Day Five
The Unexpected Success . . . The Campobasso-Termoli Line
The late afternoon sun bathes Casacalenda. We started our ride in Larino at 4 PM and were able to ride about 30 kilometers.
We still needed to find a hotel for the night and it would be 8 PM before we completed our ride.
After our morning failure we packed up once more (seems like we were unpacking and packing more than riding) and headed east across the mountains toward the Adriadic. Our destination was the beautiful hill village of Urbino, where we had made a connection with Carlo Bellagamba, president of the Ferrovia del Metauro Association, who was involved in the preservation and re-opening of a portion of the line between Fermignano and Urbino. Evidently the tunnels were gated and Carlo would open them for us so we could ride this spectacular section of the railroad.
On the way we noticed we were paralleling the railroad running between Campobasso and Termoli and decided to make a short detour over to have a look. Crossing the railroad in Larino we found the rails rusty and slightly overgrown. We headed for the main station in town and found it still looked in use although it was closed up tight and only one railroad worker was in sight. He told us “No trains, line closed down”. Apparently the line west to Campobasso had been closed only a few months before, while the line east to Termoli had been closed some time earlier. We were ecstatic. Finally we had come upon a railroad where we could ride.
A Great Discovery
We found an isolated spot outside town and set up our bikes. It was already four in the afternoon and we wanted to take advantage of every bit of available light. The railroad was a main line and in excellent condition. The rails climbed steadily, passing through several tunnels and had unlimited far vistas of the hilly countryside, dotted with farms and vineyards.
Soon the hill town of Casacalenda loomed above us. The railroad climbed along the hillside and entered a tunnel directly under the village, emerging on a long flat stretch where the train station was located. The station was closed and no one was in sight. We continued on up the grade to the station for the town of Bonefro. Many of the villages were built too high on the hill tops to have rail service, so a station was positioned as close as possible and given the name of the village it served.
It was now six in the evening and time for us to head back. The Italian railroads place electronic devices on the inside of the rails that send a signal of a passing train to either the dispatcher or to activate the nearest road crossing gate. We were not sure if these were still active so we carefully stopped and lifted our bikes over the device triggers as we came upon them. On the way home, one device was obscured by grass growing between the rails and we both ran over the trigger lever before we could stop.
Arne leaves the rail yard as we head home to Larino. The church bells pealed loudly indicating it was 6 PM. Oddly, we did not see a single soul or hear a car or any indication the town was occupied, a spooky feeling.
These three photos show us climbing
the grade to Casacalendra, a good sized town occupying a long. high ridge.
At the top of the grade
the railroad passed under
the town through this tunnel.
On reaching the other side, it
opened out to a long flat rail yard and a large station.
Arne checks the train schedule
at the closed station at
Casacalendra. Although the line had only been shut down for several months, weeds are thickly growing in the roof rain gutters.
The signaling mechanism.
Sensitive enough that our
railbikes would trip it.
Peter casts a long shadow
as he follows Arne down the
grade on the way back to
Larino. The countryside
reminded us both of California.
