Transylvanian Travels
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t was mid-afternoon on a hot Wednesday in late September 2012 and eight members of SARUK were being driven in a VW minibus towing a canvas-covered baggage trailer through the delightful countryside of southern Transylvania. We had flown Wizz Air from Luton to Transylvania International Airport (formerly Târgu Mureș) where we were met by our minibus driver, Nik, who made himself known by holding up a sign that simply said ‘SARUK’. Having identified his charges, Nik then proceeded to round us up rather like a mother hen gathering her chicks! Romania was ‘enjoying’ its hottest summer for sixty years; there had been no rainfall since May and the countryside, with its fields of well ripened maize, was more yellow than green. We set off for Agnita pausing only for an excellent
traditional lunch at a wayside taverna. The road passed through several villages along the route lined with traditional Saxon houses, many with dates painted or embossed on their eaves and decorated in a variety of pastel shades. Huge bunches of black grapes hung on the vines which provided SARUK party at Transylvania Airport. Back L-R Alasdair Stuart, Warren Marsh, Graham Farr, John much needed shade in the Keylock. Front - David Allan, John Stretton, Jenny Allan, Frank courtyards. Cooper In Agnita the curiously smart, modern and inexpensive hotel named Ice House welcomed us with spotless rooms and even more welcome was to be our base for the week ahead. bottles of ice-cold Ursus beer. This
SARUK Meets the Mayor
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gnita has a new Mayor, Mr Ioan Dragoman, and we were delighted to have had the opportunity to meet with him during our visit. Agnita Town Hall is appropriately enough almost opposite the town’s old railway station were we were most cordially greeted and ushered into his guest room. Our conversation lasted about half an hour, ably translated by Nina who is an English teacher at a local school. We brought greetings from the UK, explained to him our enthusiasm for the railway reconstruction scheme, advised him of our experience and possibly stunned him with some of the economic figures currently generated by the Welsh Highland Railway. We presented him with a short video on the reconstruction of the Welsh Highland that had been produced by John Wooden of the FR, as well as the current WHR
Agnita’s Mayor, Ioan Dragoman (left), welcomes
Traveller’s Guide, and reassured him that SARUK chairman David Allan to Agnita Both pictures on this page by John Stretton our only intention was to help The Friends and the Consortium with their ambitious project. ing to produce a new feasibility study as the previous one was out of date. He advised that Agnita had no money to spend on the project, but he went on to However we have since learnt that Sibiu confirm that Sibiu County had now joined have delayed their decision to join pendthe Consortium and were currently looking administration changes within the Consortium
Narrow gauge railway preservation in Romania 1
Travel by Velocipede or The Long Walk! turned into a veritable forest and the whole exercise was becoming a sort of dry land version of ‘The African Queen’! We abandoned the velocipede, having decided to collect it on the return trip and set off to walk the ‘two’ kilometre distance to Benești in searing heat and unrelenting sun. A t was day two of our visit and we dirt track seemed to follow the were met at Agnita station by Radu line of the track and we took Popa who introduced us to ‘The Veto that to avoid the sometimes locipede’, a curious machine constructed difficult walking on the track of two bicycle frames welded side by side ballast. By this time we were which could be operated by two people getting suspicious that Romapedalling and which could carry four nian kilometres perhaps didn’t passengers on bench seats. measure up to the usually accepted international notion of This was manhandled onto the track and that distance, our suspicions after some experimentation with two in being confirmed by the carved the ‘engine room’ and four ‘passengers’ it stone kilometre posts that set off towards the bridge at Barghis adorned the track at regular Swamp some two kilometres distant. intervals. The odd crossing had to be dug out but the contraption sailed merrily along The track lay in a sort of dethrough the grass-covered tracks with serted valley with absolutely great aplomb. The remainder of the par- no one, human or otherwise, in ty surveyed the eccentric progress from sight. Deciding that it might the safety of the minibus on the parallel be prudent to employ modern road! technology we tried using the mobile phone, which we knew At the bridge a second crew took over had been successful in pinwho were to ride on it to the next ‘station pointing the position of lost stop’ along the line Benești which, we travellers not only in the Antwere assured, would be ‘a piece of cake’. arctic and the Sahara Desert, However the information that there was but also the Atlantic ocean; only the odd missing fishplate and a few sadly our reliance on this deshrubs to overcome proved to be less than vice failed to work in Romaaccurate; indeed the distance to Benești nia, with ‘no signal’ being the had also been miscalculated as we were usual response. Although on soon to discover! two occasions Alasdair’s phone pinged and we all relieved to The first few hundred yards were easy, as know that he had received a was manoeuvring the machine over dislo- new message - but he was uncated rail joints, but soon the ‘few shrubs’ able to access it!
