Cagliari Station locomotive
Monday 16.10.23
We head down the hill and along to the main station where we are going to travel on a couple of lines which head westward out of Cagliari. When I say “we” today I am referring to the tour group party as Jackie has decided on a rest day in the hotel.
At Cagliari station there is a steam locomotive 744003 – class 744. Class construction took place in 1927 and part of the class was assigned to Sardinia when the line they were working on the mainland in Italy was electrified. They were mixed traffic locos used until withdrawal in the 1970’s. There is one other similar loco in a museum in Pistoia on the mainland. It seems unlikely that either will return to steam.
As we leave the station there is evidence along the lineside that electrification is coming – although it looks like it will be some time yet. The train is well used and particularly at the airport station there are decent numbers waiting to go into the town centre on the other platform. The line to the northern part of the island is just beyond Deciomomannu station whilst our line branches off to the left and heads westwards.
There is another junction station at Villamassargia-Domusnovas where the line effectively splits into two. Nothing much happens here for most of each hour, but then when the hourly service arrives from Cagliari, two other trains arrive from each terminus – one at Carbonia-Serbariu and the other at Iglesias – which is where we are heading. The hourly service we are using goes to Iglesias, and the train which has arrived from there is going to Cagliari. The third train will return to Carbonia-Serbariu. An hour later the train from Cagliari will go onwards to Carbonia-Serbariu but again there will be a connection to and from Iglesias using the unit on which we are travelling.
Iglesias
Iglesias is a pretty town and I undertake a wander around as they have decorated one of the thoroughfares with umbrellas and there is a small square. I find a small side street for lunch – and it is lunchtime as the entire town, apart from the restaurants, seems to have closed up!
Some of us then take the opportunity of using the interconnection mentioned earlier and visit Carbonia-Serbariu but we merely reach the terminus and then take the return working – which goes through to Cagliari. I can see evidence of mine wheels in the distance as we enter and leave the station and I believe they mark a coal mine museum indicating the economic history of Carbonia – although there may be a clue in the name!