Tram from Trieste to Opicina

The Trieste–Opicina tramway reopened in July of this year, after being mostly out of commission since an accident in 2016. Established in 1902, it spans 5.2km from Trieste up to Opicina. With several of the cars still in use today being from the 1930s and 1940s. It’s particularly unique for its hybrid tramway and funicular railway system, in which carro scudo (cable tractors, or cable dummies) push or pull the car up or down the steep grades. Witnessing the cable tractor in action was fascinating. I felt lucky to be in the back of the train so I could turn around and watch as we gracefully connected to it. As we ascended, we briefly stopped and began rolling backwards on to the alternate track, easing us into the cable tractor behind us.

It was a real pleasure to see how excited everyone was to ride the tram. Lots of folks with high end cameras. Lots of locals waving to us as we departed.

Once I arrived, I met with my uncle whom lives in Opicina. He took me to lunch, and then to his house where the bicycle I was borrowing was left for me by my cousin. I rode it back down the Karst Plateau to my grandmother’s house.

Below is some multimedia. A song that my grandmother (Nonni, as we call her) sang to my mother and I upon my arrival. A few sound bites of the tram’s whistle. A slideshow of photos of my descent, I am particularly a fan of the mural by Alessandra Carloni. And lastly, a video of the tram picking us up in downtown Trieste.

You can learn more from this very informative post from Trieste Railway Museum Campo Marzio. In this post, you can find the story behind the song my grandmother is singing below:

“On October 10, 1902, a disastrous accident occurred, fortunately without serious consequences for people, on the rack section at the Romagna stop, when a tramway engine mistakenly took the route without the presence of the service locomotor, buying speed until it spilled on its side at a large curve and breaking through the wall of a house located near the track. The cause was identified in the rails made slim by the night humidity that caused the engine to slip when the maneuverer acted on the mechanically operated braking system. Of this episode remains a trace in the popular tradition in a famous dialectal song.”