I can remember one of these locomotives in Milano Stazione Centrale when I ran the USA Army RTO there back in late 1964 or so, a 2-6-2 as I recall. Almost all steam was gone from the Ferrovia dello Stato but there were a few still left. There was also an 1880’s 0-4-0T that switched Ferrovia Nord’s Milano station which is on display near the Amarone factory.
Puffy, are you new to the Forum? I don’t recall seeing you here before. If so, welcome aboard! If not, welcome back!
I see you’ve been busy today!
I was in Florence in the summer of 2004. Sitting just outside the station on a stub-end track was a 2-6-2 in good condition, not a derelict. Probably used for excursions. The funny thing, the infrastructure of steam was still present, a water tower and several water columns were there also. I remember seeing water columns in other small stations as well.
Probably easier just to leave them alone rather than to go through the trouble to rip them out. Besides, you don’t know, “Maybe the steam engine he gonna come back!”
Could be worse…
For a period during the 19th century, Egyptian railroads supplemented their fuel supply by burning mummies…ewwww! [xx(]