Beautiful photos (but newer than the facts narrated) comes from an article of January 27, 2000 titled "From the diary of Mary Lawrence: 1887, from Pistoia to Bologna by train" which tells the adventurous journey of this lady on the line Porrettana; here are some steps:
[...] Miss Mary Lawrence of New York City dealt with the enthusiasm of his eighteen years experience of the Grand Tour of Europe. In April of 1887 in Tuscany and it was towards the end of the month started from Florence to Bologna. It's been many years since that day, lace and crinolines disappeared, laughing voices and the curious glances, Mary Lawrence - who studied in Paris and became a respected sculptor-he has been a sweet memory, with some pictures, and precious and unique, the notebook by its cover, black with gold edged pages yellowed and covered by a thick and enriched by skilled writing sketches and drawings. In the notebook that you read that morning in late April, a Monday, was particularly fresh and sunny: the train left the station Santa Maria Novella at 10.40 to arrive at its destination at 16, 25, or five hours and 45 minutes later.
But the greatest experience - said - I felt it shortly after starting the journey, near Valdibrana when turning back, as I saw Grandma Granny out of the window, far away but well clear, "the bell" of Pistoia , which was all around throughout the file columns and the top shelves was supported by transport ... "just as it is described and reproduced in pen and ink drawing in the notebook. Corbezzi, Chestnut, S. Mommè, Pracchia, Porretta, on, on, among gorges and precipices, enjoying the view, quietly looking out the window - the traveler of today - with some problem, the youth of today and his companions, as The smoke of the locomotive was so dense as to obscure completely the galleries in the corners, so that, at least the first time, the station was a Pracchia service with the task of refreshing and "clear his" drivers with buckets of water , and a driver emergency ready to replace the incumbent on the way, if it were passed out for the smoke. The carriages were shades of green, with leather seats, and climbed straight into the compartments, which were not related to each other, in the early years there was no lighting, then the cars were equipped with gas lights, and appeared to Figure dell'accenditore of lights, who was doing his job, walking on the roof. "The ticket - writes Grandma Granny - cost 16 francs and 55 cents." [...]
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