Alpine Funicular Railway, Italy

This Alpine Funicular Railway in northern Italy is a rare and surprisingly well-preserved relic of transportation history. This tramway operated from the early 1900’s up until the late 1970’s. 

This funicular railway would ferry tourists between the idealic lakeshore, up to the hotels and restaurants at the top of the mountain. Here, travellers could take in the stunning panoramic views of the lake and Alpine mountains. They could then return to the lakeside and enjoy boat trips and other water-based leisure activities. During the funicular’s heyday, this train would ferry 30,000 tourists a year up the mountain.

 Funicular railways use a cable-based system, with two cars which counterbalance each other. They move in a synchronised fashion, as one descends the hill the other tram ascends the gradient. Both are permanently attached to either end of the cable. The descending tram provides much of the energy for lifting the opposing tram uphill. The cable between the trams runs through a winching house at the top of the slope, where electric motors and pulleys  provide the additional power to  haul the tram travelling uphill.

These photos are of the upper tram station, where tram number 2 sits in its silent station at the mountain-top terminus. This vintage car has not moved in nearly 30 years, and is in excellent condition. It appears the roof has been maintained and repaired over the years. The neglected carriage is made of wood, painted a cornflower blue. The paint is peeling and the decorative metal work is rusting, and the concrete platform is crumbling.

Locals are passionate about one day restoring this tramway to become fully operational once again. A feasibility study recently suggested it would take around 9 million euros to make this system fully operational again. At the time of our visit, over a year after this feasibility study, there is no sign of plans being put into motion.