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Pictures this page Top left - Warren & Alastair provide the pedal power (D. Allan) Bottom left - Missing fishplate (D. Allan) Top right - Flying start for the velocipede from the loco unloading ramp. (John Stretton) Centre - A SPAD! Velocipede fights it way past a signal at danger (D Allan) Lower - Shrubs growing between the rails present a problem (John Stretton)
We were still following the railway, sometimes on the track itself and at other times on the cart track, always wondering what was round the next bend. However Alasdair assured us that we must be on the right track because the electricity pylons, 2
which also accompanied the railway (more or less) would inevitably lead to a village. He was right! After a three hour trek in the burning sun and with footsteps beginning to falter a church spire hove into sight rapidly followed by a line of pastel-painted, hip-roofed houses. The dirt track evolved into a sort of concrete surfaced road and there in the distance, headlamps flashing, was our maroon painted minibus. Quite an unscheduled adventure!
SAR track in a deserted valley Walking the track
Cart track makes for easier walking Leaving the railway for the cart track
Concrete distance marker posts
Bridges at Barghis swamp - track in good condition
Relieved to see the mini bus!
Benesti’s pastel-painted hipped roofed houses
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Altina Station Stable Restored
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tables to house the railway’s horses are an interesting feature of the SAR. They were used to ‘shed’ the ‘motive power’ for delivering goods to their final destination that had arrived via the railway and of course vice-versa. It was therefore with dismay that when we visited the line in September 2011 we saw the semi-derelict state of the little stable at Altina. (Top photograph). Such was our concern that one of our members offered there and then to pay for its repair. Sadly when we again saw the stable a year later in September 2012 the situation had become worse, with the brick built wall having been almost completely removed. (Centre photograph) Unfortunately circumstances had mitigated against repairs being carried out during the year. However we are delighted to report that the situation is being rectified and that repairs are now well underway. It is pleasing that this interesting little feature of life on the SAR will once again grace the range of buildings at Altina. (Lower photograph) It joins the other two buildings restored by The Friends - the station at Coves and the water tower at Cornatel. The Friends will be putting the repaired stables to good use. It will become a permanent way store for tools and may even become a shed for the draisine. A large door will be fitted to the track-facing side of the repaired building for this purpose. The original brick walls have been replaced by wooden planks. Whilst it was considered using bricks this was discarded as bricks may well encourage petty theft - as happened with the original structure as can be clearly seen in the top two photographs. Stations on this line not only provided for the needs of passengers but also served to house the station master and his family. Whilst two thirds of the stable was used primarily for the railway’s horses the other third, divided from the horses by an internal partition, was used for chickens and pigs to provide food for the family.
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News From The Line Setback with Silver Lining Life has not been easy for ‘The Friends’ and another set back for their plans was received in September when they were told that the two locomotives that they had been promised from Cluj were no longer available. The engines included a steam loco, which it was planned to display at Sibiu terminus and a diesel that was destined for Agnita were it could have been put back into running order. However the cost of moving them proved to be beyond what the The Friends could afford, but as they were only on loan for an initial period of five years then perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. It will allow such funds as the Friends may have at their disposal to be set against the acquisition of the carriages and steam outline petrol-electro loco from the children's railway in Bucharest.
EU Grant? As this edition goes to press we learn, that with the help of Fedecrail, the Friends may be in line for an EU grant. The Friends have applied for funding under a Fedecrail-inspired scheme - details in the table below - for a total of 57,200 euros (about £47,000). The applications need to be with Fedecrail secretary Livius Kooy within the next few days.
Scheme Restore to operating status 6km of track, thus extending the already restored 2km at Agnita, to reach the first station towards Sibiu. This will allow sustained tourism activities by means of trains, not just draisines.
€30,000
Purchasing a light train set plus spares.
€15,000
Organizing working camps with volunteers to replace sleepers. Four years @ €800 per annum
€3,200
Sending young volunteers to youth camps in other partner schemes. Six @ €500
€3,000
Restore the goods warehouse in the station at Agnita as storage for sleepers and materials.
