Why is this route still available? For the construction of this railroad, there were brought engineers from northern Italy who used a special mortar for joining the stones, a mortar apparently similar to that used by the Romans. At least, on account of this mortar is put the longevity and durability of this particular railroad as it has never been closed due to technical problems, only because of some occasional falling rocks.
You need at least 2 hours to travel on this route, because the speed of the engine is 17 km/hour. Hills, cliffs, bridges,forests and other natural beauties accompany you all the way. The train travelling on this route today has two carriages second class, undivided, with wooden benches, built in 1914. The indoor heating during winter is based on steam so, without a doubt, the journey is certainly very picturesque at this time of the year.
It was constructed for the transportation of coal from Anina to Bazias. It is the fifth railway built on the Romanian territory, respectively the first mountain railway and, many would agree, perhaps the most beautiful. Built during the Austrian Empire, it is a unique cultural monument in Romania, as well as a great technical achievement. It was nicknamed the “Semmering of Banat“, as it was built only a few years after the famous track “Semmering” in Austria.
The railway station in Oravița is also oldest railway station in Romania( 1854). It is older than the railway station from Los Angeles, Tokyo, Stockholm or Rome.
1856 is the year when this route was built and 1863 is the year when it started to function.
The first part after leaving Oravița is a bit boring, but once you actually get in the mountains it’s great: beautiful landscapes, a lot of tunnels, viaducts, valleys and forests. The train is very slow, so you have enough time to enjoy the views and take photos. The inside of the train is decorated like it used to be, with wooden benches.
It has 34 km and 14 tunnels ( the longest one has got 660 m, near Gârliște) and 10 viaducts. 7 railway stations are on the way. The highest viaduct in Romania, Jitin is on the route and it is 37 meters high. The level difference is of 340 m.
Any person fond of trains and mountain trips should take this route at least once in a lifetime! The viaducts are breathtaking, and the beauty of this forgotten south west corner of Romania is not fully appreciated…
Mirelaistravelling 