Decauville Forest Railway Gariglione – Differenze
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 Agira class Breda steam locomotive
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| Route length: | 40 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 500 mm ( narrow gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Decauville Forest Railway Gariglione-Differenze (Italian: Ferrovia Forestale Decauville Gariglione-Differenze ) was from 1928 to the 1950s with Breda -Dampflokomotiven operated, about 40 km long narrow gauge - forest railway with 500 mm gauge in Calabria , Italy.
location
The forests in the Sila massif and the Monte Gariglione in Calabria located there have been known for the clearing of beech and coniferous wood since ancient times. From this forest area, the narrow-gauge railway led to Differenze in the Sila Piccola region, from where a material ropeway led to Mesoraca station on the now-closed Crotone - Petilia Policastro railway with a gauge of 950 mm.
history
The forests on Monte Gariglione were state property until 1876. The territory was then divided up: some parts were sold to the municipalities, others to private individuals. In the second half of the 1910s, as in other forest areas, a German company secured the concession to use it by carrying out various works that were interrupted due to the outbreak of the First World War. In the mid-twenties, the Società Forestale Meridionale (SO.FO.ME.) received industrial logging rights through the construction of the relevant infrastructure. They built a cable car from Differenze at 1573 m above sea level. M. to Foresta at 310 m above sea level. M., where a large lumberjack village emerged. At the same time, the Mediterranean-Calabrian Lucane built the Crotone-Petilia Policastro railway, at whose station in Mesoraca the sawn timber was loaded onto the wagons to transport it to the port of Crotone.
On the plateau, Decauville tracks were laid to transport the long logs of beech, pine and fir. The clearing continued even during the Second World War . During the war, the narrow-gauge railway network was expanded and expanded to include new work areas. The forest railway stopped its activities in the post-war period, in the 1950s.
Tracks
The track network of the railway, which reached a length of approx. 40 km with various branches in its heyday, was designed in the design developed by Decauville with a track width of 500 mm. It was a floating track made of prefabricated 5 m long track yokes made of Vignole rails on steel sleepers .
Rail vehicles
The traction was provided by wood-fired steam locomotives of the Agira class from Breda . These had two axes and a conical spark arrester in the chimney . The iron flat wagons were simply built.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Costanzo Luigi: Storia delle ferrovie in Calabria , Chapter 10.7, Linea decauville Gariglione -iffera (Altopiano Sila), p. 166
- ↑ Francesco Cosco: C'era una volta la SO.FO.ME. November 16, 2009.
Coordinates: 39 ° 8 ′ 17.5 ″ N , 16 ° 39 ′ 48.6 ″ E