The Sibiu - Agnita Narrow Gauge Line 100 Years Old Anniversary

The centenary of this narrow gauge line was celebrated in Agnita station on the 25th and 26th of September 2010. For this event a narrow gauge steam locomotive was brought to this station from CFF Moldovita. It was the "Budapest" 764-243 that once worked on Berzasca CFF line, and then was sold outside Romania, but from this year it is running again on CFF lines like Comandau and Moldovita or on the line from Brad-Criscior. Its home station is Criscior, but two days before the event in Agnita the locomotive was working beautifully in Moldovita. The locomotive was built in 1911 and now it is the only "Budapest" "mocanita", still active in Romania. At the same time this is the second oldest steam locomotive built in 1910, after the O&K "Mariuta" (764-211) (www.mocanita.ro).
All day long, a special bike-powered-car made people move on the line as long as they could pedal. We made it for about two kilometres on the way to Sibiu...
The station building, once used for passengers and now closed and abandoned, was transformed into an exhibition area for the special multimedia event. Inside the station visitors could find objects that once were used by people working on the line, alternatively some interviews with those particular workers could be heard. Old photos and a movie about the line reminded of the life on this narrow gauge track. The line has been very important for the communities in Valea Hartibaciului for the last 100 years. This aspect was illustrated by different traditional household objects as well as by some cloth items from this region.
At the end of the station platform a special "slow-food" brunch delighted the participants on Saturday. This was the last event for 2010 organised by Transilvanian Brunch.
And what better choice for location than the train station platform? This was especially chosen in order to be in harmony with the line anniversary. Local traditional food and drinks were prepared and brought in the station so the participants had a complete idea of what the line had been and how beautiful this region still is.
On Sunday the steam locomotive pulled a green refurbished wagon for the official ceremony. After the Mayor's of Agnita and other guests' speeches the officials made a short trip by train and marked the anniversary moment by switching the signal "on".
"On" for future projects and, I hope, for future trains on the line.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• sibiu
• agnita
• narrow
• gauge
• steam
• locomotive
• railway
• cff
• viseu
• moldovita