Peeking out from Milan’s memory is the tale of the Tranvia Saronno-Tradate. It once connected Milan to the towns along the Varesina road. This steam tram was the second of its kind in Lombardy.
Let’s step back to 1876. Engineers Campiglio and Bianchi proposed a horse-drawn tramway. It was to run from Milan to Saronno and Tradate. The provincial administration granted the concession to The Milan Tramways Company. Angelo Luè led this English company. He was also involved with the Milano-Monza tramway.
But in 1877, the deal changed. The concession went to a Belgian company. It was called Società Anonima dei Tramways e delle Ferrovie Economiche di Roma, Milano e Bologna. Later, in 1889, it became Società per le tramvie e le ferrovie economiche di Roma, Milano e Bologna. People knew it as “la Belga”.
The Tranvia Milano-Saronno-Tradate opened in stages. The line reached Saronno on June 24, 1877. It extended to Tradate on February 23, 1878. This was the second tramway in the province of Milan. The Milano-Monza line was the first. Both initially used animal power.
Horse traction proved unsuitable. The Tranvia Saronno-Tradate needed something stronger. Especially for its long extra-urban routes. So, in the summer of 1878, they tested steam traction. Two locomotives helped determine the right specs. Regular steam service began on June 26, 1878. The Milano-Tradate became Italy’s second steam tramway. Only the Milano-Vaprio was earlier.
In 1879, the Milano-Saronno railway opened. Ferrovie Nord Milano managed it. The railway closely followed the tram’s route. This caused a big drop in tram traffic. FNM took over the tramway from “la Belga” in 1889. They tried to coordinate operations but struggled.
The Saronno-Tradate section closed in 1895. The Saronno-Malnate railway made it redundant. The Milano-Saronno section lasted until 1925. It remained a local service.
The Tranvia Milano-Saronno-Tradate started at Foro Buonaparte. Later, the terminus moved to Via Cusani. It passed Parco Sempione. Then it followed Corso Sempione. Here was the Belga’s depot and workshop. The line continued along Via Plana, Via Bindellina, and Via Varesina. It crossed the Milano-Torino railway. Then it followed the Varesina provincial road to Villa Dubini near Saronno. This route was mostly parallel to the Milano-Saronno railway.
Near Saronno, the line split. One branch went to Tradate. It ran parallel to the Saronno-Laveno railway. The other branch entered Saronno via Milano street. It passed under the railway. It stopped at Piazza Umberto I later Piazza Venezia. It rejoined the main line near the Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli.
The section from Via Cusani to Cagnola was shared. It was used by the Milano-Gallarate tramway. The same company managed both lines.
In 1877, tests used a Brown vertical boiler locomotive. SLM of Winterthur made it. Krauss of Munich also provided a unit. These tests led Belga to order locomotives. Both manufacturers received orders.
Under FNM, five steam locomotives served. Two were cabined types from Belga. Henschel built them in 1879. They were sold before 1900. Three new locomotives came from Krauss in 1908.