Sunday, August 25, 2013

Steam Railroad Equipment, Fèltre, Italy

I recently took the train from Feltre to Venice.  Feltre (in VenetianFèltre) is a delightful town in the southern foothills of the Dolomites.  It is on the Stizzon River, only a short train ride to the coastal plain and only two hours from Venice.  While waiting at the platform, I was surprised to see that the water tank used to refill steam locomotives was still standing.
This one is unusual in that it is made of concrete panels held together with steel bands.  Other railroad watering tanks or tank ponds I have seen were wood or steel tanks or pre-formed concrete cisterns.  
Even more surprising, the spigot is still standing and in good condition.  In typical Italian fashion, a utilitarian device is decorated with cast-iron patterns.  The upright tube is decorated with the wings, the logo of the FS, or Ferrovie dello Stato, a.k.a. Italian State Railways.  Possibly steam enthusiast trains occasionally run this route. In the lower photograph, you can see the foothills in the distance.  Feltre is a really nice town with excellent cuisine, friendly people, and a distinctive Venetian architectural character.  I highly recommend a visit.

For some other articles on railroads, please click the links:
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Markópoulo, Greece
Kalávryta Narrow-Gauge Rack Railroad, Greece
The Athens to Peloponnese Railroad Corinth, Greece
Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Station, Saginaw, Michigan
Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railway, Greece
Deserted train station, Milies, Greece

Photographs taken with a Nexus 4 phone camera (sorry, that is all I had with me).

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