Asti–Cortanze Tramway

The Asti–Cortanze tramway was an interurban tram line that connected the cities of Asti and Cortanze from 1882 to 1915.

History

On 15 February 1882, the French banker Alfonso Raoul Berrier-Delaleu, who between 1879 and 1880 had built the steam tramways Cuneo–Dronero and Saluzzo–Cuneo Tramway, signed a contract with some municipalities of the Asti area for the construction and operation of a tram line from Asti to Montechiaro; this contract followed a similar one, signed a month earlier, for . The entrepreneur undertook to complete the construction of the lines within six months of the start of works. The line to Cortanze was opened on Saturday 16 September 1882; the first timetable provided for four pairs of daily runs, which covered the 18 km of the line in one hour and twenty-five minutes.

The service on the Asti tramways was soon characterised by complaints from users and the press, due to frequent derailments, particularly on the line to Canale. The situation of the tramways worsened further with the bankruptcy of Berrier-Delaleu, declared on 10 March 1883, also due to the failure of the municipalities concerned to pay the contractually established shares, which caused the bankruptcy of the banks of Carmagnola and Savigliano involved in the French financier's lines. The Asti tramways were therefore forced to suspend operations and in 1884 were put up for auction. At the fifth auction the lines were sold to the Credito Torinese; under the new management, towards the end of the 19th century, various proposals for extending the line towards Casale Monferrato (and from there towards Chieri and Turin) or towards Cocconato followed one another, but none were realised.

On 18 December 1897, the Credito Torinese, having gone into liquidation, sold the two tram lines to the Società Anonima delle Tramvie Astigiane, which had been established the same year to manage the two lines and to build and operate the . In 1908 the company was renamed Società Astese-Monferrina di Tramvie e Ferrovie (SAMTF).

Characteristics

The tramway was a single-track line with a narrow gauge of 1100 mm. It extended for 18.066 km. The maximum gradient was 35 per thousand, the minimum radius of curves was 40 metres.

The line had about fifteen stops and stations, of which the main ones, in addition to the two termini, were those of Montechiaro, Serravalle and Cossombrato, where the crossing of convoys was possible.

Route

The Asti tram station was located near the railway station, where the bus station was later built.

Until 1889, the line ran along the west side of Piazza Campo del Palio, Piazza Alfieri and Corso Alfieri, reaching Porta Torino; from that year the tram changed its route, to reduce noise and pollution, passing through Corso Stazione (later renamed Corso Gramsci and Corso Don Minzoni) as far as Porta Torino. From there, the line followed the state road to Turin as far as the Torretta district, from which the line to Canale branched off.

The line then took the road to Soglio, touching the localities of Sessant, Serravalle, Mombarone, Settime, Cinaglio, Chiusano d'Asti, Cossombrato, Montechiaro d'Asti and Soglio, before arriving at Cortanze.

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives of tramway type, built by the Winterthur, served on the tramway, and they were joined by others of Henschel, Krauss and Hanomag construction. The carriages were built by the Locati workshops of Turin and the Grondona workshops of Milan.

Motive power – summary table

See also

• List of tram and light rail transit systems
• History of rail transport in Italy
• Cuneo–Dronero Tramway
• Saluzzo–Cuneo Tramway
• Asti–Montemagno–Altavilla Tramway

References