Italian Trolley System
Mr. Alessandro Albè
is presently writing a book documenting
the history of the trolley truck line that was used to build a dam at
Valtellina in northern Italy.
He contacted Hutnyak Consulting and kindly provided the following details and photographs for use on this website. For more information regarding his book, contact Mr. Albè by email at alcoalbe@tin.it.
The Valtellina trolley system was built in 1938 and operated until 1962 by AEM (Milano Power Company), the owner of hydro-electric power plants in Valtellina. A total of 20 trolley trucks were used to carry concrete, sand and equipment for construction of the San Giacomo and Cancano II damdams in the high Valtellina valley in northern Italy. The electric power was (and still is) sent to Milano to supply the needs of the city.
There were 16 three-axle trolley trucks, 4 two-axle trolley tractors for pulling heavy loads (i.e. transformers), and 2 trolley buses for transporting personnel. These trucks were straight electrics, operating on 650 volts dc power from overhead lines. Two trolley lines were installed: the original one of 66 km in length from Tirano to Boscopiano for the building of the San Giacomo concrete gravity dam (1940-1950). The second trolley line was a section from Bivio Molina to Digapoli (14 km) for the construction of a second dam, under San Giacomo, called Cancano II (1952-1956). The total length of the these lines was approximately 80 kilometers.
Concrete came by rail, in cylindrical containers, from concrete mills. These containers were transferred to the trolley trucks which transported them to the construction site. From there, cableways were used to carry the concrete containers to the dams. Other goods and personnel were transported directly to the dam. The three-axle trolley trucks were equipped with a removable body. This allowed either a normal flat body to be used, or a special one with rollers to accomodate the concrete containers.
Photographs
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Near Bormio, a new trolley truck in a builder photo of 1940. |
Trolley tractor #17 shown in July 1944, during the War. It is painted in "war livery", with white bumpers and mudguards, and eyelids over the front lights. |
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Crossing between trolley trucks. A frequent scene in the fifties between Tirano and Bormio. The site is one of the six crossing points. The entire trolley line was equipped with single twin wires. |
Trolley truck #4 flat body carrying miscellaneous materials, including a bike, in front of the Sondalo hospital. |