lot of Italian HO is pretty good value, if you shop around there are some terrific models available at nice prices. Companies like ACME, Rivarossi, ViTrains, Lima Expert, LE Models and OsKar all make some wonderful models, and companies like Roco do a reasonable range of very nice Italian models too.

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Speaking about Italy - my job brings me from time to time back into the country where I used to live - so have a few from this afternoon. I used FN to go from Milano Lancetti first to Porta Garibaldi and from there to Malpensa. EasyJet did the rest, and I just rolled home from Gatwick.

 

I took a few pictures at Porta Garibaldi, I have to say that Ferrovia Nord has upgraded their rolling stock, all looks up to date and there is even not a lot of graffiti on it.

 

First a 464:

31061436696_2621ce7bc3_b.jpg.

 

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This machine will push its train out of the station in a sew minutes.

 

There was no goods trains in sight, also on the 45min trip to Malpensa I saw no good trains except permanent way stuff. I suppose FN stopped all good services on these routes.

I wonder who serves the container terminal of HUPAC north of Milan, in my opinion also this is in the area of the FN. HUPAC is a Swiss company organizing the rolling road and container transport from Italy to Switzerland.

 

The only older stuff I could see was this double decker coach, probably also here a 464 was pushing from the other end of the train.

 

30288604144_7ea0dc8835_b.jpg.

 

Most of the rolling stock at FN is formed by these ETR 425 EMUs

 

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Here we see a little graffiti attack, but this is nothing in comparison to the FS stock in the past.

 

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This DMU is looking strange, it has small power units - like mini locomotives- between the coaches.

 

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After that it went too dark and also the battery of my camera gave up.

That's it for the moment, to get more Italian pictures I have to go there again - which I normally do 3 times per year.

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Thanks for sharing your Italian Railways photos. 

 

The E464 electrics are now the most numerous class in Italy and used on push-pull regional trains.

 

 

post-7898-0-87745100-1479548325_thumb.jpg

 

 

The E402 electrics are used on push-pull intercity trains. Note the Frecciabianca (White Arrow) branding on the side of the loco.

 

 

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Splendid pics!! Both the ACME & ViTrains E464 models are excellent. Both companies also produce excellent models of suitable stock. My favourites are the Italian - Swiss TILO trains.

Ditto the E402b is available from two suppliers, both the ACME & Rivarossi examples are very good. I prefer the ACME model but there are some cracking offers for the Rivarossi version. And there is an abundance of suitable stock.

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Certainly makes a change from when the FNM (now absorbed into Trenord) was using heavily-graffitied electric railcars dating from the 1920s to provide the backbone of their service.

 

This is EB740-05 at Milano Cadorna in 1998, when it hadn't acquired the green and white livery which helped to make the fleet look a little more modern.

 

post-10122-0-52140900-1479557410_thumb.jpg

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Fascinating pics once more Guys, thanks.

I could go for Italian outline modelling, I really could! But I have so many other commitments that would break my heart to sell, I just can't have everything.

Anyway,

What do the small disks on the end of the train represent, please? The one with black & orangey/yellow segments.

I thought at first they meant "end of train" like the German red/white markers but some trains were clearly missing them and others, like Alcanman Mals appear to be at the front of the train!

Or, is it the orientation of these segments? Vertical orange = front, horizontal orange = rear. But why are some trains missing them?

Cheers,

John.

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Certainly makes a change from when the FNM (now absorbed into Trenord) was using heavily-graffitied electric railcars dating from the 1920s to provide the backbone of their service.

 

This is EB740-05 at Milano Cadorna in 1998, when it hadn't acquired the green and white livery which helped to make the fleet look a little more modern.

 

attachicon.gifP98014a.jpg

 

 

On my first trip through Europe by train last year, I was shocked about the amount of graffiti there was everywhere, also especially on the French system the amount of old rolling stock just abandoned.

 

The Italian railways I found very intriguing, lots of both new and very old stock being used, even returned to Turin in a compartment coach    

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Yes, modelling the RhB, particularly the Bernina line, can be great in the garden:

 

attachicon.gifRhBUnesco-06.jpg

 

attachicon.gifRhB-52-02.jpg

 

attachicon.gifBerninaExpress-04.jpg

 

Must admit, though, have not run trains in the snow!!

