European Railroad Discussion > Trip to Italy, Part 2: Porta Garibaldi Stazione

A day trip to Lake Como, from Porta Garibaldi station. First, some pics from the Porta Garibaldi station platform:

1. An MoW train; these were seen throughout our trip in Italy
2. The tracks heading north out of the station. The rides were smooth; the grass and other greenery was common along rail routes including stations
3. A look back at the tallest building in Milan and possibly all of Italy

more...

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Heading out to Lake Como:

4. Cabina (Tower) A.
5. Cabina C, and an inbound streamlined train
6. A northbound local as seen from a ferry on Lake Como.

The ride north from Porta Garibaldi was a bit like riding the NEC north of Baltimore. A fast train on an electrified route, passing several shells of former factories, and abandoned spurs for former rail-served customers. The former factories had broken windows, climbing vines, and graffiti everywhere. Unfortunately graffiti was common on Italian rail equipment, though the faster more expensive trains were much cleaner. The rail equipment is stored outside on remote sidings, where it is subject to 'tagging'.

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When I was in Italy in June I noticed that lots of the sides of the rails were white in color. Why is this? Some kind of chemical reaction in electrified territory?

It has ben used in some locations in Australia, where the rails are painted white to reduce heat absorbsion & reduce the risk of rail buckling/warping in periods of high temperatures