Empoli-Siena:
a trip in the hearth of Toscana
On
a rainy day of 1987 ... I was then unmarried :-( , so i had much more free
time :-) i decided to do a round trip by train, Firenze-Empoli-Siena-Sinalunga-Arezzo-Firenze.
My only companion for the trip was a TV camera, and I shot about 1 hour
of images.
This is a virtual rail-trip that I wish to share with you.
The trip from Firenze to Empoli has nothing in this page. I will put manyimages
when I will have ready the Firenze-Pisa-Livorno
line. I did in 1989 on a special trip for the 150 years of railways in
Italy, so when I will have the time to scan all images i got in the occasion
I will put here.
The line from Empoli to Siena-Chiusi was built in 1859, it was in origin
single track steam operated. It part from Empoli, althought for about 2
km it run parallel to Pisa line, then bend south to Poggibonsi and Siena.
There is a passenger train aboput every hour, most of then using either
D445+reversible composition, or triples of Aln663.
At the time when i did the trip the ALn 663 was just beginning doing their
apparition, so most of train were made with the older 668 of which you
can see the interior
The line after Empoli touchs Ponte ad Elsa, staying along the town,
look at the typycal orchard along the railway.
then Granarolo. After Granarolo I saw the works for the double-tracking
of this line. The double track has been built from Granarolo to Certaldo,
about 21 km, to improve regularity of traffic. It has been opened in 1992
and after the full electrification of the Bari-Lecce line in 1996 has remained
the only double track line in Italy not yet electrified.
On 20 june 2006 even the section from Certaldo to poggibonsi have been
doubled.
On the left you see the stairs and the new overpass at Cambiano, a stop
built between Granarolo and Castelfiorentino, while at right the works
for the new shed on platform on 2nd and 3rd track in the station of Castelfiorentino.
Next station is Certaldo, the birthplace of Boccaccio. It has a own-style
station and here end double track. Currently (1999) it is the only double
track in Italy not under the catenary (together with the 3 km from Firenze
Cascine to Porta al Prato)
After leaving
Certaldo (note for tourists: There is a well equipped tourist information
office just below the arches) one arrive to Poggibonsi. The
track you see on the picture below on right is the one
that went to Colle Val D'Elsa, that is closed since 1986. This line
had closed to rectify the track, works began, there were some geotechnic
problem in a new tunnel, and work stopped, but line was never reopened
either in the new or olth trackage. Even Colle di val d'Elsa have a nice
station. I will post sometime a good picture. This curve is the tightest
in main lines in Toscana, In origin the short line was exerced by another
railway, and they had another station, so this was just a link to exchange
cars
The train waited for a meet, then left to Siena. In italy, althought last
regular steam services is back in the seventies, the water column are kept
in working state in almost all stations where they was, and only a few
have been removed from service. Sometimes i will do a page on water columns
and water towers ...
Now we are at Siena. The building of the station of Siena is of the
same epoch of the ones of Firenze and Montecatini
centrale and many others rebuilt in the thirties.
Siena is also the place of the most important (and the only one that
does maintenance) diesel deposit in Toscana.
But pictures for this and the rest of the trip in another page
Siena locomotive depot and trip to
Sinalunga