luni, 24 ianuarie 2011

Mocanita - The Carpathian Forestry Steam Train

  
Sometimes known as "Vaser Valley Railway" the forestry railway of Viseu de Sus, located in the high North of Romania next to the border to Ukraine, is an unique technical culture asset: on a network of approximately 60 kilometers length operate - besides motor engines - up to now wood fired steam locos. The CFF Viseu de Sus, which stands for Caile Ferate Forestiere in Romanian language (forestry railway), is probably the last real operating forestry railway with steam locos.


The narrow gauge railway (with 760 mm gauge) passes with many curves, over bridges and through tunnels, next to the Vaser River into a wild romantic valley of the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. The railway opens up a great forest area without any kind of roads and villages, but where still bears and wolves live in nature. The economic use of the Vaser Valley forests started late in the beginning of the 18th century, when the area belonged to the Austrian-Hungarian empire. German speaking settlers opened up the primeval forest and rafted the wood trucks down to the saw mills in Viseu de Sus.

  
In 1932 started the construction of the forest railway, which was an enormous technical improvement compared to the trunk rafting. Forest railways had a big extension all over Europe, especially in the Carpathian area. The operating principles were very simple: following close to the river, in case of need with small curves (therefore the use of the narrow gauge), and constructed to enable the small locomotives pulling the empty logging cars up to the mountains and to coast down the heavy loaded trains to the saw mills.



According to the rising road transport in the 1950s and 60s the European forest railway disappeared one by one. But not in the economically backward Romania: even 1970 existed still approximately 3,000 km of forest railway lines and up to 1986 (!) still new steam locomotives were built. At the end of the 1980s still 15 CFFs with together 1,000 km were operating.


Today the CFF Viseu de Sus is the last and only operating forest railway in Europe - all other lines were put out of service. CFF Viseu de Sus is handled as a private industrial railway operated by R.G. Holz Company S.R.L. To preserve the steam locos as long as possible for tourism purpose, most of the production trains are operated with Diesel engines.

But for the pleasure of the numerous visitors the tradition of steam railways in Viseu de Sus stays alive. Tourist trains will run from May until October several times a week, except Sundays and holidays. And also around winter holidays.


On December 29th, 2010, we enjoyed a 6-hour-trip from Viseu de Sus towards Paltin (21.6 km) with several breaks for maintenance operations. :) 



 

It is an incredible journey nobody should miss! 

For this, please note: telephone numbers: +40(0)262.353.381; +40(0)744.686.716; website: www.cffviseu.com; email address: info@cffviseu.com.

17 comentarii:

  1. Faină experienţă şi fain reportaj.

    Blocaje, defecţiuni, curăţare de zăpadă, ceva?

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  2. -> Marcel: Multumesc! :) Da, a fost extrem de frumos, am si uitat ca atunci am racit rau si a fost chiar la inceputul vacantei. :) A fost destul de cald in vagoane, cald pentru cele -15 grade de afara, cred ca trebuia sa ma infofolesc si mai tare. :)
    Nu au fost defectiuni sau alte incidente neplacute, doar ca trebuia sa alimenteze cu lemne si sa unga toate cele pe acolo... :)
    Dar la fiecare popas au fost pregatiti cu placinte, gogosi, biscuiti simpli si cu ciocolata, ceai, cafea, ciocolata calda, vin fiert. :)
    Intentionez sa repet experienta si vara. Este o zona tare tare frumoasa!

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  3. Te-ai dus în mod organizat sau ți-ai rezolvat toate la fața locului?

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  4. Cazarea in Maramures am avut-o asigurata din Bucuresti, o sa le dedic un post in curand.
    http://www.borsa.ro/eladi/
    Super pensiune cu super gazde si conditii foarte bune! Vila am inteles ca este de 14 locuri, noi am fost 13.
    Pentru Mocanita ne-am facut rezervare telefonic pe 28/12 seara pentru 29/12. Iarna nu merge decat pe 24, 29 si 31 decembrie, din cauza vremii. Stiam dinainte ca numai pe 29/12 am putea merge, asa ca am facut rezervare (am fost 7). Intre Borsa (unde eram cazati) si Viseu de Sus (unde este statia CFF) sunt 20 km.
    Biletul a fost 60 RON de persoana, dar a meritat din plin!

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  5. Am completat postarea cu datele de contact de la CFF Viseu de Sus. :)

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  6. This is a great post Adela. I love old steam trains and your photographs are so romantic. Even in the snow everything looks beautiful. Thank you for sharing this information with us.
    Costas

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  7. Minunata experienta Mocanitei. Si vara e foarte fain. Nu am incercat iarna pana acum... dar mi-ai dat idei

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  8. Clare imagini, având în vedere viteza de deplasare a Mocăniţei...:)

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  9. -> Costas: You should think about a vacation in Romania! It's beautiful!!!
    -> Mirela: :) Sper sa ajung si la vara! :)
    -> Catalin: Lumina! :)

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  10. foarte fain documentarul
    atat imaginile cat si textul mi-au placut foarte mult

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  11. Da, foarte fain! Te felicit ca ti-ai luat timp sa documentezi excursia. :)

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  12. -> Radu: Multumesc frumos! :)
    -> Gabriel: Multumesc tare mult de vizita si comentariu! :)
    Da, de obicei trasez programul si drumetiile in vacante. Prietenii s-au obisnuit deja. :)
    -> Veronique: Multumesc!!! :) Maramuresul este superb, imaginile mele mai putin... :)

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  13. Imi place cum ai prezentat Mocanita. :)

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  14. -> Daniel: Bine ai venit pe blogul meu. :) Informatiile, in mare parte, sunt extrase din brosura pe care am luat-o din statie. :) Imaginile imi apartin. :)

    RăspundețiȘtergere

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