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Travel with a bike on a railroad that not is

A little history The railway line Civitavecchia - Capranica - Orte, was opened to the traffic 28 October 1929. I use that of it has determined the construction is those goodses, and more just the transport than coal from the port of Civitavecchia to the steel mills of Cerni. In 1961, as a result of a landslide of light entity to the entrance of a gallery, the FS suspended the railway service on the draft Capranica - Civitavecchia, from then the line went progressively in ruin. In the half of years 80 they are begins the jobs to you for the restoration. These jobs have been suspended in 1994.

A feature of the line, between Civitavecchia and Mole of the Mignone

The bike on the train

If it is come from Rome it makes a circular travel using to gone the FM3 Rome Viterbo coming down to Oriolo with the bike and covering the road asphalted until the B.-p. Park for  spend the night (little km convine to leave late saturdays late evening and to return Sunday); the next day the entire distance in bici is covered: the base is abandoned and the road asphalted towards the Station of Capranica is covered; ended the way of illustrated continuation, it is returned with regional train FM5 from Civitavecchia for Rome. In Rome two linee(FM3 and FM5) are combined to the station of S.Pietro.
First foot thrusts

The departure from the station of Capranica (to progressive kilometric the 48+964 from Civitavecchia) is easy: it is begun nearly in reduction (or). After a short feature of provincial road, a passage to level on the Rome - Viterbo leads just to the center of the old line. After little meters date 3-10-94, that is the date of closing of the reconstruction yards is met of the large concrete blocks, bringing: such blocks serve to prevent to the vehicles the access to the sedime railway. Pedala nearly in plan: after a casello in ruin plate is arrived to the gallery of S. Donato (single Capranica side: next also the construction date is indicated, 1923), m.275 in curve.
In light climb the station of Barbarano - Veiano is caught up, km 41+691. Sottopassata be them Braccianese is begun to come down, meeting the gallery of S. (ico Quir...? The plate, solo Civitavecchia side, are damaged. According to other sources Palmerino is called), m.255 in curve, and that one of S.Petricone, or S. Pellegrino (plate single Civitavecchia side: there is still an of the lictor bundle on the top of the portale), m.150 in rectilinear.
Little beyond there is the station of Preserve of Barbarano, km 37+843 (more neighbor to the country of how much it is not that previous one).
Some obstacle

As soon as after the station, to the intersection with a provincial road, it must go around two protective walls. More ahead they are met of cancels, also these superskillful ones eventually raising the bicycle. Km the 34+245 it is reached the station of Blera, from where it is possible to make a shunting line for the country (than until the 1952 Bieda was called).
Continuing the reduction other walls must be exceeded, until catching up the station of Civitella Cesiums, km 30+593, with its wide large square to 3 railroads. It exceeds others to you cancels catches up the large square beside which the casello rose, transformed in stopped in the post-war period, of the Pools, km 27+682. The manufactured one has been demolished during the reconstruction jobs.
After the nth gate the center is used like carreggiabile road until the successive station: perhaps for this the gallery that meets (Caprareccia, m.276 in curve) does not have one typically railway section, being the vertical walls. Moreover the groove lacks centers them of drains, that it would render the traffic difficult to veicolare.
To km the 23+662, after to have left on the left manufactured of the substation the electrical worker of years 20, obviously never completed, it is reached the Roman Mount station, where the tank of the still bringing water for the locomotives camps the plate "Cav. And. Benini - Reinforced concretes - Forlì ".

IThe large square of the Roman Mount station: of manufactured the travellers you it remains little more than rudere

Fine of the reduction

Beyond the bridge in iron on the Mignone, reconstructed for to be compatible with the electric traction systems, the line begins to go up: exceeded a casello on the right one arrives to the gallery of the Mignone (plate, route, solo Civitavecchia side), of 111 meters to the origin, in curve, whose entrance Capranica side has been lengthened with a part to section quadrant. The bottom currently is covered of letame.
Little meters after the cold wind that it comes from the longer gallery of the line, that one of the Casalone is felt (plate single Civitavecchia side), m.1367 (to the origin) in rectilinear. The entrance Capranica side has been modified during reconstruction.

Portale of the Casalone gallery, the longest of the line with its 1,367 meters of extension.

