24th - 30th June 2009

 The railways of Romania are fascinating, with an interesting mix of the old alongside the new order, as privatisation takes a hold. Rail-based freight transport is strong. There are also some extremely interesting lines, and banking is still used on the steeper gradients. This is the first ‘Along Different Lines’ tour to Romania (although previous ADL tours have passed through that country).
During the tour we will visit, as extensively as possible, the most interesting lines, depots and works in the central and south-west parts of the country. We shall explore the most scenic railway lines by our comfortable special train (preserved 1st Class stock), which will be hauled by a variety of electric and diesel locos. The staff of our Restaurant Car will provide you with a range of meals and drinks to a high standard, and at reasonable cost. A typical lunch price is HUF 1,250 (approximately ₤ 4 at today’s exchange rates) and a typical large beer price is HUF 490 (approximately ₤ 1.60).Please note, however, that some meals are included in the tour price (see below).
During the tour a number of depots and railway museums will be visited, and a run will be taken on the Podgoria Aradului narrow-gauge line. Overnight accommodation will be in 4-star (5 nights) and 3-star (1 night) hotels. 
June 24^th, 2009 After meeting up at Budapest-Nyugati station in the early afternoon, we will depart on our special train to Arad. We will travel, via Szolnok, Békéscsaba and Lőkösháza, to the Hungarian-Romanian border station at Curtici. After passport control a Romanian CFR loco will haul the train to Arad Station. Participants and luggage will then be taken to the heart of the city by bus. Accommodation will be provided in the Hotel Continental (4 stars). After checking in a ‘Welcome Dinner’ (included) will be served in the hotel’s restaurant. 
June 25^th, 2009 After breakfast, a bus will take us to Gyorok (Ghiorocra). This was once a station on a metre-gauge line which is now partly integrated into the Podgoria Aradului railway (the city transport system), and is now a terminal of that system. The local transport company fitted up a museum in the old shed of the 1000 mm gauge line. Many vehicles (tram, and rail), more than a hundred years old, can be seen there. After this visit we will be taken back to the edge of the town by one of the historic suburban trams. During the trip there will be photo-stops. After travelling by the preserved tram and joining a bus, the next stop is the CFR depot in Arad where, in addition to the CFR diesel and electric locos, locos of private railways can be found, too. Later in the morning the bus will take us to the main station, where the shed will be visited. From here, many rail-cars from the 1940s are operated. Our next destination is Brasov. During the run with our special train there will be a stop at Teus where there will be a short visit to the local depot. We expect to arrive in Brasov, the 2^nd biggest town of the country, in the early evening. A bus will then transfer us the short distance to our hotel in the city, which is the Hotel Aro (4 star) 
June 26^th 2009 After breakfast in our hotel, a bus will take us to Brasov depot, which is one of the biggest in the country, and a great number of locomotives can be seen at all times. This visit will take a couple of hours. We then continue to the MARUB railway workshop, where industrial railways and old rail-cars are refurbished. Our programme will then continue with a visit to the Servtrans private railways’ site, where their Locos and rail-cars can be seen. In the afternoon there will be a rather special journey with our train being hauled by a Servtrans loco, to Zarnesti. During the run, we expect there to be some photo stops. We then have a second night in Brasov. 
June 27^th 2009 After breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, our special train will take us to Sibiu, where we will visit the depot and the Romanian Railway Museum. A large number of old and interesting steam locomotives can be seen here. The old depot also has a relatively new building where many CFR Desiros are kept. The afternoon will be free, so that you can explore this medieval town, which was Europe’s Cultural Capital in 2007. There is a metre-gauge tramway from the suburbs to Resina, which operates with Swiss-built rail-cars. Our overnight accommodation is at the Hotel Continental (4 star) in the city. 
June 28^th 2009 After breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, we take our special train to Piatra Olt, where we visit the depot. The tour then continues, with our special train, to Craiova, where Electroputere, the primary Romanian electric loco manufacturer, is located. Most of the Romanian electric loco fleet were manufactured here, but there are also many Electroputere locos in Bulgaria, Serbia, and several private railways various parts of Europe. We visit this works, which has recently turned its attention to the manufacture of diesel locos, seeking to open up markets in countries without electrification.  Our next stop is the local CFR depot in Craiova, where approximately 80 locos are based. Later this day our special train will take us to the famous Danube Iron gate – a gorge on the river that was once the most dangerous stretch of this river. Our hotel accommodation will be at  the Hotel Continental (3 stars) in Tornu Severin 
June 29^th 2009 After breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, we will head northwards with our train. The first depot visit of the day is at Caransebeş, after which we continue to Reşiţa, which was once the centre of Romanian steam locomotive manufacturing. We will visit the local railway museum which celebrates this. After visiting the museum our train will take us to Oravita, where we have to transfer to a CFR special train. The truly spectacular line to the Anina mine has many very sharp curves, which our own train would not be able to negotiate. Once back at Oravita, our train will take us to Timisoara. A Farewell Dinner (included) will be served in our restaurant car during the journey. The train will then arrive in the late in the evening at Timisoara, where the night will be spent at the Hotel Continental (4 stars) in the city.
June 30^th 2009 Breakfast will be taken in the hotel, after which we will visit Timisoara depot. It will then be time to head back to Budapest with our train.  After an afternoon arrival in Budapest, at approximately 17.30, a bus transfer will be provided to Budapest-Ferihegy Airport for those departing by air. 

Ez az oldal az alábbi címen érhető el:
http://www.mavnosztalgia.hu/en/menu/135/esemeny/252