 

Keith

 

I like your garden railway! Had a small garden railway while I lived in Italy, it just went around the pond (which means approximately 10m track length). We got 15 goldfish from the previous owner, who put them in just for my kids - this was very polite - but after a few years I counted more than 70.... this pond had a small stream, the filter pump was feeding this. As I had to cross this "river" I made a scratch built bride from brass profiles. Mainly soldered, with a few additional screws.

 

30972010992_6f942e6800_b.jpgDSC00310

 

Now the whole pond:

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Sorry - there is no train on the circuit - I (or rather Alex - my son) just had a start set upgraded by some more trucks.

My late father had a live steam G-scale loco, I will go to Austria by car next spring and bring that one over. So may be in the mid term future I will look at G-scale again...

My garden in the UK is approximately the same size as in Italy - 550m2 - so no excuse in doing it :-)

Edited by Vecchio
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This DMU is looking strange, it has small power units - like mini locomotives- between the coaches.

Pretty sure that's a Stadler (Swiss) product. Various operators across Europe have them, including some in NL, and I think a similar principle is going to be used in the UK on the bi-mode (diesel and electric) units recently ordered for East Anglia, although there's not much info about on these yet.

 

PS Vecchio - did you know they named a bridge after you in Florence?

Edited by eastwestdivide
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Judge Dread,

  Yes, they are the old EM2s which used to work the Woodhead line. 6 out of the 7 ended up working for Dutch Railways for many years, and I wasn't the only one who spent many days travelling behind them somewhere between Venlo and Den Haag, the route upon which they spent most time.

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OK, this is not from Italy - but I think it is also worth being published.

Find here a class 52 goods engine taken by my father in 1967 - at the station Gesäuse Eingang

These locomotives were frequently used when I was a little boy - even in Vienna - we had a level crossing with a foot passenger bridge next to the school I went - and it was a courage test to stay there when a 52 went below....

post-29042-0-56128000-1479747323.jpg

 

 

 

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Today we are in Austria, I went through the old photo folders of my late father and found a few pictures.

 

The first is from the Mariazeller Bahn, a electric 760mm narrow gauge line in lower Austria. Hofstaetten 1994.

31334882050_668575b2ce_b.jpg20161217_225812

 

Now we are at the Semmering line. A 1042 exits Wolfsbergkogel tunnel direction Semmering 1994

 

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The next one is from  Krauselklause. taken in  1994

 

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Now we are at the Krausel tunnel, the shortest tunnel on the line. People think that Karl Ritter von Ghega left this piece of rock just as a feature. It would have been cheaper to blast it away instead of making a tunnel... Again a 1042 - which was the work horse for a long time at this line until it was replaced by the stronger 1044

 

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Edited by Vecchio
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Now let's have a look what is running there today - I was at my parents house in the mountains and brushed the leaves off the lawn - or let's say rather meadow - doing that I could hear if a train is coming and so I made a few snapshots with my phone. It was a cold and cloudy day, rather dark. Not the perfect photo conditions I am afraid.

 

Modern EMus have taken over the local trains - with is a pitty as these were the trains using sometimes rather old and weird locomotives.

 

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Long distance trains are mainly covered by the Railjet and its family. Here a Czech Railjet, with the usual 1016 (Taurus) in front going up the pass.

 

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A couple of 1044 go back down the pass to help the next heavy train to make it.

 

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A goods train hauled by a 1016 and a 1042 going down direction Vienna

 

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A private 1016 - from the logistic company LTE - goes up the pass alone

 

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Another EMU goes up the pass - just crossing the Wagner viaduct - one of the highest viaducts on the pass route.

 

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A Railjet - now in Austrian colors on its way down the pass

 

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And the usual 1016 is pushing it. View to the east with the ruin of castle Klamm and the first signs of snow on the Otter mountain in the back of the picture.

 

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And finally a goods train bringing some Seat cars over the pass.

 

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There have been a few more trains, but I wasn't fast enough to catch them. It is still a busy pass road, during the week is normally even more traffic.

