Date of construction: 1920 (Baldwin, USA)
Maximum speed: 65 km/h
Location: Sibiu Depot

Locomotives of the 140 series were built during the 1st World War, and were initially used by the USATC (United States Army Transportation Corps) on the European battlefields. The 140.117 locomotive was built in 1920 at the Baldwin Works, Philadelphia, United States. For efforts during the 1st World War, Romania received 15 locomotives of the series 140.000 as gift from France. After that date, Romanian Railways (CFR) acquired 50 more locomotives of this class. After more than 80 years of service, locomotive 140.117 is the only one of this type still in use today.

Date of construction: 1922 (Henschel & Son, Germany)
Maximum speed: 126 km/h
Location: Sibiu Depot

Pacific 231.065 belongs to a batch of 50 locomotives built between 1922-1925 at the German factory of J.A Maffei AG, Munchen (231.041-231.060) and Henschel & Son (231.061 – 231.090). This particular locomotive was built in 1922 with the fabrication number 18999. It was designed for hauling high speed luxury passenger trains such as: The Carpati Express, The Fulger Pullman Express, The Orient Express, and The Romanian Royal Train. In 1994 the locomotive was refurbished for the celebration of the Bucharest-Giurgiu railway, and has since been restored in 2004 to full working order.

Date of construction: 1921 (Resita, Romania)
Maximum speed: 100 km/h
Location: Triaj Depot

Constructed at the Romanian Resita factory in 1936 with the fabrication number 372, the locomotive was built to haul express trains. The locomotive series 230.000 was based on the German P8 design, and 361 were built in Germany and Romania between 1907 and 1940. During the 2nd World War "Pacific" 230.516 narrowly avoided three German aerial bombardments between Arad and Deva. Today this locomotive frequently hauls the Romanian Royal Train.

The three coaches of the Calugareni train were built at the Ashbury factory in Manchester, England between 1866-1869. The Calugareni train operated between 1869-1918 on the Bucharest-Giurgiu line, the first railway of the Romanian United Principalities.

The Calugureni

During the Independence War (1877-1878) they were used to transport part of the Imperial Guard 14th and 15th Russian Army divisions Bucharest and Giurgiu. This train also transported Romanian King Carol, Russian Czar Alexander II and Grand Duke Nicolau. The coaches were refurbished by the Giurgiu State Railway in 1879, when luggage racks were added. At the same date, the the 1st class upholstery was changed to burgundy plush, and the 2nd class was changed to a green fabric. The coaches were rebuilt between 1993-1994 at the CFR Pascani Workshops and were restored in 2004 by the CFR Grivita Workshops. This is the oldest working train in Romania.

The Moldovita

The Moldovita train is currently operated as a steam-hauled special train between Bucharest and Snagov. It is composed of 4 coaches, built between 1885-1894 at the Simmering Coach Factory in Vienna, Austria. The coaches were operated on railways in Moldova and Bucovina at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Between 1993-1994, the coaches were rebuilt in the Pascani CFR workshops. In 2004, the train was restored in the Grivita CFR workshops and re-entered circulation for railway tourism. All coaches have toilets.

The collection at Sibiu Railway Museum began in the 1960s when the older steam locomotives from the Sibiu-Sighisoara 760mm narrow gauge line were withdrawn from service at the same time as the closure of the Agnita-Sighisoara section.

Narrow gauge locomotive 389.001 of 1885

These early locomotives were joined by many other Romanian standard and narrow gauge locomotives from 1991. The official "Steam Locomotive Museum" was inaugurated on 23 August, 1994 - the occasion of the centenary of the nearby Sibiu-Cisnadie line. The collection has been progressively expanded and locomotives preserved by enthusiasts from the CFR Brasov Region. It now comprises 23 standard gauge locomotives, 10 narrow gauge locomotives, 3 snow ploughs and 2 steam cranes.

Narrow gauge locomotive 763.148 built in 1923

Two of these locomotives are still active (140.117 and 231.065) and are available for use on Transylvania Express tours (see item above). The railway yard of the old Sibiu-Sighisoara Railway (see item below) is situated a few hundred metres from the museum.

The Vasser Valley Railway runs between Viseu de Sus and the international border of Romania and Ukraine. There are several railway branches which give access to the local mountain forest. Typically, a train will depart in the morning with empty bogies, and return in the evening loaded with freshly hewn tree trunks, and possibly some livestock on flat-wagons which are returning from their mountain pastures.

Originally, there were dozens of railways like this in operation around Romania, which had been constructed years before the arrival of the internal combustion engine. The trains are largely self-sufficient - requiring only timber from the surrounding forest, and water from the plentiful streams. (See more here...)

The narrow-gauge railway from Sibiu to Sighisoara ceased to operate in two stages. The section from Sighisoara to Agnita closed in 1963. The track was torn up, and there is little evidence of its existence, save for stations buildings along the old route, many of which are now private homes. The remaining section from Agnita to Sibiu continued to operate for a futher 30 years, and provided invaluable transportation for people and their merchandise, much of which was agricultural. The present-day bus service is hampered by terrible road conditions, and is not able to convey heavy goods.

A Sibiu-Agnita train

A British consortium are attempting to restore the line for the benefit of local town and village communities and also for tourism development. The railway has recently be formally recognised as a historic monument in Romania. (See more at the restoration website...)