A TIP with the wheels lifted
TIP is the acronym that many years ago stand for
one of the greatest societies owners of tramway services, the "Tramvie
Interprovinciali Padane". The TIP - known like "the Interprovinciale" - born in
1882 when were fused some historical societies that began in 1878 to put down
tramway lines in all Lombardy. The companies of the Tramways di Vaprio, the
Pistorius Group, the Lombardy Road Railways Company managed 160 Kilometers of
lines, with 46 steam locomotives, 96 coaches and not less than 167 freight
wagons. Between the several lines, some will be then rebuilt to form the main
network of future interurban ATM: Milan-Vaprio, Cascina Gobba-Vimercate,
Milan-Cassano d'Adda-Treviglio and Treviglio-Caravaggio,
Bergamo-Treviglio-Lodi-Crema-Soncino and Milano-Lodi with the link
Melegnano-S.Angelo Lodigiano. The first closures were on the lines in southern
Milan, all shut down within 1931. The lines to the northeast of the city instead
were incorporated in the STEL and then in the ATM, ending however closed within
1978. At the beginning of the ' 900 nearly all the net of steam tramways of the
Milan area, under various societies (STEL, STIE, Edison), were in
electrification plan and in this panorama of modernization and reconstruction
remaining last managing with original steam locos and balcony coaches was
symptom of conservative or uninterested thinking to invest in your own business.
A partial remedy for TIP services was that one sawn in electric traction on
short distances, thanks to the elasticity of the electric exercise. The TIP was
searching for solutions to the overcrowding of the trains on the main lines,
Milan-Crescenzago and Milan-Rogoredo. The first draft was common to the longest
distances for Cassano and Vimercate. The steam trains for these two locality
were forced to heavy compositions, in order to accomodate the passengers who in
truth only travelled until Crescenzago, rendering empty entire coaches from here
until the end of the travel. In the opposite direction, the passengers directed
from Crescenzago to Milan didn't find place on long but already crowded trains.
The second line, until Rogoredo, was instead the nearset part to the city of the
Lodi line and had the same problems of the previous situation. Therefore it was
decided to institute some local runs, from Milan until Cresenzago and Rogoredo,
with high frequencies and added to the already existing runs along all the
lines. The local runs had necessarily to be carried out from electric equipment,
in order to guarantee speed in the maneuvers and the management, things that
with the steam could not be guaranteed. In the 1918 were electrified the two
drafts of the local runs: the line for Crescenzago had origin to TIP depot in
via Montenero n°40, covered the city tramroads of the circular line until P.ta
Venezia, where was a small station with two tracks for the pause of the trains.
From this point a single track covered C.so Buenos Aires, placed beside of the
two of the city Edison service, until the crossing with V.le Tunisia (where then
there was the railway bridge to Central station). After the bridge the track was
grafted on the those of Edison, so that TIP and Edison trams travelled in common
until P.le Loreto. From P.le Loreto the convoys of the local runs returned on
the single exisiting track along via Padova, ending the travel in actual via
Adriano area using a siding for backing the trains. The service on Rogoredo
instead was from the Depot of via Montenero along the already
existing tracks of the steam tramway, in common to Edison trams until Porta
Romana and from here until the beginning of Corso Lodi under the catenary put
down from the TIP. The terminus was also a siding. The supply of the current was
of Edison, to which the TIP corresponded a fee calculated on the consumptions:
seen the short extension of the two lines was not convenient to build a new
electrical station. The same economy of construction was applied in preparing
the electrical equipment on new units for these services. In fact 4 coaches with
2 axles and balcony were chosen, that were irrobustite and modified with
addition of the controls and the two traction motors - with 136hp and a maximum
speed of 48km/h, the closing of the front heads and the application of the
lights and of the trolley pole. Was also left the coupling system of origin with
center buffer, even if therefore was impossible coupling the Edison tramway
units to those of TIP. Beyond to these 4 units - classified A.1-a.4 - were
adapted some cars of the same series used for the engines, so to use them as
trailers. The units of the TIP, colored in elegant polish black with chassis and
wheels in light grey, saw very soon a change in livery, when already in 1920 the
line of Crescenzago became STEL. The line of Rogoredo instead was TIP at least
to all 1925, in 1926 it passed to the city exercise of Edison with number 32. In
spite of the subentrate societies had other units to dedicate to these services,
the scrapping of 4 former units TIP did not happen. Our units, numbered 1-4
under the STEL and still under the ATM, still were used on service duties. They
were equipped with the normal tram hook but maintained always the central
buffer, also because one of their duty was the trailing of trains with freight
wagons and of trains of coaches in exchange between the remained interurban
steam lines: before the ATM between the several tramway stations along the
circle line and then under the ATM between the depot in C.so Vercelli of the
line to Magenta (former MMC) and that one in Monza of the line for
Trezzo/Bergamo (former MTB). Except some sporadic episodes in time of war, ours
4 passenger trams didn't carry persons in service already in the 40's, being
excluded from lists compiled by same ATM. In a situation compiled in January
1957 the 4 cars were as
follow: 1 and 2 to the Depot Monza Borgazzi, 3 to the Depot Desio and 4 to the
Depot Varedo. Years 60's carried the massive closure of the interurban net, but
4 former TIP cars continued in their dark services of shunters. The closings and
the demolitions of older engines allowed in the 70's to reorder the allocation
of units in diverse depots: to the surviving depots of Desio and Varedo were
sended in 1973 some 4 axles Abbiategrasso units to work out shunting services
away from the small 1-4. These were scrapped in Desio in 1974, except one -
number 3 - bought that year from a private in Cusano Milanino. In the garden of
this private house was put down a tramway track of ten meters lenght and was
wired up a catenary, all in order to allow the engine to continue to work.
Having to use the domestic voltage of 220V, it was obligatory rebuilt the motors
to the new tension. Until 22 January 2005 the car has lived this calm old age
hidden to more. The ATM - in a moment of interest to its own historical memory -
started the negotiations in order to buy back the car to assign it to tourist
services, after a restoration. But the negotiations have not arrived to a
conclusion, so the owner of TIP.3 has donate it to the Museum of the
Communication of Cormano, a private museum that conserve comunication meanings
and transportation pieces. In the morning of 22 January begun a laborious
operation in order move the unit with a street trailer towards the new
destination. The escape from the narrow gate has obliged the raising of the car
with a street crane, than to half air it has allowed also the spin of 90° of the
tram, to allow putting it down on the street trailer parked before. The trip
with the exceptional transport travelled from Cusano Milanino to Cormano in
little time, arriving to destination around 10.00, a lot in advance on the
previewed times. Again through the crane, the TIP has been move to the inside of
its new house, on a rail long 15 meters. It received light damages in some
points of the external latten panels of the body, but the operation of the car
is guaranteed also for the future: the new owner is installing the catenary -
straight from reconstructed poles in cast iron - and a new shed in Liberty style
to
protect the old unit. For a tram close to the 90 years of existence, only 15 of
which passed transporting people, is a survival record! If you want to visit the
Museum of the Communication and see the old TIP, in via F.Filzi 33, reserved to
this number: 3358405192.