The Sassi–Superga tramway is a

steep grade railway A steep grade railway is a railway that ascends and descends a slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade. Usage Many steep grade railways are located in mountain ...

line in the city of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

in northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Managed by

Gruppo Torinese Trasporti The Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the provinces of Alessandria, Cuneo, Asti and the Metropolitan City of Turin. It was created in 2003 from the merge of ATM (''Azien ...

, it connects the Turin suburb of Sassi to the

Basilica of Superga The Basilica of Superga () is a church in Superga, in the vicinity of Turin. History It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, designed by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga. This fulfilled a vow the duke ...

at an altitude of . The lower station is situated at an altitude of a.s.l., the upper at . From here, high in the hills facing the city across the

River Po The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...

, a panorama of Turin is visible against a backdrop of the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. Intermediate stops (only on demand) are located at ''Prima Galleria'', ''Raddoppio'', and ''Pian Gambino''. The line was opened on 27 April 1884 as a cable driven

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

of the Agudio system. In this system cables ran along the side of the track and passed around two large pulleys on each side of the

cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

, which in turn drove the cog wheels that propelled the train consisting of the driven car (only occupied by the driver and a brakeman) and up to three passenger cars. The cable was originalle driven by a

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

in the upper station, from 1922 on by an

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

. During World War I passenger numbers dropped sharply, so that the line was temporarily shut down until 1919. After an accident, in which one of the cables broke, but the emergency brake prevented further damage, the line was converted to a conventional electric rack railway using the

Strub rack system A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

. Work started on 24 October 1934, the line re-opened on 16 April 1935. Guides for the previous cables can still be found along the line. New motor cars were built by ''Officine Meccaniche della Stanga''. Some of the old passenger cars remained in use, others were sold. The single-tracked line is long, has a

rail gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...

of 1445 mm, and overcomes a difference in height of with a mean gradient of 13.5% and a maximum gradient of 21%, the latter on the final section between ''Pian Gambino'' and Superga. The line is electrified with a

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway t ...

at 600

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defi ...

s. A

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

is located at ''Radoppio'' halt. Trains reach the summit in approximately eighteen minutes. Although it does not run in the street, the line and its cars have some of the characteristics of a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way, and the line is often referred to as such. It is integrated into the public transport network of Turin as line No. 79. Three pure-rack motor cars are used. Each of them can move up to two unpowered cars. Every such trains can carry up to 220 passengers. The depot has no rack, nor third electrified rail, so that the rack engines and carriages are shunted by a small

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...

fed by

overhead wires An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipmen ...

. The track connection to Turin's urban tramway network is used to transfer

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

to and from the workshop.

Gallery

Brogi, Giacomo (1822-1881) - n. 3756 - Torino - Collina di Superga 1.jpg, Sassi–Superga being operated by cable haulage Tranvia Sassi-Superga 05.jpg , ''Pian Gambino'' stop Tranvia Sassi-Superga 06.jpg , The line with

and

rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin ...

Tranvia Sassi-Superga 09.jpg , At ''Radoppio'' stop Zahnradbahn Sassi-Superga D.2.JPG ,

Motor car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

Zahnradbahn Sassi-Superga D.11.JPG , Passenger car

External links

Superga Rack Railway web page

Timetable

Bibliography

* Proposal with notes *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sassi-Superga tramway Mountain railways Transport in Turin Rack railways in Italy Tram transport in Italy Railway lines in Piedmont 1445 mm gauge railways 600 V DC railway electrification 1884 establishments in Italy Superga