Steam In ITALY/Slam doors

Had a ride on Treno Natura out of Siena a week ago. Loco' was 1907 built 640 003 .Inside cylinder ,outside valve gear 2-6-0.Rolling stock was 1930s slam door Centoportes. The first coach on my photo was a three axel coach rebuilt from a 1906 frame .(support coach I think )All vehicles were locked by several men with keys at departure. Diesel 445 1083 ,a class on its last legs in Italy but still working out of Siena ,positioned the stock in the station, but soon went back to the loco' shed before the 640 arrived .
After a water stop at Monte Antico the train took the reopened, (for special trains), line to Ascino. Nice noises from 64003 were heard soon after the start from Monte Antico, up into the hills for 30mins or so .And 50/60 down the other side. Two photo's attached, both at Siena before departure.

 

So Italian

 

8loody Europe telling us what to do Thankfully We don't have nonsense like that in Britain, even if We didn't have Brexit, don't You all understand that We LIKE central door locking, and MK3's and all the other things that being free of Europe demands that We do?

 

Usually in the centoporte it's necessary to have two stewards per coach. I've not done any stewarding this year so not sure if there are any new rules. For our five coach train to Varallo we have around 15 on train volunteers plus the FS staff. But then we do a lot of meeting and talking to the passengers. I used to do the information and itinerary in English for any non Italian speakers.

 

Obviously steam’s the thing, but I remember enjoying the now unusual (to me) pleasure of a loco hauled train from Florence to Siena behind what I think was one of these 10 years ago, after a number of Freccia Rossa and a Flirt-style thing in Milan. It felt properly ‘old school’.

Simon