Through the “Iron Gates” of Transilvania

An abandoned railway technique rarity: the sprocket railway

    We are here on counties that send familiar for any patriot: Sarmisegetusa – the Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Colony. Not far from here we find the Densus church, a mixture between the decayed antique world and Christianity – the stone of the antique temple became a sacred place.
    Through these places, among the depressions of the Poiana Rusca Mountains (in the north) and the Tarcului Mountains (in the south), where the river Raul Mare strolls towards the east, to the Hateg country and the river Bistra goes to Caransebes, a railway was built between 1989 – 1908 that linked the Hateg County to the Caransebes, in fact the Resita factories to the coal in the Valea Jiului, thus reducing the road it had to travel by more than 300 km.
    The construction of the railway was possible by creating in Cluj in 1894 the Caransebes-Hateg Local Railway Society, led by deputy Pogany and that ran on funds given by various societies and the local people (the Hunedoara and Caras-Severin counties). Of the total 76 km of the railway, 42 belonged to the Hunedoara County and 34 to the Caras-Severin County.
    The construction proper begun the spring of 1905 and after three years of efforts, the Subcetate – Caransebes railway was opened on two different dates, according to the finish time of the works:

    Between 1908 and 1919, this railway was the propriety of a private company but was exploited by MAV – Hungarian Railways.
    After the Great Union, according to the Trianon Treaty and Romanian laws, the railway was took over completely by the CFR administration and by buying the shares, CFR also became the legal owner.
    The landscape is of a rare beauty. The rich vegetation, the crystalline waters the small wood animals don’t seem too frightened by civilization. The line leaves Caransebes from an altitude of 204 meters and climbs through the corridor the Bistra river carved in the mountain until Boutari (425 meters) passing through 11 stations and stops, among which the Otelu Rosu, former Ferdinand.
    From Boutari on the road is more difficult and more…original – the “Iron Gates” of Transilvania – 692 meters altitude.
    The distance between the 425 meters marker and the one at the Iron Gates – 692metres marker is only 9 kilometers. On nine km, the train has to climb a level difference of 276 meters, a rare occurrence and a difficult one for the “ramp” is only 50mm/meter wide and the maximum met on railways is 40mm/meter.
    This was the milestone for the project manager and for the executants. From the experience of European railway men it was known (in Germany on the Blankenburh-Tanne line (1885), Switzerland – the Furka-Oberlap and Brienz-Rothorn lines (1892), Austria – the Einserenz-Vordenberg line (1891) or Hungary – the Erdokoz-Zolyombrezo (1896) – the solution was top increase adherence by adding cogwheels on the interior of the normal wheels to “step” on a sprocket line.
    The invention belongs to a Swiss engineer, Roman Abt and it was launched in 1882. It consisted of two or three sprocket blades put one next to the other with pins. To each blade, a cogwheel corresponded on the locomotive ensemble so that the movement was smooth.
    For such railways were used almost exclusively locomotives with a mixed adherence, with two separate engines; the cogwheels and the simple adherence wheels were run by different motors.
    The railway descends after the Iron Gates, entering the Hateg Valley through the Zaicani station (at 569 meters altitude), crossing the Sarmisegetusa, Pestenita, Carnesti, Paclisa and Hateg and reaches Subcetate at an altitude of 292 meters.
    This is how on the total 76km, the first 47 km have a level difference of 400 meters and the on the last 29 km crosses 488 meters of level difference. It is truly a unique line in the country.
    Trains circulation of this line imposed special regulations. Thus on the Boutari-Subcetate section, on 39.5 km, the “Transport Direction” made the following statement in 1947: trains will run with a speed of 25km/hour and between the 44 +800 and 49 +134 markers, meaning the 5.265 km between Sarmisegetusa and Boutari, on the sprocket line that supported 53kg/tonn, the 50‰ inclination and a minimum radius curve of 250 meters, trains will circulate with a speed of 8km/hour when climbing and 12km/hour when descending. On the rest of the line the speed was 40km/hour.
    Of course the rail that was initially used was the 23.6 type, on wooden traverses but until 1988 it was replaced on the Caransebes-Boutari section with a 49 type.
    On the Caransebes-Subcetate section, freightliner and passengers trains were hauled by steam engines of the Caransebes Depot and the Subcetate Depot between 1908-1964.
    This section’s specific destination was the towing between Boutari and Subcetate with locomotives fabricated by Florisdorf/Wien Company in 1908, series 40D – cogwheels equipped. There were seven such engines, owned by the Subcetate Depot.
    On the Caransebes-Boutari section, other steam engines were used (series 131.000- between 1940- 1973 and 150.000 – between 1967 – 1973). After 1973, diesel engines were introduced (electric and hydraulic).
    In 1978, after 70 years of service, the Sarmisegetusa-Boutari line was closed down and the engines let to rest in the Subcetate Depot. The line is now so clogged by vegetation that although the rails and the sprocket rail still exists, they can hardly be seen among the bushes. On some sections, rains drew land over the line and on portions of 50-100 meters the rails are buried. Due to the age some of the bridges no loner exist and the wooden traverses rotted. Some damages were made by man: many traverses were took apart and used for firewood and on some portions people found fit to extend their gardens to include the rails. The Bucova and Iron Gates were dismantled and the annex instillations disappeared without a trace. Even so, the sprocket rail remains and it was only attacked by rust. The special device that guided the trains on the rail also stands intact. Strange thing, the mechanic signals near the ruins of the Iron Gates station still show “free access” to a line that no longer exists…

Romanian Train Club
and engineer Dan Dragos Aldea

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