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From
1880 to 1906
The first Vesuvius funicular was completed in 1880. The lower station was
situated on the south-west side of volcano cone at the altitude of 791 meter.
Next to it, there were a
restaurant-cafe
 in pompeian style, big enough to host
about one hundred people, a telegraph-office, a stable, a small tavern for the
servants and big covered basins to collect rain water to supply the steam-engine
with. From this point, the carriage, on a path about 830 meter long with a
gradient varying from 45 % to 63 %, overcame a difference in level about 400
meter long, arriving to the upper station, a small wooden building at the
altitude of 1181 meter and at about 200 meter from the cone summit. The building
above-mentioned remained unchanged during the renewal works of 1904, but were
then destroyed from 1906 eruption, buried by an ash blanket
Lower Station in office from 1880 to
1906
Upper Station in office from 1880 to
1906
From
1909 to 1944:
In 1909 the
funicular installation was rebuild thanks to the engineer Enrico Treiber. The
new lower station was built, this time, at an altitude of 754 meter. Carriages
overcame a difference in level about 420 meter long, arriving to the upper
station at the altitude of 1175 meter. Here a comfortable path of 400 meter
permitted to gain in a few minutes the cone at an altitude of 1165, overcoming a
difference in level 26 meter long. But upper station's life lasted a little
time. It was destroyed from 1911 eruption
and rebuilt at an altitude of 1137
meter. After 35 years also 1909 installation was destroyed from 1944 eruption
and never rebuilt. The lower station, which survived to the eruption, was
renewed in 1953 and with opportune changes became the lower station of the new
chair lift.
The new Lower Station in office from 1909
to 1944
The new Upper Station in office from 1911
to 1944 (Funiculì funiculà -
Gamboni, Neri)
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