PAVIA - ALESSANDRIA
Lomellina. Land of rivers and rice culture. This is the scenery for this branch line, quietly living among farmers and pendulars. 44 kilometers of single track cutting from east to west the Padana's plain to reach Valenza and then Alessandria. Typical diesel rolling stock are last ALn.668.1500, ALn.668.1700 and D.345 locos for freights, while on the few runs of loco hauled trains are used D.445 locos from Torino depot. Until 90's ALn.773 were the best used railcars, before them were ALn.990. Reborn in 1992 after 2 years closure for working to update track and equipment, all stations are now centrally controlled and have simplified track's plains. 13 couples of trains - 4 of them are loco hauled - serve the line. Plus - from monday to saturday - 3 couples of freights travel from Alessandria to Sannazzaro d.B., picking up tank cars to Sannazzaro's refinery. One couple of these is operated by new operator DFG, even if still with FS Cargo units. D.345 pull these freights; same engines pulled locals formed by X coaches and, in winter months, heater cars. Now these trains are made by push-pull combo and D.445. From Pavia the track leaves the Milano - Genova line after some parallel kilometers and goes in a cutting until Cava Carbonara, junction to the Vercelli's branch. Here the track lay on a little strip of ground between rice water that - overall in spring months - seems a still sea. Track get Zinasco and after some stops reaches Sannazzaro de' Burgundi. This is the first station of a certain importance from Pavia, here wagons go to the refinery. After Sannazzaro the line goes side by side to the state road, resting a bit hidden among trees and depressions. Then we arrive to Ferrera Lomellina and Lomello, again travelling among flat lands and rice fields. We get then Mede's station - in the typical '800 style - and after the forgotten stop of Castellaro, lost in the wood. Here a steep grade takes rails to Torreberretti's junction - on the Mortara - Alessandria line - and from here trains will do their travel under 3000V wire reaching Valenza and finally Alessandria. To get best photo-locations, you can easily trip on state route from Pavia to Alessandria. In this way you can get line's stations or - if you take country roads - many crossings or side view on rice fields. Best period to trip here is April, when water in rice fields is high and clear. In September/October cut rice stubbles are so yellow that overcast shots are so nice you can imagine. Summer months are not good to trip here because moist and sultry weather get subhuman levels. Have nice shots!