Not really, it's a train, full of holes, and smoking...
Published on December 29, 2005 By AvantiTexan In Travel
Traveling in Italy is always an adventure, especially if you travel by train. For anyone who has enjoyed the thrill of the Italian railways knows that the Italian train system is famous for one and one thing only, it’s amazing ability to keep a consistent time schedule, they’re always late. You can even pay a little extra for the Eurostar, you’ll still be late, but at least you’ll be late with style!

My wife and I have taken trains all over Italy, and it seems that each time we have some special adventure set aside just for us. Last Monday was no different.

We were taking a night train to Rome, we had reserved two beds in a six person cuccette. The train arrived exactly on time - thirty minutes late (Remember on time means late in Italian!). We boarded and got situated in our beds and were ready for take off.

We waited. And we waited. And we waited some more. After about twenty minutes of sitting in the station we left for Rome. (We find out later from a friend that the reason we were stuck in the station for so long is that a man with a bloody arm and three dogs boarded the train and refused to get off, they eventually had to call the police to remove him and his fury four-legged friends.)

About ten minutes into the trip we start smelling a very interesting odor. At first I thought it might be somebody’s feet, it has happened before you know. Checked, all still wearing their shoes, hmm, maybe somebody had beans for lunch…well; it’s not quite that type of odor. Humph.

Soon I see smoke. That’s odd I thought. Smoking is illegal on the trains, and the odor was definitely getting stronger. It wasn’t long until the whole car was bustling about, trying to locate the origin of the smoke and smell. One quick glance out the train window and the mystery was solved; the smoke was coming from the train itself!

It turns out that one of the brakes had gotten stuck to the wheel of the train, and every rotation of the wheel was a new adventure in noxious fumes and blinding smoke.

They stopped the train, in the middle of nowhere mind you, and began to fix it. Within twenty minutes we were off and running again. Needless to say, we arrived safe and sound and on time to our destination, and just like always, a few minutes late!

Comments
on Dec 29, 2005
Smoking is hazardous to trains as well!
on Dec 30, 2005
Dr. Guy -
Smoking is hazardous to trains as well!

VERY! It was crazy to see the whole train filled with a very pungent smelling smoke. Everyday's an adventure!
on Dec 30, 2005
Scary!

Do you enjoy train rides? I've never been on a *real* one (the sad monkey train and the pineapple plantation trains were/are fun, though!).

Glad you guys got there safely. Italian time sounds like Hawaii time!
on Dec 30, 2005
Amanda doesn't care for train rides too much, they're okay for me. Our best train ride was when we went with two of our friends to Florence during the day. The train tracks rain right next to the coast nearly the whole way, it was beautiful!

We usually take night trains so we don't waste the day traveling.

Yeah, Hawaii and Italy sound oddly similar in many ways! It will be hard to go back to the states and a time driven society.
on Dec 30, 2005
Perhaps they should change all the timetables without telling anybody in the train company?
on Dec 30, 2005
Leauki -
Actually....that is a really great idea! But then the Italians would have to be retrained to be on time! It is only us Americans who expect the trains to be on time and so we get to the station 15 minutes early and then wait an hour!

The lateness is not just a train thing; it also reaches out into the city mass transit systems. In fact, where I live, the bus stops don't even put the times, only the street where they go!
on Jan 01, 2006
Wow...sounds scary. I'd still like to ride one if I ever get to visit there (which as I've said before, I'd love to do).
on Jan 11, 2006
nothing like a faulty train to make you feel safe.

my experience with the good ole italian train system unfortunately couldnt rely on the endlessly late train arrivals and departures. all over the place trains were late, but sometimes they were excessively early and didnt condescend to waiting for the scheduled departure.

not that it really mattered to me, though. i had a backpack, a eurorail pass, and something like 200 bucks left to my name. it was semana santa when i was there and even red fanta (my primary source of nutrients) was marked up 200 percent. so i lived on any train that showed up at whatever train station i was at (most of the time i didnt know).

but i never saw a smoker. the weirdest thing i experienced (train-wise) was somewhere south of la spezia when this clunker of a local train i was on made a couple of custom stops for passengers who lived in the country.

tbt