Trieste's Opticima Tramway

[daveklepper]

From Jack May

Sunday, April 3

I specifically scheduled a Sunday for my trip to Trieste, because its remaining tramway line operates at the same

20-minute frequency all seven days of the week, while most other transit systems run reduced schedules on the

"day of rest."  Trieste is about 100 miles from Venice and Trenitalia gets you there in just under two hours. 

Service is hourly, but with a few gaps.

While Clare chose to sleep in before continuing her examination of Venice's large assortment of museums, I decided to

ride the 7:53 to Trieste, and so I participated in the hotel's buffet breakfast at about 7:15.  My push-pull train, consisting

of an electric locomotive and a string of coaches, stopped at 7 intermediate stations before arriving at Trieste Centrale

about two minutes early at 9:44.  The line is mainly double track and passes through acres of farmland.  Unlike in

Venice, the sky was blue, but clouds appeared to be closing in.  It was a five-block walk to the Trieste-Opicina

tramway's terminal station.

Trieste is a city of 200,000 close to the border between Italy and Slovenia--in fact possession of the city was disputed

after World War II between loser Italy and winner Yugoslavia, which was just the opposite of World War I when Italy

was on the winning side in the conflict against Germany and Austria-Hungary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Territory_of_Trieste andhttps://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1981&dat=19541005&id=ym0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4doFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1062,3548417&hl=en).  I suspect Trieste

would now be part of Slovenia had it not been for the cold war--Yugoslavia had become part of the Communist bloc and

the west was not about to allow it to gain additional land.  The city is a major port and has a very busy harbor.  Italian

is the dominant language in the urban area, while Slovene is widely spoken in the suburbs.

The city's regular standard-gauge tramway network quit in 1970, but the independent meter-gauge line to Villa Opicina

continued in operation because it could not easily be replaced by buses.  Its direct route calls for the streetcars to be

propelled by a cable-powered funicular that cuts through the topography, climbing for a little over 500 feet from the

lowlands of the city, which is at sea level.  The line is a little over 3 miles long, has 13 stops and is mostly single track,

with a few intermediate passing locations.  The streetcars operate onto the funicular track under their own (550-volt

overhead) power, while new, automatically-controlled (driverless) tractors either push them up or hold them back from

rolling down the steep grade, which reaches a maximum of 26 percent.  The remainder of the line climbs gradually

along regular adhesion trackage, which is in pavement in Trieste, and on private right-of-way in Villa Opicina.

I had ridden it twice before, but being in the neighborhood prodded me to visit this unusual tramway once more.  And

since my last sojourn the line had obtained new, automatically-operated tractors for its funicular portion.  The Stanga-

built streetcars remain the same, although they've been renovated at various times since their construction in 1935. 

Interestingly, the double-ended rolling stock has doors (3) only on one side, as all platforms are located on the western

side of the line's predominantly north-south alignment and there are no loops.  (The only other line I recall riding with

that kind of configuration was the local route in Gmunden, Austria, but now it has been extended with modern double-

sided low-floor cars--of course the Glasgow subway had that feature for many years.)  The line was built in 1902 and 

until 1928 operated as a rack railway along the section that is today's funicular.  In 1961 it was acquired by the city and

assigned route number 2.

The city terminal at Piazza Oberdan has two tracks but only one is used regularly, as the schedule calls for a 20-

minute headway with only a 6-minute layover.  I arrived in time to photograph the incoming tram, first trundling down the

street, and then again alongside the attractive terminal.  The building has a small cafe and ticket office/newsstand,

which also sells souvenirs, including books and postcards of the iconic line.  I purchased a day ticket at 4.25 euros

and would buy some other items upon my return.  I boarded just in time for the car's 10:11 departure, with a small

Sunday load of both tourists and local residents aboard. 

We headed along Via Giosue Carducci, the only perfectly flat section of the line, for about 2 blocks, and then up the

relatively steep and narrow Via Martiri della Lieberta to Piazza Cassali, at the foot of the funicular.  This is the only

section of the line in pavement, and in fact is very short in length, with the single track mostly separated from motor

traffic by low concrete islands.  Then we joined the steep funicular trackage, operating for just a few yards over a curve

and a connecting switch onto the cable right-of-way.  We came to a stop and then rolled backwards, coming to rest

touching the front of the tractor located at the foot of the cable, on what could be considered technically as a siding. 

The operator did not move from his position and apparently runs the tractor remotely.  He probably pressed a button

after coming to a halt, while the corresponding operator of the tram at the top of the funicular did likewise.  Soon we

were being pushed up the single track by the tractor, which is permanently connected to its cable.  I had competed

with a tourist with a video camera for a position immediately behind the motorman and to his right (where a door would

have existed had the cars not been single sided).  I let him have the unimpeded view, as I could see around him, but

that made it a bit difficult to photograph the oncoming car when the line fanned into double track for passing (but I got

the full use of the window when I made another round trip later).  There are two intermediate stations on the cable

section.  After the two cars passed, instead of reverting to single track, the line's tracks run close together but stay

separate, which leaves room for only single-direction travel until the summit.  Some beautiful views of the city below

can be enjoyed from the west (door) side of the car on this section of the line. 

