The Monserrato Railway Museum, Sardinia

James Waite visited the museum as part of his trip to Sardinia in May 2009. See also Clive Hepworth's visit in June 2017.

The Sardinian narrow gauge railway museum is a no-expenses-spared place built with EU funding. It opened in 1996 as a part of the tourist initiative which also saw the restoration to working order of several Sardinian steam locos, the reconstruction of vintage carriages and the introduction of regular tourist trains over some of the most scenically spectacular of the island’s narrow gauge lines which had been closed to everyday traffic. It’s located at Monserrato, alongside the FdeS station and the railway’s main running sheds and repair shop in the northern outskirts of Cagliari.

Much of the museum building is devoted to small exhibits and displays but the main attraction for most of us will be the rolling stock hall. This houses several items of passenger and freight stock and also 2-6-0T no. 43 (SLM 857/1894) and 2-6-2T no.402 (Reggio Emilia 135/1931), No. 43 is one of one of a class of 47 locos built by SLM in the early days of the Sardinian narrow gauge. It was such a large order for them that they opened a base at Naples where the locos were assembled. No. 402 was the last narrow gauge steam loco to be built for the island. Both locos were runners until the early 2000’s and there’s a plan to restore them to working order when funds permit. No. 400, another of the 1931 2-6-2T’s is still in working order. It’s based at the museum and may be on display there when it’s not out on the line although it spends some of its time at Mandas depot or in the main running shed at Monserrato. Also on display is a beautifully restored old Fiat car with rail wheels which dates from the 1930’s and was used for many years as the general manager’s inspection saloon.

Outside are three of the unusual O&K Klien-Lindner 2-8-0T’s, no’s. 300 (5758/1914), 302 (7721/1914) and 303 (7724/1914), dumped in very decrepit condition. Much rebuilt over the years this class of four locos was designed for use on the hilly and bendy Arbatax branch. They worked there for many years although towards the end of their careers in the late 1960’s they appear to have spent much of their time on pick-up freights on the more level section south of Mandas. No. 301, the fourth member of the class, is dumped at Mandas depot. Stored next to them is a very small O&K 4w diesel, one of five built as 900mm gauge machines for Carbonia colliery in 1953 and transferred to the main line and regauged to 950mm between 1958 and 1962. At the opposite end of the yard is no. 202, an 0-4-4-0 Mallet tank whose origins are unclear but which may be Henschel 11669/1913. It’s in slightly more complete condition, at least externally, than the 2-8-0T’s.

The northern suburbs of Cagliari are a maze of small streets many of which wind around for a considerable distance and then come to a dead end. We spent an hour or more trying to find our way to the museum from our hotel near the waterfront. En route we stumbled upon FCS 2-6-0T no. 7 (Breda 1543.1914) which now lives on a plinth on a roundabout at Pirri about 1km south of the museum though it’s not at all easy finding your way there from Monserrato. There’s a lot to be said for travelling to the museum by an FdeS train or on the new Cagliari Metro which shares the FdeS station. If you’re using a car it would probably be easiest to go round the Cagliari bypass and then head towards the city at the Monserrato turn. From there it’s only a few hundred metres to the museum. The signposting is not good but the museum and station are a short distance to the left of the level crossing on the road in from the bypass.

One final tip – the locos are well-lit but somewhat hemmed in. Take a wide angle lens.

While in Cagliari don’t forget that FS 2-8-0 no. 744.003 lives on a plinth and occupies a large part of the concourse at the main FS station by the waterfront. These locos, which date from the 1920’s, are more modern and considerably larger than the more familiar 740 class of 2-8-0’s and worked regularly on Sardinia until the closing days of steam. Only a handful have survived into preservation anywhere in Italy. No. 740.423 has recently been restored to working order by the local enthusiasts club. It’s kept at the main loco depot but its scope for operation over the FS lines on the island must be in doubt in view of FS’s new anti-steam policy.

402 inside the museum. The displays were most effective here though most of the tracks were empty as I think 400 and two preserved carriages normally live there when not in use. The second carriage was in Mandas depot and presumably the RTC trip didn't produce enough passengers to warrant its use.

The Swiss loco in the museum. There was a professional photoshoot going on here with a model posing on the loco footplates and on one of the coach balconies and apart from us they were the only visitors. They seemed to feel free to move onto the locos etc. where I was photographing without worrying about spoiling my shots at all, but maybe I'm just getting crochety in my old age!

FCS 0-4-4-0 Mallet tank no. 202. No-one seems to know the origin of this engine but it may be either a Henschel or a Borsig and possibly came from the Italian mainland and then onto the Ferrovie Monteponi, a coal railway in the south east of the island. Incidentally this line was the oldest railway in the island and probably the oldest ng line in the country. It dates back to the days of horse traction. It was metre gauge, measured from the rail centres or 960mm gauge using the normal measuring system. This became 950mm when the line was relaid with heavier rails, still measuring 1 metre from the rail centres. It's supposed to have been the origin of the Italian 950mm gauge as the oldest ng line in the country whose gauge was adopted as a national standard.

This shows what must be two of O&K's more unusual products. The steam loco is another of the 2-8-0T's. The 4w diesel is one of five (works no's. 25356-60) built in 1953 as 900mm gauge locos for Carbonia coal or lignite mine in the south west of the island and which were purchased by the FCS in 1958 and converted to 950mm gauge.