Società Veneta Ferrovie.

Thread drift forgiven, this is an "SVF oriented" page because I volunteer in SVF. My apologies for the delay in the reply and thank you for the picture and , Tirano is a very interesting place when talking about railways, you have a fully operational standard gauge railway, preservation activities and an UNESCO-awarded narrow gauge railway. Several years ago I was involved in an EU founded international project and guess what, every time the work shift was abroad, we (my wife always followed me) always returned to Italy through the Bernina pass line .

About your question. Luckily I have access to authoritative sources and they confirm that 880.051 is running post-overhaul testing and will be return in service soon. The other engines are inactive.

About SVF, mandatory update. August means holidays. For some the most fun is... preserve trains and signalling!

Let's start with trains. While the usual "gardening", with Giovanni taking a lot of fun on his GT supercar!



The truth is that this device greatly improved grass mowing! Too bad that the house in the background is out of our reach. To be honest, we still have to complete the restoration of the main station building. Waiting for the required re$ources...

And while our "Nuvolari" fixes the grass length, other members works on one of the Fb (British loading gauge) van doors, that was damaged by weather and maybe a defect in painting.



(new wood)



(and new paint job)

And now the progress in Cabina A signal box, where our hackers[1]. First of all we needed better labels for the relais in the signal box. George challenged the problem, designed and 3D printed the new ones, and he's already thinking about how to improve the solution in the picture:



Another goal of our restoration team is to achieve full simulation of the station in the state before AV/AC line (AV/AC is Alta Velocità/Alta Capacutà - Hugh Speed / High Capacity) was built and the computer-controlled signalling was activated. The lost signal boxes B and C will be completely computer-simulated while the preserved stationmaster switchboard will be restored to make it fully operational. The switches on that switchboard where the mean the stationmaster issued order to the signal boxes. To do so, old switches damaged beyond repair must be replaced preserving the knobs whenever possible. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce a short video of the 3D printed replacement for switch with a preserved knob ! Again great job George!

https://youtube.com/shorts/OQsdTJp9ULo?feature=share

And should a knob become unrecoverable, George has already a 3D-print replacement available!

https://youtube.com/shorts/U8djQiHK5SU?feature=share

And last, another part of the signal box diagram returns to life. The short video shows a signal changing aspect once the corresponding lever is operated.

https://youtube.com/shorts/1J0S3hHE-r0?feature=share

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[1] Again, I give to the word "hacker" a positive meaning i fear it has lost. An hacker is

• A person who enjoys learning: A hacker likes to learn how systems work.

• A master of programming: A hacker writes code fast and well.

• An expert fixer: A hacker loves to solve hard puzzles in smart ways.

People who break into systems are "crackers," not hackers. [

 

Thanks for the update and good to see the progress.

 

A Signal Box has a ACE lever frame (ACE stands for Apparato Centrale Elettrico - Electric Centralized Apparatus, the electro-mechanic interlocking frame) and two small ACEI, Apparato Centrale Elettrico a Itinerari where "a Itinerari" means that a single operation checks an creates an itinerary setting and locking all the switches involved - and locks out all conflicting paths. When the Signal Box was decommissioned the two ACEI were left as empty cabinet with all the useful stuff remoted and we are re-creating the circuits required to reactivate them. One, the smaller one, was already re-activated, today the lights of the screen on the larger one blinked again after years. When the Singal Box was in service, the smaller apparatus controlled the Montà junction just west of Padua station, the larger one was meant to simply monitor the line between Padova and Grisignano stations.







These are the new circuits used to reactivate the ACEI device



And if you wandered what's below the metal tiles of the raised floor, here it is:

 

A poor video of the last part of the Valsugana line up to the end of Primolano station:



and a new little improvement in the ACEI devices: (Thank you George)

 

First of all, an appeal:

Fondo Ambiente Italiano stages this poll for the most beloved places. We would like to have the Primolano Railway Museum and his shed in the top 100, to gain more visibility. Please vote. It is free of charge, it just require answering to a ballot-confirmation e-mail. Here is the link to the poll:

https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/rimessa-locomotive-a-vapore-di-primolano?ldc

And now to the September Open Day. Successful. Successful as for the attendance (500 visitors at mid day), and this brought generous donation (and this never hurts!)

But let's start from the maintenance works. This brought a "real freight train" on our rails, not one staged just for the pictures, one generating not revenue but utility. The wagon is a 1906 snowplough, made in Belgium (and not, we are not in D. Adams universe ). Here is with the plough blades removed.



On Saturday we hosted the photographic session of a group of enthusiasts and the night brought something unexpected...



(usual kind of picture)


But the other side show a peculiar shadow puppet show!



An engine over Primolano!

And pictures from the Open Day! The turntable is an everlasting hit!



A glimpse on our attendance



And now, shown to the general public for the first time, the water crane resupplying the locomotive water tanks!



Another firs! Genearl public within the shed,

 

Before starting with the news about our activities, here is a picture from the days when Primolano started to be a cemetery of trains-to-be-cut.



The derelict train is a former TEE DMU, the FS ALn 442-448, that become the 460 when they lost the border police office and kitchen. The Km 79 gatekeeper house was not a pile of ruins and the water tower was still standing. We miss the water tower even if the water supply is enough to fill the water tanks and mostly to stage the operation on the behalf of the visitors.

Sunday we had the last open day for this year. And the day before we had the final ceremony for the 110th birthday of our engine and the 20th of the association. There were local authorities (major and head of the council) attending to the ceremony together the grandson of Dr. Marchiorello, our late benefactor, the man who belived in 12 not-so-crazy dreamers.

