THE FVB-FVS MODEL
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- Left: Bergamo station: the platforms and the level of the tracks of the two railways (the last 4 tracks on
the right are part of the Ferrovia Valle Seriana (FVS), currently the city terminus of the Light Rail Service). In the background - on the
left – are the locomotive depot and the Ferrovia Valle Brembana (FVB) workshops; in the center is the freight shed and the FVS covered
loading platform. On the right are the FVS locomotive depot and the FVS workshops. |
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- Left: the FVS covered loading deck in Bergamo. |
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– “Borgo Palazzo” stop: it is the first one you come to when leaving Bergamo station and it is also the only one in shared by both FVB and FVS. The pedestrian bridge on the left was demolished a few years ago to allow transit of of the TEB tram line. |
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- Via S.Fermo: after Borgo Palazzo the two lines run parallel until shortly after the grade crossing of via S. Fermo, before parting towards the respective valleys. In the vicinity of via Bronzetti, until the 1960s there were the city gas works and the creamery plant, schematically represented here. |
F.V.S. |
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- Albino: an overall view of the station which, in the layout, is the first important one on the FVS line. There is also the station building, which is now used as the TEB northern terminus. The track at the bottom right represents the connection with a cement plant on the other bank of the Serio river, reached through a bridge shared by the railway and road wehicle. The module was still to be finished when this picture was taken. |
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- Albino: two views of the station with the electrical substation, the water tank and the toilets. |
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- Ponte Nossa: enfilade view of the station with the buildings of the town behind it. Note the difference in
size between the station building and the other buildings. All this reproduces the landscape almost exactly as it was in the last days of
operation (1966). The station itself was demolished a few years ago to make way for the bus services to the upper valley. All the other
buildings are still standing today. |
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- Ponte Nossa: the only tunnel on the FVS provided direct access to the AMMI plant, where lead and zinc ore
from the Valle del Riso was smelted. The plant was converted to treat fluorite – used in aluminum processing – in later years. |
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- Left: Two of the buildings that were adjacent to the external square of the Ponte Nossa station. The models
were built by Franco Bonomi using Forex for the walls, styrene strips for the windows, and clapboard siding for the blinds. On the left,
the open magazine floor of the station. |
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- Ponte Nossa: the station built by Erli Pievani, from photographs taken shortly before it was demolished,
using Polyplat and electrician's ties for the window sashes. |
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- Clusone: the diorama of the Clusone station was added to the model at the end of 2011 as a tribute to the M.A.T.
of Clusone for the centenary of the opening of the Ponte Nossa - Clusone section. Here a passenger train hauled by the FVS 30 called "Roma",
an heavy kitbash by Erli Pievani. |
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F.V.B. |
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- Left: The entrance to the Villa d'Almè station, the first important station of the FVB, with the platform on
the Bergamo side. Note the extreme realism of the scene, betrayed only by the interruption of the landscape to the left of the photo. |
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- The Clanezzo stop: is appropriately located on the connection module between Villa d'Almè and Brembilla-Grotte.
In the center is the railway; above it is state highway 470, from which the footpath descends to reach the station and continues to a suspension
pedestrian bridge over the Brembo river. |
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- Brembilla Grotte: overall view of the two modules that house the famous “Sedrina bridges” and the
Brembilla–Grotte delle Meraviglie station. In the center, are the Brembo river and its tributary Brembilla creek, spanned by the
five bridges present in this picture. The setting depicts a period that goes from 1920 ca. to the early 1950s, before the two new
road bridges were built and long before the traffic was diverted to the current ugly concrete viaduct, and includes a representation
of the wooden poles used until 1930 for carrying the overhead wire. Most of the prototype used masts made from leftover rail segments.
As best seen in photos of the “Clanezzo” diorama, code 55 rail was used in the model FVB. |
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- Transition module between the stations of Brembilla and S.Giovanni Bianco, designed by Sergio Morzenti,
with buildings from Franco Bonomi. |
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- San Giovanni Bianco: overall views of the station, that was until 1926 the northermost terminus of FVB. Like
the Villa d'Almè station diorama, this section features handlaid track, and was part of the mid-1980 FVB layout built by Franco and Sergio
and originally hosted in the house of Sergio’s parents. |
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- Cornello dei Tasso: transition module between the FVB stations of S.Giovanni Bianco and Piazza Brembana,
designed by Roberto Longhi. |
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- Piazza Brembana: View of the station floor. In evidence are the “FS-style” poles and portals of the overhead
line. For practical reasons, there are no overhead wires on most of the FVB: it’s much easier to string them by using Photoshop than soldering
steel or phosphor bronze wire on the model... |
Chi volesse visitare il plastico è pregato di contattare il Presidente o il Segretario del GFO.