The simplicity of the automatic operation was evident when we stopped at Vetta Scorcola, the top station, where the

operator just wound up the controller and we were on our way.  No need to uncouple as we were just being pushed up

the grade.  The remainder of the line is single track with three passing sidings, and is located primarily at the sides of

roads, but it also has some traditional private right-of-way.  The terminal at Villa Opicina consists of the single track

ending at a bumper block in front of a building similar to the one in Trieste.  Just prior to the platform a lead fans out

into a 5-track carhouse.  One unit of the 6-car fleet was in the yard, beautifully spotted in the sunlight for photos.  The

ride had taken about 25 minutes, and we passed two inbound cars along the way.

I broke up my return trip with a combination of walking, riding and photographing.  I first ambled downgrade along the

track at the side of Via Nazionale for three stops to Obelisco, where I was able to get a few hazy views of the city and

harbor below.  I did some doubling back and forth for a few more photos, and on one journey was joined by a lady with

a young beagle, which I duly photographed after they alit at Obelisco.  For the record, at the summit of the funicular

inbound cars just roll slowly into the tractor, which holds them back while descending.  At the foot of the funicular, after

coming to a stop on the siding, the cars operate backwards over the switch, then reverse direction and head for the

downtown terminal.  While I was riding the shadows were disappearing due to high cloudiness, which gradually

thickened.  I took some slides of the activities at the foot of the funicular before walking back to the terminal to buy

some souvenirs and then continued on to the railway station.

Trenitalia was fouled up, and the 13:15 train I planned to ride didn't leave until 14:15, while the departure board indicated

the 14:15 would start out 40 minutes late.  My train arrived in Mestre at 16:00 (15:08) and I noticed that the 14:15 from

Trieste was now marked only 20 minutes late.  It was sunny in Venice, so before meeting Clare back at our hotel I

spent the rest of the afternoon riding and photographing the southern end of tram line 2, including the portal of the

subway that runs under the mainline railroad tracks. .

We were both a bit tired and decided to have dinner in our hotel's restaurant.  This virtually concluded the Venetian portion of our trip, save for our breakfast and check-out the following morning.  We enjoyed seeing this city of canals very much.



Stazione Ferroviaria Trieste was built in 1857 and was restored and renovated in 2007.  It is huge inside, but does not serve too many trains.


A hazy view of the city of Trieste from suburban Villa Opicina at Obelisco station.



Inbound Stanga-built car 402 is shown on the final leg of its journey from Villa Opicina to Piazza Oberdan on this quiet Sunday morning.  



Streetcar No. 404 has taken the switch at the foot of the funicular and is now heading for downtown Trieste.  Tractor No. 1 is alongside on the 'siding,' having just completed its service as a buffer for the passenger car as it descended.  It will wait for the 404 to return so it can push the tram back up.




Above and below:  Views at the foot of the funicular showing new (2005) tractor No. 2 and the stub switch in both its positions.  The trough guiding the cable is also shown. 






A view from an inbound streetcar that has just passed its outbound counterpart at the halfway point on the funicular connecting the center of Trieste with the northern suburbs of Cologna and Villa Opicina.

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:  Two views just north of the Campo Sportivo stop in Cologna.  In the upper view, car 404 heads inbound along single track prw after having crossed Via Commerciale at grade.  Outbound car 406 is shown at that crossing below.






The carhouse and terminal building in Villa Opicina.  Some passengers have a last cigarette prior to boarding No. 402 for their ride to the center of Trieste.



Two passengers alighting at the Obelisco stop of the Trieste-Opicina tramway.  Three similar beagles permitted us to live with them while our kids were growing up.

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[RME]

Will someone on a regular computer please indicate if they can see the pictures Dave has posted?  I'm on a hotel system and can't access them (they just have the red=box X that says Windwoes can't load them)

[MidlandMike]

Looking at this post on my laptop, when I click on a photo icon, I get a screen that says "access denied".

[Electroliner 1935]

You might try these Youtube video's of the line. They show very well how the slugs operate. Only thing I would like some clarity on is how the cable is passed through the switches (the one at the bottom and the one at the center bifurcation.) Thanks Dave for telling us about this lovely little line. Only dislike was the sound trak. First is of the down ttram and second is the up tram. There is an older video (film) from '95 that shows a different slug that had a cab with a pantograph.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1grKGr3EsyY

And

https://www.youtube.com/watech?v=9YzD6R_2F68