🇮🇹Harlequin is back🇮🇹 1952 design & engineering masterpiece, l’Arlecchino still turns heads in Milan. With RAI(BBC) were on a 120km, 3hr trip to showcase Italy’s love of rail. At Novara we join a steam train & 1930 cars on ‘closed’ line to Varallo 🧵⬇️

🚂🚋🚋🚋🚋 First train to Varallo. Italian Rail really has reopened a 50km line that hasn’t seen a train for over a decade - with our steam train! One of 12 ‘Timeless Tracks’ reopened lines to bring tourism to beautiful corners of Italy.

🍷🍾🥙 Great restaurant next to stazione Varallo. Steam loco waits our return - incredible to see what Italy values & has created - “a symbol of progress, social elevation & modernisation.”

TV crew gone home. Fondazione FS Top Brass in their hotel. Back to Milan for the rest of us - oh no the Harlequin driver’s cab is open…… 🤩

For a Brit it’s humbling, if not humiliating, to see a country invest so much in its rail heritage. 📖 Here’s a link to the Harlequin Guide Book in English. 🚂 100+ heritage trains: 🍷’Trans Europ Express’

Wow! Look at that styling. Fabulous. I want to visit.

🚂100+ Heritage diesel/steam/electric in Italy from €5 🍷 175+‘Trans Europ Express’ dining/bar/sleepers from €45;

Inspirational, Chris. One for @DriverPotter and the toiling minions.

@amtrackmacon3 Beautiful

Stunning 😍

@CiarliniKoerner it's not a steam train but I thought you'd like this :)