More Preserved Steam in Italy

As James Waite commented at the start of his report on a visit to the Naples Railway Museum, "Information about preserved steam in Italy has never been easy to obtain."

The domain photorail.com was 'not found' by November 2020, as such all the links to it below will be broken.

For those (like me) whose Italian is strictly limited, Stefano has provided a page of information on Italian Railway Heritage and Preservation.

The major museums are:

• Museo Ferroviario Piemontese, with two locations: the open to public one is in Savigliano (Cuneo) and the oldest and now reserved one is in old Ferrovia Torino-Ceres former station, in Torino. This last place is sometime opened to public, as they did some days ago to show last pieces restored. You can see their pages here: www.museoferroviariopiemontese.com. Here are some pictures of their items: http://www.photorail.com/phr0/esteroemusei/museo_ferroviario_piemontese.htm.
• Museo Scienza e Tecnica di Milano, near S.Ambrogio Abbey in Milan. This is the oldest railway museum in Italy, having opened in 1968. Here are some photos of their collection:
  http://www.photorail.com/phr0/esteroemusei/museo_scienza_milano.htm.
• Museo Trieste Campo Marzio, located in the old Sudbahn station in Trieste. It's regularly opened and sometime they play some steam or vintage electric trains around the city with circular tour on lines usually closed to passengers. Here is their page: www.ferstoria.it.  Here some images: http://www.photorail.com/phr0/esteroemusei/museo_trieste_campo_marzio.htm. 

Plus many locos and coaches are kept inside structures all over Italy, maintained by Associations of Volunteers and occasionally used on charters or vintage trains. Many of these are in running condition. Some of these plants open their doors every year to public. Most important are in: Bussoleno (Torino), Luino (Varese), Tirano (Sondrio), Rimini, La Spezia, Pistoia (centre of steam repairs for Italy), Taranto.

If you need the really updated situation of historic material in Italy, please take a look to this section of my forum (in Italian): http://smf.photorail.com/index.php?board=72.0 with also a PDF: http://smf.photorail.com/index.php?topic=8297.0. Updated agenda for special trains is here, now waiting for 2012 programs: http://smf.photorail.com/index.php?board=68.0. (These links all amended 20th December 2011.)

Stefano has sent the following list of steam specials for Autumn 2008, note that about half are private charters (note original, now amended schedule below):

This is the updated calender of steam heritage trains. Note the "look a like plandampf" along the Reggio Emilia ACT line, with FS 685 and CCFR.7. Plus in Milano Smistamento event (11 and 12 October) there will be at least three locos: 685.089, 880.051, 625.177 plus non FS MFP T.3. These will assure some short shuttle services inside the yard.

Sunday 28/9

640.143 + 100porte + DUz Torino PN 9.00-Bra 10.30/19.00 a/r
625.177 Bergamo-Sarnico a/r 
740 Bassano d.G.-Feltre a/r (da confermare)
685.089 Roma 8.10-Cassino 11.00-17.00 a/r 50° GRAF

CCFR.7 Reggio Emilia 14.20-Guastalla 15.20/18.20 a/r 125° CCFR - p. da Reggio ore: 13.45, 17.40 p. da Guastalla ore: 15.50, 19.02
685.196 Reggio Emilia-Guastalla a/r 125° CCFR - p. da Reggio ore: 9.55, 14.40 p. da Guastalla ore: 13.30, 18.04

ALn.1204 (Schienenbus) Reggio Emilia-Guastalla a/r 125° CCFR - p. da Reggioore: 15.40, 19.35 p. da Guastalla ore: 17.23

Revised IGE schedule:

1st October

E.626 Brennero-Bolzano by IGE (treno arrivato a Brennero con OBB 1020)

2nd October

E.626 Bolzano-Trento by IGE
740.038 + 293 Trento-Bassano d.G.-Cittadella-Vicenza by IGE°

3rd October

740.293 Vicenza-Verona-Modena by IGE
E.428.226 Modena-Bologna-Faenza by IGE
741.120 Faenza-Firenze by IGE
685.089 Firenze-Siena by IGE

4th October

685.089 + 148 Siena-Asciano-Siena by IGE

5th October

685.089 Siena-Pistoia by IGE
E.428.014? Pistoia-Bologna by IGE
685.196 Bologna-Rimini by IGE
740.409 Rimini 8.20-Faenza 9.45-Marradi 11.00/17.00 a/r
E.636.243 + UIC X + E.??? Cremona-Mantova-Monselice-Ferrara a/r

6th October

685.196 Rimini-Ravenna-Rovigo by IGE
740.038 Rovigo-Legnago-Verona by IGE

7th October

E.645.104 + 090 Verona-Brennero by IGE

12th October

New round trip in Trieste

728.022 Trieste C.M. 9.00-Villa Opicina-Trieste C.le 11.00
728.022 Trieste C.le 14.00-Villa Opicina-Trieste C.M. 16.00
740.409 Rimini 8.20-Faenza 9.45-Marradi 11.00 a/r

This is the original schedule:

27 September: FS 640.143 Torino-Bra and back (public)
28 September: FS 625.177 Milano-Sarnico and back (public)
28 September: FS 685.089 1-3-1 Roma-Cassino and back (50 years of the oldest railfan group GRAF but not precluded to non-members)
11 and 12 October: Open doors in Milano Smistamento, with 30 historic locos, 5 of which will be steamers (public: info http://www.milanosmistamento.com. This is organized by me and some friends)
from 16 to 20 October: steam on Sardinian FDS (RTC charters)