Genova industrial links
Genova, with its hard geographical situation, has always exercised on me a particular interest - railway speaking. I was thinking about a trip here since a long ago, to catch the action on industrial links or on lines rarely used and still complicated to me in understanding their layout. My first interest was take pictures of trains travelling on these railways, in some cases just one time per day, and avoid the difficult of not being living in the area. After having kept some informations on timetables and other things (even if they have not been enough!), i went down directly to the station of Genova Bolzaneto, where some friends of mine told me about movements on the diesel line to Trasta and Campi Z.I.. In the yard of the station - placed on the beautifull Giovi line - were parked some shunters (pic1) of the class 216 and a big D.145, usually used right on this diesel route. Some coaches of various types were parked in the yard, coupled here and coming from diverse locations in the area, waiting an overhaul or some repairs made by the Trasta shop. I knew this movements were usually made around 11.00 a.m., but the station chief told me that because a failure on the D.145, right today they have to wait a free 245 unit from the near Rivarolo depot and the train will take place only in the noon, around 2.00 p.m.. Having already planned to remain here, i then went to the harbor area, with in my mind all those ancient images of the dock railways in the 60's/70's and of steam or diesel locos owned by IMA or Impresa Lagorara. Near the lifted highway area i noticed an electrified yard with many wagons parked there, under an old nice catenary, but with no activity at the moment. But among all cars i saw an orange flashing thing, so i stopped the car and tried to walk in to catch some photo. Only after i understood that all the area is behind the border line, severely guarded by a border military. Weared my famous iron-face, i was in to ask to the young military the permission to take pics in there, and after some phone calls he gaves me. So i started to walk all around the yard, where i found this modern diesel orange loco labeled 1058-xxxx owned by FerPort (FP, as the same of Ferrovie Padane!!)(pic5). Many spurs are hidden among piles and piles of containers, but no train were moving. All the yard is the base for the activity of important intermodal company called Messina, which has an its own dock with a railway system linked here. Leaved away this plant, i went searching the line connecting this system to FS lines. From the yard-beginning a double tracks electrified line cross a large street and pass in front to a brand new commercial area. Passed a level crossing the line comes to a junction: on the left a single diesel track layed in the asphalt reach the big intermodal facility, on the right these two electrified tracks negotiate a sharp curve pointing north and underpassing the Genova-Savona line, right in the same point where this last one pass across the Polcevera river with a iron bridge. In this same location these two lines are dominated and crossed out by a big iron viaduct of the line builted in the 30's and never opened to exercise of which are visible many other ruines around the city. While i'm waiting some train arriving, i visit the Messina terminal, where long freight compositions are shunted on docks and under cranes with diesel locos equal to that one i saw plus other two strange road-rail units with buffers. After twenty minutes - around 11.00 a.m. - a loaded train leaves the dock bound to the yard seen before, taking a full quarter minutes to clear the level crossing, with hapyness for all drivers in the area (pic6). The train then started to shunt in the yard, while a guy working for Messina society came to me giving some infos: just 15 minutes and a train from Sampierdarena will be arriving from the electrified line. Traction for these trains is in charge of D.145, even if just some days before due to some fault on these locos an electric ancient E.636 was used (!!). The FS train arrived in the yard and shunted for a while, turning back to Sampierdarena just after 20 minutes, along the line called "sommergibile" [submarine] because its underwatering on Polcevera river full loads (pic7). Again this Messina's worker tell me that the FerPort society works on these rails, on the links around the Darsena dock - where they unload coke from cargoes - and on spurs in the new Voltri harbor. In all yards locos are the same, except for one loco - bigger and older than others - rarely used on the Voltri link. Interested in catch even this unit, i went to Voltri, where i've found a reality in full growing: many new buildings, many freights stopped in the FS yard and the spur to the intermodal facility where at the moment no move was planned. The loco described by the guy was there, on a dead track outside the container area (pic9), while another again older - an Henschel labeled "Carlotta" - was parked just behind the fence (pic10). Turned back to Genova i've tried in every way to catch some of the big locos built in USA shunting in the huge steel mill ILVA in Cornigliano, where exist a vast network of rails. The only nice point to catch the action of these trains without entering the ILVA territory is FS station of Cornigliano, which is at a higher point respect the ILVA yard, even if the most interesting points are in other place (pic8). Between industrial spurs and shunting time was come, so i went back to Bolzaneto waiting the start of operations on Trasta line. From Rivarolo finally the 245 arrives and parks itself on the third track of the station, ready to couple the coaches stopped in the yard. I went on and placed my camera in rasta yard. The train is tweeting far away, as it cross some level crossings. The line is aside the Giovi one from the Bolzaneto yard for about a kilometer, then it turns right and cross the Polcevera on a single track bridge - used just for a pair of trains per day - and reach a crossing and then Trasta yard. Here i was and i shoot it (pic4). Trasta is a real station, with building, platforms and lights where are parked many freight wagons which are rarely used on the line to Campi Z.I., a prosecution of this branch along the left river of the Polcevera that links the system to Ansaldo factory and other firms. The 245 loco inverts direction, rounding around its short train and start moving on another short line connecting the Coach repair shop. This short trackage is incredible: after some meters on separate road bed the train comes to an old iron gate, railmen get down the train to open it and let the train pass. Track are laied down in the asphalt of a narrow street where normally circulate cars, pedestrians and even bus of urban AMT lines. Waiting the reception order from the Trasta shop, railmen light up a semaphoric system which block viability for the required time, so the train can enter the street - at really low velocity and with a railman walking along the track preceding the train - and then enter the gate of the coach shop. Here some shunts are done to let coaches under repair and take away those freshly outshopped, even with the help of a small 214 assigned there (pic2). It's 3.00 p.m. and the train is ready to go back to Bolzaneto, renegotiating the mixed part of trackage (pic3). Satisfied by the photo opportunity i then went on to Sori and Recco, to catch some lineside shots, but my desire of taking pictures in this area is not yet complete: i still have in my mind some images of trains on the industrial line to Campi Z.I. and and even other action in the harbor area, but about this i'll write another article!
