New freights in Padana flatland

Hot June on rails in Padania! Some completely new freight services have taken place, going to change the routine on many lines once considerated only branches to be closed. Since some months infact is started the first new freight train we are going to write in this issue: ballast trasportation for the new high velocity line among Casalpusterlengo and Ospedaletto Lodigiano, on Pavia-Codogno line (see also the June issue). As before reported, the ballast train arrives from Monday to Friday until Casalpusterlengo on VFaccs wagons trailed by E.405s directly from Trento Roncafort. Here a D.343 sended every morning from Cremona depot take charge of the train, forming the 91317 arriving in Ospedaletto around 8.30. The train is uncoupled on the second track and rapidly turned back to be conducted in the right way to the HV plant switch. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday there is another couple of train (92013) that has to be managed in the same way. On May 24 is also beginned another diesel freight service, departing early in the morning from Alessandria, from Monday to Saturday, to conduct 350meters of cars loaded with freshly new Toyotas to the new car facility in Chignolo Po. This new train is in charge to D.345s of Alessandria, which run along electrified lines until Pavia (via Tortona-Voghera) and from there again along the reborn Pavia-Codogno until the little station of Chignolo. Here the freight is received on the first track and directly sended on the industrial link. Inside the car facility the train is shunted and turned, so it exits from there ready to begin its opposite trip. These trains are numbers 90029 and 91028 and often they travel in advance respect timetables. Another great new in this hot summer is playing on secondary lines among Brescia, Cremona, Piadena and Torrile. Along the not electrified line Brescia-Parma is diverted since some months one of the many Ferrovie Nord Milano Cargo trains. A double heading of DE.520 is infact used to trail from Monday to Saturday the train 48005 made up by 15/20 double automobile wagons loaded with new Renaults. In the beginning this train rolls along Milano-Bologna line until Parma, to arrive in Torrile S.Polo yard. Then - due to HV line works - has been diverted via Milano-Brescia-Piadena. So it's now possible to watch the passing by of really heavy freights on this line, which has seen until now only the daily couple of coils trains pulled by worn-out D.343s. The 48005, once arrived in Torrile, is shunted directly from heading locos on the link and then parked in the yard waiting the returning trip made in night hours. The Torrile auto facility is also served by FS Cargo, even if with some difficulties. FS freights infact, after having reached Parma with electric locos, were in the past sended to Torrile with a D.145 shunter assigned to Parma right for this meaning. Since the trackage has been closed for the HV works, FS Cargo is forced to "circumnavigate" the interruption with 3 new couples of freigth. Trains number 95062/63, 95064/65, 95066/67 and opposite 91200/201, 91202/203 and 91204/205 are all diesel hauled by D.345s arrived here from Livorno depot. They travel in diverse timing Monday to Saturday from Parma to Torrile via Fidenza, Cremona, Piadena, this for the entire period of the High Velocity line works, about 36 months. More....While waiting the departure of new freights operated by RTC with its new D.753s between Brescia and Ghedi, the last new event is playing from June, 20. A new train Rovigo-Legnago-Mantova-Piadena-Torrile carrying soya has been introduced by Sistemi Territoriali (ST). It runs only on Sundays with 93028/29 and 91208/209 numbers and it's made only by 2 axles hoppers for not less than 400/450meters of lenght. The train departs from Rovigo very early in the morning to reach Torrile around 12.00, even if until now it has always been in advance. The trip of this freight cannot be defined easy: ST crew have to change direction 2 times each trip, one in Mantova and then in Piadena station. Once arrived in Torrile the train is shunted on 3 dead tracks in southern end of the station directly by ST D.753, which has before taken up the empty cars. The loaded hoppers will be successively trailed by a Badoni critter in the industrial link to Veronesi silos plant. Great vitality on lowland rails, as you can guess. But to manage all this traffic RFI have had to work hardly on some station trackage layout: in Piadena tracks 5 and 6 have been extended to accomodate longer consists, in S.Giovanni in Croce works are still in place to rehabilitate the crossing point, in Casalmaggiore has been linked and fixed up the track number 4 and finally in Torrile a new dead track have been realized north of the building, to receive short passenger trains without engaging other precious meters of rails. This because to all these trains we have talked about, we have to add the usual freight traffic: steel freights Brescia-Piadena, Cremona-Casalmaggiore and Mantova-Bozzolo-Casalmaggiore all played by D.343s. So we can say that these lines are finally living another golden age, representing also the only geographical point where not less than 4 operators are meeting with their diverse locos and liveries and even - by now - the real heaven of "Brejilovci" D.753 locos!

Go to see the pictures here