The continuous climb, two cases are exceeded and the gallery of the Sour Water is caught up, m.88 in rectilinear. In the plan plans it originates them of years 20 is defined "artificial gallery"; on the right of the portale Civitavecchia side YEAR is remained an of the lictor bundle carved on marble white man (YOU).

The short gallery Sour Water, entire in rectilinear and of single 88 meters.

Little after there is the station of Allumiere, km 18+125, near which one of the logistic centers of the reconstruction yard was established.
Continuing to go up the gallery of the Melledra is found (plate single Civitavecchia side), m.409 (to the origin) in rectilinear, modified in the entrance Capranica side like the gallery of the Casalone.
More ahead, in proximity of the ruins of the city of Cencelle (constructed in the 854 from the inhabitants of Civitavecchia in order to escape to the incursions saracene), one is crossed artificial gallery to section quadrant realized during the recent jobs in substitution of a bridge.

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Particular of manufactured the travellers of the station of Allumiere.

Far away the sea is looked at

The line begins to come down towards furrows of the Asco torrent, before which plate crosses the gallery of Centocelle (single Capranica side), m.402 (to the origin) in rectilinear; the entrance Civitavecchia side, in light curve, has been extended (was damaged from the landslide of 1961).
Far away, on the left, the lived one of Allumiere is looked at; passed the viadotto on the torrent, the line resumes to go up towards the gallery of the Asco (plate single Capranica side), m.203 in curve. On the portale Civitavecchia side there is still the plate that remembers the work: "Italian TheElettro-Ferroviaria Society Constructed MCMXXII - MCMXXVIII". Also in the name of the constructor it remains a trace of that electrification that not never has been.

I

The bridge in iron on the Mignone torrent.

Little meters after are to the station of Size of the Mignone, km 11+398, where the reconstruction jobs finish. Between this station and that successive of Aurelia center it is covered from the vegetation for long features; in others the tracks, deformed in many points are still visible.
To the end of the reconstructed feature, a path on the right knows them until to a sterrata road (gate in iron thread) that it leads to a wider tree-lined road and in asphalted part, in bottom to which the Aurelia in the point is caught up of connects with the A12 towards Rome.
With a little attention one covers be them until the borgata one of Aurelia (where there is the station, km 6+007) and then until Civitavecchia. Continuing always straight it is arrived to the station.

Times of distance:
They have left from Capranica towards the 10, and I have resumed the train to Civitavecchia to the 16, even if but me they are taken comfortable, they have had to me to stop for approximately half hour because of a perforation and then has been an other half hour (at least) to rest to Aurelia and on the bridge of the near railroad Flake to me. Therefore the time can be estimated in 4h30 - 5h clean. The heavier feature - perhaps always why I is not trained he has seemed that street one on the Aurelia between the graft of the A12 and Civitavecchia (in fact are street slopes here, much advanced to those railway principles).

Notes:

The sedime railway it is of property FS: often trusts are found that they prohibit the access to who is not authorized. Right Precisazione...
In some features are met of the walls that block the railway center completely, to protection of the same one: they can moreover be exceeded on condition that the bicycle is easy maneuverable and/or sollevabile. Therefore it is the case to make attention not to load means excessive, or at least to place the material in fastly removable bags.
In the galleries... it is buio! A main torch and one of reservoir to head would have to be enough, if a fanale fog light modified with relative battery from burglar alarm is not wanted to be mounted (I has made it, and not hung too much). In gallery there is the cunetta centers covered them from heavy piastroni of concrete: they can seem a comfortable tracing, but in nearly all the galleries some are unconnected and therefore in truth they represent a danger.
Surer E' to pass to sides even if the bottom is less flowing.
I have found water to Blera, neighbor to the station, and then more nothing until to Aurelia: it convene to carry itself of the supplyes. For eventual ciclistiche requirements..., in the country of Blera, hardly after the spectacular bridge, a store (or more better a bottega with walls of tufo is) where they can be made to repair the bicycles and to buy reciprocations (is well to make attention the opening timetable, even if we are in country and the rules are not considered in rigid way).


the text and the photos are of of Marco Rossetti. The first photo is of Luigi
D'Ottavi


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B.-P.Park visto dall'alto/B.-P.Park seen from above