€4,000
Internal supervision and management
€2,000
JOIN US!
Shed Fund Following the appeal in the last newsletter for funds to help with the concrete foundation for the new shed we are delighted to report that we have so far reveived just short of £1200. This is a wonderful response for such a small organisation. Added to this can be the £800 in the SARUK account which should go a significant way to getting the foundations in place before winter sets in.
‘Friends’ Newsletter Mihai Blotor, President of ‘The Friends’, advises that they will be producing their own newsletter, the first edition is nearly ready for the printers.
Euros
The Sibiu to Agnita narrow gauge railway closed just eleven years ago. It is located in the heart of stunning scenery in the Hârtibaciu valley, Transylvania. Most of the track, pointwork and infrastructure remains in situ. The goal of SARUK is to support the local Romanian railway restoration group – ‘The Friends of the Mocănița’ – in their efforts to re-open the line. We aim to raise funds, offer practical advice and support, and help to overcome 5
Government indifference to the potential of tourist lines in Romania, as well as publicising the line in the British press. Annual subs for membership of SARUK is just £15 for which you will receive four editions of The Agnita Express’ a year. For more information please email David Allan (david.allan132@ntlworld.com) or phone on 0151 327 3576
Draisine From Cornatel
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s reported in the last Newsletter The Friends have acquired a draisine – built by one of their members - Marian Dumitru - this 4-wheeled, rail-mounted vehicle is powered by a 600cc Trabant engine and tows a four seater trailer.
Draisine &trailer in the Transylvanian sun (John Stretton)
Following our three hour ‘track inspection’ (see page 2) on day two of our September visit, and after an excellent lunch in the little Ivvis Pension in Cornățel, it was to provide some splendid rail-related R & R with an exhilarating five kilometre ride in the company of Radu Popa. To accommodate the filming of a Jameson Whiskey commercial a month earlier about five kilometres of track had been cleared and repaired from Cornățel station towards Ag nita. The motorised draisine and trailer were first dragged from their storage depot in an adjacent farm workshop, across a busy road featuring a blind bend, which in itself was an interesting experience, and then on to the track. Radu confirmed that this was the first time that he had driven the beast, but nothing ventured, the party climbed aboard and set off at a cracking pace clattering over the point-work in Cornățel station and onto the single line. The breeze created by the speed of the forward movement did a lot to counteract the heat of the day and as we sped onwards hoots and whistles were exchanged with the cars and lorries on the parallel road. Our excursion ended roughly in the middle of nowhere! The loco was turned by the ingenious method of jacking up the driving vehicle at its centre point and hand-turning it about its axis. The ‘loco’ moved forward and the trailer, which had been previously removed from the rails, was re-railed behind it. Ah, the ingenuity
SAR track from the draisine near Cornatel (David Allan)
of narrow gauge railways! Alasdair claimed the driving seat for the return journey and after a slightly uncertain start soon had the contraption powering down the line back to the station at Cornățel. En route John Stretton suggested a photo runpast and so with the Carpathian Mountains in the background, the sun shining from a blue sky, the photographers in position, the draisine, with its trailer load of waving Brits, drove slowly past the assembled snappers a bizarre moment in a dramatic setting - but great fun! The track crosses a small bridge near Cornatel (John Stretton)
Draisine in Cornatel station (David Allan)
Pointwork approaching Cornatel on the return run (David Allan)
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Riding the Rails Radu Popa talks to John Stretton
Dragging the draizine across the road (David Allan) Terminus in the middle of nowhere! (David Allan)
Jacking up the draizine prior to turning (John Stretton) Re-railing the trailer (David Allan)
Turning the draisine on its axis (David Allan)
Run past with the Carpathian Mountains in the background (John Stretton)
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Moving the Shed
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t was the Sunday of our visit - traditionally a day of rest, but not for this party – it was timber moving day! The huge eight-wheeled lorry which arrived at the site of the goods warehouse took some two hours to load, with one team on the ground and another on the vehicle. The nine metre long timbers that had spanned the width of the shed at some 2.5 meters above the floor and whose job it was to keep the uprights aligned as well as supporting the roof, were loaded first; these overhung the back of the wagon by some considerable distance. As it was feared that they might snap whilst negotiating the difficult road surface in Agnita, they were strapped together for the journey.
