GFO Bergamo

Italian

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.

- Right: Overall view of the FVB and FVS stations of Bergamo. The buildings of the two stations still stand today (they are on the viewer’s side, but are not represented on the model) at the end of the platforms in the background. The FVB part of the combined station (on the right in the photo) now houses the suburban bus depot, while the FVS part has been converted into the terminus of line 1 of Light Rail Service (Tramvie Elettriche Bergamasche, TEB).

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- Left: the FVS covered loading deck in Bergamo.
- Right: the FVB freight warehouse.

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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.

- Right: The model of the imposing building of the former housing project was built by Erli Pievani. More than 80 windows and 21 arched doors and windows had to be built. The roof, like all the others, is made with strips of corrugated cardboard glued together. In the foreground, the schematic trackplan provides a clear indication as for where cars are to be spotted during operations.

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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.

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.

- Right: Panoramic view of the Villa d'Almè station. On this module (actually on all the old FVB layout) the track and turnouts are handlaid (using rails pulled from N scale track). Also the overhead line (with features unique to FVB) is entirely scratchbuilt.

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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...
- In the centre: the station building in Piazza Brembana with the freight house and the loading platform.
- Following: the FVB 2 and FVB 3 boxcabs awaiting departure, the FVB 11 "little crocodile" (the same featured on the GFO logo) is entering the station with freight cars and performing some switching moves. All the FVB locomotives were built from scratch by Franco Bonomi. FVB 11 was then rebuilt by Beppe Ravasio, and features genuine 18K gold lettering. NWSL gearboxes and Sagami can motors were used for FVB 11 and 14, whereas each of the boxcabs electrics (FVB 1-5) runs on a pair of 24.5 mm Tenshodo trucks, that had to be modified when all the FVB engines were converted to DCC.

Chi volesse visitare il plastico è pregato di contattare il Presidente o il Segretario del GFO.

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