Switzerland - Centovallibahn / Valle Vigezzo railway
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Centovallibahn / Valle Vigezzo railway from Locarno to Domodossola
The Centovallibahn, in Italy known as the Vigezzo valley railway, runs from Locarno in Switzerland to Domodossola in Italy.
Two companies operate trains on the line in perfect harmony: The
Swiss Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi (FART)
and the Italian
Società Subalpina di Imprese Ferroviarie S.p.A. (SSIF). Their trains look like each other and sometimes
some trains have also been moved from one company to the other. For the occasional tourist they look like just one railroad
company. To add even more confusion, SSIF uses the marketing name "Ferrovia Panoramica Domodossola-Locarno" when
marketing their new panorama trains. And what is more, also the tram company of Locarno used to run on the same railroad
in the past.
The line is 52 km long and it passes the Vigezzo valley on the Italian side and the Centovalli valleys (Centovalli means a
hundred valleys) on the Swiss side.
It was opened in 1923. It's built as a metre gauge line and it's electrified nowadays with the really exotic 1350 V DC.
Some of the trains run all the way between Locarno and Domodossola, but there are also trains that run just on the Swiss
section, from Locarno to Camedo, by the Swiss/Italian border.
This is a part of the very newest trains on the Centovalli line. SSIF bought in 2012 three new so called panoramic trains.
They are fixed sets of four coaches and the motorised coach can be seen here. It is of the type ABe 4/6. They were built
by Officine Ferroviaire Veronesi and Skoda.
Picture of an SSIF ABe 4/6 at Camedo 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
SSIF's four coach new panoramic train. Passengers have to pay a hefty extra fee to be able to travel with these new panorama
trains.
Picture of an SSIF ABe 4/6 at Camedo 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
Side view of two of the four coaches of a new panorama train.
Picture of an SSIF ABe 4/6 at Camedo 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
FART's ABe 4/8 is meeting SSIF's panorama train at Camedo. These ABe 4/8 trains were built by Ateliers Vevey and ABB in 1992-94
and they were modernised in 2011. There are three of them. It's a fixed two-coach unit.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
Side view of one of the FART's ABe 4/8 trains.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
FART's ABe 4/8 no.52 leaving the station of Camedo.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
FART's ABe 4/6 no.55 at the end station in Locarno. These trains were built by Ateliers Vevey and ABB 1992-94. Three of them
were modified to become ABe 4/8 in 2009, including this individual.
Picture from Locarno 20.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.
FART's ABe 6/6 is a long wagon with a bending joint in the middle. Here one of them is seen together with two 1920s passenger coaches.
This motor wagon is from 1963.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
FART's old ABe 6/6 is meeting one of the newer ABe 4/8 trains.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
FART's old ABe 6/6 no.31 "Ticino" seen from really close by.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
The exactly same train was marked as ADe 6/6 no.31 in 2002.
Picture from Locarno 19.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.
FART's ABe 6/6 ready to leave back towards Locarno. Note how the young passenger girl has to climb to get onboard.
It's definitely not a low-floor train.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
The driver's cockpit of FART's ABe 6/6.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
The fixed bending joint in the middle of FART's ABe 6/6. High tech from the 1960s.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
SSIF's ABe 4/8 no.23 "Ossola" was in 2002 still the newest train that did the run-through of the whole route from Locarno
all the way to Domodossola. Note the Italian flag at the front instead of the "Schweizerwappen".
Picture from Locarno 19.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The same SSIF's ABe 4/8 no.23 "Ossola" seen from the other side.
Picture from Locarno 19.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Two old coaches of SSIF, attached here to the 1960s FART ABe 6/6. These coaches are from the year 1923.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
Inside view of a 1923 model coach. This is the third class, everything beautifully restored.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
Inside view of a 1923 model coach. This is the first class.
Picture from Camedo station 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
A view underway from Camedo to Locarno..
Picture 6.10.2020 by Stefano Bressanelli.
In times long gone by, also trams of Locarno used to run on the line of the Centovallibahn. This one is Ce 2/2 no.7.
It was built in 1908 and modernised in 1925.
Picture from Locarno 19.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The driver's working space at the Ce 2/2 tram from 1908.
Picture from Locarno 19.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.
