|
The story of this line begins with Govăjdia blast furnace built by the Austro-Hungarians in 1806-1810. This one used the iron ore from Ghelari mines and charcoal made from the wood surrounding the area. It is said that here they have made some of the structure components for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The exact amount of iron delivered from the furnace of Govăjdia to the “emblem” of Paris is not yet known.
The furnace was decommissioned late in 1912 as the Hunedoara steel factory was inaugurated in 1884.
The Austro-Hungarians noticed the rich iron ore deposits at Ghelari and Vadu Dobrii and wanted a large scale extraction.
In 1900 the railway was extended – from the old route Retişoara - Govăjdia (operated between 1859 and 1871) to Hunedoara, ensuring, in addition to the old network of ropeway conveyors, another way to transport the iron ore.
Brief history of the narrow gauge line:
From 1871 the narrow gauge train ran non-stop until 2000.
The narrow gauge railway from Ghelari (Retişoara) to Govăjdia operated since 1871 (length 5 km)
The narrow gauge railway from Ghelari (Retişoara) to Hunedoara operated since 1900 (length 16 km)
The line was cut back from Retişoara (Ghelari) to Crăciuneasa in 1970
The narrow gauge railway from Crăciuneasa to Hunedoara operated since 1970 (length 13 km)
The passenger services ceased in 1990 and the line was used for freight and commuters till 2000. On rare occasions where organized on demand trips for tourists.
The line was closed in 2000 between Canton 1 Zlasa and Crăciuneasa terminus. The management of the limeworks decided in 2001 to scrap 11 km of narrow gauge line between Canton 1, Govăjdia and Crăciuneasa. Meanwhile they scrapped the extra rolling stock (old steam locos, passenger cars and freight cars) they also sold some of the L45H class locos. Only two locos and 10 freight cars remain along with the last 2,3 km of track between the Hunedoara station and Canton 1.
At that time line was used for the hauling of the limestone from the improvised loading station made at the old station near the castle to the limeworks at Canton 1. The last train ran in the autumn of 2008.
In the summer of 2009 the new management of the limeworks decided to scrap/sale the last remaining track section along with it’s three bridges and remaining rolling stock. Now, only two bridges, bridge legs and consoles, three tunnels, the station building and the track bed survive. One of the bridges is the 114m viaduct and the second is at Govăjdia.
Nowadays a local enthusiasts group is trying to revive the line. As they estimated, the total cost of the project is about 10 million Euro.
Photos made along the former line, when searching for the cache hiding place: here.
Read the entire history of this railway. (EN/RO/HU)
*************************************************************************************
|