Another thing. we are one of the "Luoghi del Cuore" (place of your heart) of Fondo Ambiente Italiano, a no profit foundation promoting the protection and enhancement of the territory (here is the link to vote us https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/rimessa-locomotive-a-vapore-di-primolano?ldc&fbclid=IwY2xjawTUGPxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFxRzAyMUVwTkh3dHZrYTc4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHq-hnb0G4wuH3zlVDKQMW3crXB8tA6_qK3rFUcAXZyPdzIs1hRubPcoWar3g_aem__81w0W1OtkWvvf2jWoDZEw ), the Bassano chapter officially stated that we are a site to vote in an article on the Gazzettino local newspaper. Result: 1050 visitors, we did about 8 runs with our train, each one packed up to the last available seat. All the visitors had fun and were happy of the visit. All the volunteers were exhausted, but still willing to joke about it.



And let's starts with some video. First of all that we made for our 20 years. "Sentry", the chap in the wheelbarrow has operated points all day long



and all the points in the yard are like that, this is point #208 with its new marking. This is not a game. When a train moves on our rail there are precise regulations controlling the movement, like in any railway.

Both he and Nicolò the station master wear their railway clothing (Nicolò wears a preserved uniform from FS times). We met both as young boys still attending mandatory school, or just after that. Now they are railwaymen in their working and free time. Both work for Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, the company maintaining and controlling the network.

And now some videos:

This one is from one of the visitors



And this is to celebrate our 20 years of activity



Just a note. I did not cry when I first saw the 880 moving livc. A friend of mine, another of the "first 12" described my reaction as "typical British". Indeed. It was like the victory cry of the Pictish warriors. not exactly recent, but something from the British Islands indeed.

The following pictures are from another visitor. Mr. Masala is a well known photographer, possibly still a volunteer in railway preservation.



The crowd attending to some shunting over the turntable.



Black and white evokes the past.

And now a picture that really shows how happy where our visitors!



Giovanni receives the thanksgiving from a happy visitor.

(more pictures to come)

 

Some more pictures of our activities, but first another video.



Filippo filmed the operation of the mechanical ground signal "Marmotta" (marmot) Nicolò and Damiano describe/direct the video that shows the inner working of the signal. The nickname should come from the Westinghouse pattern of these ground signals that lifted the turret with the light when moving to "clear" (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1882416348456483).

As common in many railways, we have now our railway cat that we named "ACE" from the signal box Apparato Centrale Elettrico.



Ace is another member of the Railway Cat Club whose dean is maybe Tama, of the Wakayama Electric Railway in Japan).



The pic1ure above shows the inner circuits of a modern pattern ground signal (full electric, no mechanical gear).

As I said in the previous post last Saturday we had the final celebration of the 20 years of the association. Being one of the initial 12... makes me happy . Anyway, here are some shots of the event:





Marco, the president, gives the first speech to the audience, Nicolò acting as honour guard wearing the historical uniform of his role (he is a station master in real life too).



Marco presents the commemorative plaque to the grandson of the late Dr. Marchiorello (the great benefactor that gave us the 880.001 believing in our project)



And another one is presented to the Valbrenta municipality major, Mr. Ferazzoli that firs told us about the ODI funds opportunity, then accepted our project and submitted it to the commission as a municipality project to get full project financing. That really started the process that turn the old locomotive shed in today museum where volunteers can safely sleep at night before the open days.





Finally Pierluigi gives his speech. He was the first society president, the idea of using Primolano for preservatin activities was his, he with his wife and Carlo, another member, made the project that was submitted to the ODI commission to compete for the founding. Maybe you have seen him in some Fedecrail picture. His arrive in Fedecrail made Fedecrail itself aware that there were railway preservation activities in Italy, and that brought to the first Fedecrail Youth Camp in Italy.

Another two pictures from the following Open Day on Sunday.



A new installation: a railway telephone in a lineside cast iron box. A bit for connoisseurs.



While Marco B. explain what is going to happen to the crouwd, Marco L and Enrico wait the start signal to turn 800.001, something that always interest the attendance. But I will ask you to pay attention to where the tracks on the ground stops before those on the platform. Yo can see the small "terrace" that was built to adapt the pit to the German-built platform that was scavenged, possibly from Grigno station, to be used as a replacement for that in Primolano that wad damageg beyond repair during WWI. The replacement platform is now the only 14.65 meters platform in Italy and is in a pit originally built for a 15 meter one.

Last, a picture of 880.001 during the days of her service within FS:



Picture by Giorgi, Cremona, 1961.

And finally, some videos from visitors and local TVs.



Bassano TV News by Rete Veneta. The lady's interview contains some mistake, but they are supporting us and that is all that matters!



A video from one of our visitors and thus

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeXNBndN8JW/?srtk=dXYyOWtmeWMzNmY2

is a link to a post on Instagram.

 

The article on the Gazzettino Newspaper announcing the official support from the Bassano chapter of FAI to our museum:



A clearer image of the railway telephone in its cast iron protective box.



Reading the rail bike



and then Daisy, the inspection/maintenance vehicle for the day



This morning, in the Museo Veneto del Giocattolo, a new layout was officially presented



This layout, made by the late Mr. Ceccato, was donated to the museum. Moving it from Mr. Ceccato home to the museum required cutting it and then a year of painstaking work to seam the cuts and mostly to rewire and solve all the electric gremlins that haunted the layout.



A crowd of relatives of Mr. Ceccato attended to the unveiling ceremony, including his little grand grand children, and this crowd was augmented by the person who in the afternoon attended to the yearly FIMF (Federrazione Italiana Modellismo Ferroviario - Italian Railway Modelling Federation) in Abano Railway Station, house of Fondazione FS publishing company, DueGi Editrice, They'll meet us again in Cabina A.

So... That's all folks (at least for this evening)