The Respect Towards the Predecessors - A History Lesson for the Successors

Which is your first thought when you are waking for the first time in a town or when you reach the first time in a country? You would like to know about the history of those realms, about the deeds and the events that have marked the people and the places, wouldn't you? And for those that have a hobby for certain fields it is a real pleasure to get new information about the subjects they are interested in: art, history, architecture, trains… So, ask for a museum!

The idea of founding a Railways Museum has been promoted all over Romania at the beginning of the XX century by the engineer Theodor Bals (1880 - 1965), well-known specialist in rolling stock, being also sustained by the general director of CFR of those days Mr. Mihail Ionescu. Due to his hobby for everything that means railway transport, Theodor Bals has succeeded to save from disassembling a few types of representative locomotives in order to illustrate the evolution of the railways on our realms. Among them there is also the locomotive no. 43, Calugareni (that has operated since 1869 on Bucharest - Giurgiu section), and the locomotive no. 103, Romania (that was part of the first series of locomotives brought by Strussberg company). There have been other that have joined the efforts of this enthusiasm, illustrious John Doe, in love with the institution they are working for - CFR. Therefore a collection of pieces of technical - constructive interest and documents with historical - documentary value have been created.
In year 1936, taking advantage of the more propitious times, the General Department of CFR has approached concrete actions for the foundation of the museum. The mission of putting in practice this idea has been assigned to the Study Department of CFR, managed by the engineer Vanghele Misicu, a great personality of the railway world, today almost forgotten.
As a first action, the Study Department has issued a paper, an agenda -order, published in the Official Paper of CFR no. 973, from September 16, 1963, through which the railway employees are informed about the following measures:
"1. The foundation of the CFR Museum.
2. The contribution to the CFR personnel training.
3. The gathering and the maintenance of the historical objects related to the railways.
4. The CFR propaganda, through the fact that the public that will visit this museum will become aware of the vast and varied activity of our railways, of the richness and the beauties of out country, and the accessible beauties enhanced by the means of transport offered by CFR."
The beginning has been, and it could not have been different, modest. Besides the ones that have considered that they can also add to their preoccupations the foundation of this museum, there have been also others, who have skeptically perceived the problem, considering it a secondary matter - a kind of trifle -, which is not called either technique, or railway stuff, or an up to date matter, and not even…of any use.
Still, the respective order had a benefic effect quickening the collaboration, with or without enthusiasm, of all the departments. There have been made great efforts in order to detect, save and maintain everything that could represent an exhibit in the future museum. On this occasion, there have been noticed great shortcomings at the documentary material, at objects and documents from certain fields: track equipment, telegraphic and telephonic transmission systems, signals, uniforms, transport documents and, not at last, a few representative wagons.
Due to the initiative of Theodore Bals, the engine rolling stock section, namely the locomotives, it was the most representative. In year 1938 there were maintained for the museum 10 locomotives of a historical importance; the two mentioned-above, Calugareni and Romania , as well as Racova, Lespezi, Ocna and Tighina. Lacking an adequate space, the objects meant for the museum, once with the collection and the inventory, have been kept at the units where they have been found, waiting to be transferred to the museum.
The headquarter of the future CFR Museum has been decided, at the beginning, as Bucharest Filaret Railway Station, the first railway station of the Capital, put into exploitation in 1869, the moving being performed after being evacuated.
Up to the respective moment there was a need for a temporary headquarter. There has been tried the rebuilding of a hall in the precinct of the Bucharest Grivita Workshops, using the material resulted from the demolition of a gliders hall of the Aviation Section of CFR. After a while, pursuant to the beginning of the works, they have renounced at the respective place, due to the fact that it was not adequate to a museum.
Another proposition was aiming the assembling of the museum nearby the CFR Technological Institute (currently the headquarters of AFER, in Piata Chibrit). Neither the respective location was meeting the special conditions imposed by a railway museum. The saving solution, although temporary, has been the arranging of the museum in the cultural - sportive complex of CFR near the Podul Grant, on Calea Giulesti - having in composition the CFR Culture House (the current Odeon Theatre) and Giulesti stadium.