It was tiring work, especially, as apart from Alasdair, we could hardly be described as being in the first flush of youth. The gardening or work’s gloves that the party had been instructed to bring certainly were to prove their worth, but there were still some bloody scratches that needed attention. Only SARUK Secretary and Treasurer John Keylock worked bare-handed, although he brought some frivolity to the occasion with his somewhat eccentric choice of head gear. A short break saw a trip to the adjacent garage for thirst-quenching drinks and then work began again in earnest. Coincidently the garage was adjacent to the site of the original Agnita station but nothing remained of this building.
perienced driver negotiated the road with great aplomb and it arrived safely at its destination - the ‘new’ Agnita station. The sun continued to beat down and, as it was also mid-day, we needed to live up to the ‘mad dog and Englishman’ image. So, without a break for lunch, the unloading began. This if anything was more exhausting than the loading bit. It was hot, we were tired and apart from Alasdair and Mihai, youthful exuberance had more or less deserted us. Nevertheless the wagon was unloaded and the long lengths were stored in reasonable safety in the Tin Shed alongside the coach. At the end of the day we found that we had moved about three quarters of the old timbers. The ice-cold local Ursus beer was the most popular drink on the terrace of our hotel that evening!
There was some discussion on the best location for the re-erection of the old wooden railway goods warehouse. Bill Parker had pointed out that the line on which it had been proposed to re-erect it was on a slight incline which could lead to safety problems with parked rolling stock. However, with our captive engineer Alasdair Stewart in agreement, it was eventually decided that as the pros outweighed the cons the original At last the truck was fully loaded and ready to take its approved location, adjacent to the Tin Shed, cargo of timber to the new remained the best option. site at Agnita station. To Top - The wood moving gang, minus John Stretton add to the interest of the who took the picture! journey the main street in L-R Warren Marsh, Frank Cooper, Alasdair Stuart, Agnita had been dug up to Graham Farr, Jenny Allan, David Allan, Laurie allow for a new water sup- Webb, John Keylock, Mihai Blotor ply system which resulted Left top - Alasdair Stuart and Mihai loading the in numerous potholes and planks. Left centre- almost done! uncontrolled single file Left Bottom - Load arrives at Agnita station sections. However the ex-
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SAR Rescued Coaches
These former SAR coaches were rescued from the scrapman and are currently stored in a builder’s yard in Agnita. A fourth vehicle is semi restored and back on the rails under cover in the Tin Shed at Agnita station
S.A.R.U.K. SALES SARUK member so that the total income received from sales goes direct to the SARUK account. Not only that but The Friends have produced a very nice calendar featuring modern photographs of the line and we shall have an English version on sale at a price to be advised.
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ll volunteer organisations attempt to have items related to their cause to sell in order to boost income and SARUK is no exception! For our first deal we are pleased to offer a SARUK mug and a SARUK high viz vest. The mug, with its iconic SAR picture sells for £6.95 post paid and the high viz vest is at £9.95 again post paid We are also pleased to advise that the full cost of these items has been sponsored by a
May we just remind members that all money received by SARUK goes directly to The Friends for the benefit of the SAR - no expenses are charged either for this newsletter or for any any other outgoing. So please support this modest sales effort!
Send your orders to John Keylock, Weathervane Cottage, Childswickham, Broadway, Worcs WR12 7HL plus your cheque made out to SARUK Prices include post & packing 9
SAR Pictures by Trevor Rowe
on the line to the rear of the station building and yet more carriages await in the ‘platform’ road.
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ARUK has been extremely fortunate in receiving permission to publish photographs taken by Trevor Rowe during his visit to the line in 1966. We are very grateful to Trevor for allowing us to use his pictures in The Agnita Express.
The first of these is of the narrow gauge terminus of the SAR in Sibiu, located adjacent to the standard gauge station. The image shows a busy scene with a loco and train about to depart for Agnita from the narrow gauge station. Meanwhile a loco is receiving attention on the cross-over line to the goods sheds, wagons and a couple of carriages stand 10
The lower photograph taken during the SARUK visit in 2011 shows the same scene 45 years later. The goods warehouses have been demolished, but the narrow gauge station still exists. The wooden water tower has also been demolished and replaced by a concrete building. The struts visible in the lower photograph belong to a rolling crane used for unloading electricity transformers. A standard gauge siding serves the premises which splits from the narrow gauge just before the narrow gauge station. Is that pitched roof building to the rear of the narrow gauge station the same as can be seen in the later photograph?