This
page is ligtly different from the others, since currently has no
images.
The reason is that I traveled on this line on this entire extension just
by chance, and had no camera with me, anyway I choosed to write this as
a short "travelogue" just to suggest someone to get pictures,
on convince my wife to do a ride.
I rode from Aulla to Lucca southbound for about 90 km.
The first part, about 12 km, have no special interests, only one is the
water column at Monzone, of a type that i could see in italy for the first
time, since the pipe is directly connected to the reservoir, and swing
on two axes
Later we found Equi Terme, with its low station and after a first quite
long tunnel Minucciano.
You must be careful to get the view just between the exit of the tunnel
and the station.
This section of line was opened only on 1952.
After the longer (about 8km) tunnel in the line you arrive at piazza al
Serchio, in origin the northern terpinal of the line, and the place where
you enter in the Garfagnana (upper valley of Serchio).
From a railway point of view you find am unusual iron water reservoir,
a small depot and a tiny roundtable to reverse small steamers.
Going ahead you find the former station, now only a stop as many of the
smaller stations in this line, of Camporgiano then the line coast the artificial
lake of Pontecosi (look at the stone bridge just a few cm above the water)
and arrive at Calstelnuovo Garfagnana, the most important station in the
line, where you found another unusual water column with 2 axes movement.
The first km after Castelnuovo are among the most scenic of the line.
After Bagni di Lucca (that has two standar water column and a tall octagonal
water reservoir) the line go or right bank of serchio and after a few artificial
tunnels pass under the so called "ponte del Diavolo" a stone
bridge of XIV century with a large arch and another smaller arch built
in XIX century to let the railway pass under it, giving it a typycal camel
shape.
Then Borgo a Mozzano, Diecimo pescaglia, S.Pietro a Vico and you enter
in Lucca
From lucca you go ahead to Pisa on the Pisa-Pistoia-Lucca-Pisa line, that
follows for some km the left bank of Serchio.
The line is now for 7 km double traked, in common with the Lucca Viareggio,
althought the twu lines ara banalized, so if there are two trains leaving
at the same time they run parallel.
Just above the station of ripafratta there is an interesting steel-congrete
bridge of the old trackage of the Firenze-Migliarino higway, now abandoned.
At Pisa you arrive at pisa S. Rossore station,
that is in the center of a wye. You then run for 3 km along the Spezia-Pisa
line.
After the bridge on the river arno you have
on right the two track of freight bypass to livorno and you are inside
Pisa central station.