Obtaining the approval of the Sportive Association of CFR Personnel there has been decide that the documentary exhibition of the museum should be arranged in the halls under the tribune of Giulesti Stadium, in a 1,200 m2 surface, that were well-lighted and provided a comfortable access from the streets. The rolling stock fleet was to be placed on the space between the tribunes of the Stadium and the Podul Grant, on a five hectares surface.
Everything was well conceived, yet, as it is typical to us, the Romanians, we hurry, and all of a sudden has been taken the decision to inaugurate the museum much earlier that it has been initially planned. 
Due to the fact that the celebration moment for 70 years since the inauguration of the first Romanian iron way, the railway section Bucharest Filaret - Giurgiu, there has been established that there will be paid homage to the event by developing, during June 10-12, 1939, of certain vast celebrations, called Ceferiada, which main moment was the inauguration of the museum.
There has been assigned in a hurry a commission of engineers, having as president another devoted railway employee, the engineer Vanghele Misicu, commission that had available only 45 days for the preparations of everything that was necessary. And these in the conditions in which the works were still far from being finalized: there were still performed the reinforced concrete casting stage and the masonry from the stadium structure and there was not even finished the great tower of the stadium, where there was supposed to be arranged a royal box! Additionally, there should also be executed the division of the space under the tribune and the plastering operations and assembling of various equipment.
The space meant for the future rolling stock, which represented only wholes and dump goods, had also quite a lot until it will become an appropriate place for the entertaining of the ones that are going to come to admire the locomotives and the wagons that were about to be exhibited there.
Through the collaboration of all the central departments of CFR, the goal has been achieved in that respect in such a short time, being finalized all the works and tuned up a whole agenda for the development of the Ceferiada. That is why on June 10, 1939, once with the debut of the Holidays, there has been also officially inaugurated the CFR Museum.
The event took place in the presence of the king Carol the IInd of the prince Nicolae, and the prince Mihai, of the prime-minister - Armand Calinescu, of the other members of the government of the diplomatic body accredited at Bucharest, of the whole management of the Autonomous Regie CFR, of the numerous guests from abroad and almost 30,000 spectators.
On the same occasion the CFR Cultural House has been inaugurated, and after two more days on June 12, 1939, within the same holidays has been put officially the main foundation of the Administrative CFR Palace, which building has been started two years before.
With all the difficulties occurred at the beginning, the arrangement and the inauguration of the CFR Museum has been succeeded, under all aspects!
In the enthusiastic felicitations from the watching public, penetrated by the importance of the moment, there have been also performed demonstrations of the CFR guardians, of the CFR gendarmerie and of the railway sportsman and there have paraded 4,000 railway employees coming from all over the country, everything being unfolded in the rhythms of the CFR fanfare. A Lilliputian train, with a circular line that was entering on the stadium through a tunnel, was completing the atmosphere of Holidays from that day, warming up especially the image of the children.
The most emotional moment has been the one that, in "the music" of the locomotives whistles there has been initiated the trains parade. In front of all there was Calugareni Locomotive having three nostalgia coaches and transporting passengers dressed according to the fashion of the beginnings of the railway era.
The permanent exhibition was structured on component activities and departments of the Autonomous Regie of the Railways and included the original objects, upmakings and the photos and statistical data, presented in a very special way. Still inside there were exhibited the salon-coach of the king Carol the Ist and the former coach of the emperor Francisc Iosif I (capture after the First World War).
The rolling stock fleet located inside represented an impressing collection of locomotives and motorcars, from the oldest, up to the modern times, the coaches being less present. Among the most famous exhibits there is also the most powerful locomotive from Europe of those times: the Diesel electrical locomotive DE 241.001-002!

Epilogue
Year 1944, the killing air bombardments occurred on Bucharest have also touched the CFR Museum , destroying pieces of a great value for CFR history.
After the war, on the occasion of the centenary Bucharest - Giurgiu railway section, there was opened another new museum, in the building located on Calea Grivitei- the Technical Museum of the Railways. This building also hosts today the CFR museum and library.

Ileana Statie