To go back in time again: I found some more photos in my fathers photos, which i will show you another time.

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What do the small disks on the end of the train represent, please? The one with black & orangey/yellow segments.

I thought at first they meant "end of train" like the German red/white markers but some trains were clearly missing them and others, like Alcanman Mals appear to be at the front of the train!

Or, is it the orientation of these segments? Vertical orange = front, horizontal orange = rear. But why are some trains missing them?

Cheers,

John.

To answer this from last month, the disks mean that the train is fixed formation and operates as push-pull.

 

As regards Trenord, their E.464 locos and ETR425 sets are numbered part of the Trenitalia fleet and operate on a much larger network of routes than when it was Ferrovie Nord Milano, including services that used to be run by Trenitalia and covering most of Lombardia.

 

The E.402B locos have now been removed from Frecciabianca services and reallocated to the long distance passenger sector, the FB services now covered by cascaded E.414s in turn replaced by ETR500s following further deliveries of Frecciarossa 1000 sets.

 

Intercity now has too many locos, with the E.402A locos being converted to single cab E.401 to work push-pull and E.402B and E.403 for other services, so the antique E.444R locos should soon be withdrawn.

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Mmm, Semmering. It's on my wish list to do the walking trail alongside the summit section.

 

The road you see on the last photo is part of it. The metal pole with the yellow signs tells you the distance to the next stations - one direction north and one direction south. I did much of it but not all the path.The path follows small agricultural roads but sometimes it is also a small footpath trough woodland. You are not always able to see the trains, but you are always close to them. If you really do it let me know. I spent 3 month per year at this place when I was a boy....

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Kind of sad that the E444Rs will soon be withdrawn and that the E402As are being converted. I must admit that I preferred the E444 in their original form, in which they were an original and stylish looking loco, but the E444R is still a type I like. The E402A was one of my favourite locomotive designs of the new breed of three phase high performance Bo-Bo's.

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The original E444 was a lovely looking design, they carried a splendid livery too. ACME, Roco and Rivarossi make very nice HO models. The E444R lost the rather elegant curves of the original body but their angular look was quite striking. ACME, Roco and Rivarossi all also make very nice E444R models. Personally I like the ACME best whilst the Rivarossi versions can be found at prices which make them a steal but all three manufacturers offerings are very good IMO.

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Back to Austria and back in time. Today we are at Payerbach, this is the last station before the Semmering pass inclination starts. At this station a short 760mm, electrified narrow gauge line starts, which in the past transported raw material and ready made goods to a paper mill in Hirschwang as well as it brought tourists from the mainline station at Payerbach to the Rax cable car. The train has also the name Hoellentalbahn - which is the name of the valley between the mountains Rax and Schneeberg, the 2 highest mountains in Lower Austria. Hoellentalbahn translates as hell valley train.

I am not sure when these pictures have been taken, I suppose it was between 2000 and 2005.

 

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A rather functional electric loco, probably this loco did run the paper mill trains.

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I am not sure if the contact wire is still working, it is in place, but the train is pulled by a diesel

 

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Another view of the electric loco - the panto is up and the headlight is on - so probably it is still working.

 

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In the meantime I learned that most of the museum-traffic today is done by a tram like EMU which was the original passenger train on this line. So yes - the contact wire is still working...

Edited by Vecchio
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It would be interesting to know the date for those pictures, as the overhead electric was missing its pantograph and in need of a repaint when I visited Payerbach in August 2000.  Also worth mentioning is that the 2-10-2T steam loco 95.112 is plinthed there.

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Eddie, especially for you I have that one:

 

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Sorry for the picture quality - but these are my fathers old pictures copied to my phone. The class 82 (After the German occupation renamed in to class 95) was mainly used on the Semmering pass as a help to bring heavy trains over the pass.  

Edited by Vecchio
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Back up the Semmering line to Klamm, in 2008 some OHL maintenance was necessary.

 

This is the platform car I recently purchased in model form - but repainted in yellow. I suppose the pictures have been taken in 2008

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And here the newer and bigger brother - x552

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Not much space to work if there is a train on the other track.

31447767150_b7247403c9_b.jpg20161217_233711

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