Game: Guess the train

[Flavius]

country: Syria
company: Chemin de Fer du Hejaz
line: Damascus Amman
type/class: A-300
builder: Ganz Mavag
year: 1977

[michael blunck]

country: Syria
company: AHR (Al-Hijas Railway)
line: Hejaz Railway (Damascus - Amman)
type/class: A-300
builder: Uzinele "23. August", Romania; now Faur S.A.
year: 1977

Congratulations, Rollo. You seem to have found it on railfaneurope, hehe.

Although it´s not built by Ganz-Mávag, but by "Uzinele 23. August", a large Romanian locomotive builder, now belonging to Faur S.A.


I feel I should have posted one of the surviving steamers from the Hejaz Railway (in fact, I had planned that for quite some time) instead of this modern diesel engine, but that would have been too exotic, probably. Well, finally some remarks addressing the railway:

The Hejaz Railway (also Hedjas, Hejaz, Hejas, Hijaz, Hijas, Hidjaz, Hidjas, ...) was a narrow-gauge railway (in the very rare 1050 mm gauge) of some 1300 km (with 1532 bridges!) that ran from Damascus in today´s Syria to Medina in Saudi-Arabia. It was named after the Hejaz region of Arabia which the railway had to traverse. The HR was part of the late Ottoman Railways network and built in order to extend the previously existing line between Istanbul and Damascus all the way to Mecca, but eventually only reached Medina, due to the outbreak of WW I.



The line is most interesting for German and British railway enthusiasts: for the former because it was built under german supervision (Heinrich August Meißner Pascha), and delivery of almost all the rolling material (Krauss, Hohenzollern, Jung, Borsig, Henschel, Hartmann, ... you name them), and for the latter, because it was that particular line which T.E. Lawrence was constantly raiding during the Arab Revolt in WWI. In Saudi Arabia, there are still many locomotives to be seen where they fell - more than 80 years ago.

Sadly enough, after the war and following the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, the railway never re-opened south of the Jordanian-Saudi Arabian border. At the time being, only short pieces of the historical line are still in use for touristic activities. The only remaining commercial part of the line linking Amman in Jordan and Damascus closed end of 2006.

On the german Wikipedia you´ll find some photos, and there´s a great site extensively devoted to the Hejaz Railway.

Well, now it´s your turn (again).

regards
Michael

[Flavius]

Country:
Company:
Line:
Gauge:
Builder:
Entered service:
Class:
Wheel Arrangement:

[Illegal_Alien]

Country: India ?

[Ameecher]

My thoughts too, the Darjeeling railway?

[michael blunck]

Nah, it´s definitely not Darjeeling but something more interesting.

Country: India
Company: Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR), Palghat division of Indian Railways
Line: Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam (aka Ooty), Tamil Nadu
Gauge: 1,000 mm, rack and pinion (system Abt), only rack railway in India
Builder: SLM Winterthur, Switzerland
Entered service: 1920 ... 1925 (eight locomotives)
Class: X, 4 cylinder compound steam
Wheel Arrangement: 0-8-2

AFAIR, it´s the most steep railway in Asia and another master piece of track building (250 bridges and 13 tunnels for only 45 km). Since 2005, it´s part of the UNESCO world heritage.

Excellent choice, Rollo.

regards
Michael

[Flavius]

Hi Michael

Congratulations again!
Our Topic is becoming an occasional one, but thats ok especially when i can find
such gems as this is of course. Plenty of beautiful pics if one googles using <Images> tab and
"Nilgiri Mountain Railway".
Thank you to Illegal_Alien and Ameecher for the key clues to this puzzle.

Cannot wait for Michael's next mystery locomotive.......

[michael blunck]

Cannot wait for Michael's next mystery locomotive.......

Here it is:

country: ??? (1 point)
company: ??? (1 point)
name (not type/class!): ??? (1 point)
line: ??? (2 points)
track/gauge: ??? (2 points)
built: ??? (1 point)
any additional info: (some more points)

regards
Michael

[Flavius]

country: France (1 point)
company: CFTA (1 point)
name (not type/class!): Le Petit Train De La Rhune (1 point)
line: La Rhune Cog Railway (2 points)
track/gauge: 1 metre (2 points)
built: 1924 (1 point)
any additional info: (some more points)

[michael blunck]

country: France (1 point Rollo)
company: ??? (1 point)
name (not type/class!): Le Petit Train De La Rhune (1 point Rollo)
line: ??? (2 points)
track/gauge: 1 metre (2 points, 0.5 points Rollo)
built: 1924 (1 point, 0.5 points Rollo)
any additional info: (some more points)

The train is correct but could you add some more information to the line (name, source/destination) and track (rack system, electric system) to get the full points?

Just before someone other jumps in?

PS: I don´t know what "CFTA" means?

regards
Michael

[Flavius]

country: France (1 point Rollo)
company: CFTA of Groupe Veolia Transport (1 point)
name (not type/class!): Le Petit Train De La Rhune (1 point Rollo)
line: Col de Saint Ignace-La Rhune (2 points)
track/gauge: 1 metre cog rail with phase 50Hz 3000 volts electric system (2 points, 0.5 points Rollo)
built: 1914 (1 point, 0.5 points Rollo)
any additional info: Roster includes 6 SLM Wintertur locomotives
of which 5 are operative and 6 varnished passenger cars.
The line is open to tourists from March 19 thru November 11.

[michael blunck]

country: France (1 point Rollo)
company: Veolia Transportation (1 Rollo)
name: "Le Petit train de la Rhune" (1 point Rollo)
line: Chemin de Fer de la Rhune, Col de Saint Ignace (France) - La Rhune (Spain) (2 points Rollo)
track: 1000mm (1 points Rollo), system Strub, three-phase 3kV/50Hz (1 points left)
built: 1912-1924 (0.5 points Rollo, 0.5 points left)

Well, OK. Game to Rollo.

I was hoping you´d elaborate on the unusual track/electrification system which is quite unique. There aren´t that many three-phase trains left from the beginnings of electrification.

The "petit train" runs from Col de Saint-Ignace in French part of the Basque County in the Western Pyrenees up the La Rhune (or Larrun), a mountain just beyond the border in Spain (Vizcaya). Work on the railway begun in 1912, with delivery of the rolling stock in 1914, but due to WWI, it went into service only in 1924.

Today, this remarkable mountain railway belongs to the French company Veolia Transportation (since 1994), together with some other touristic trains, namely the Chemin de Fer de la Mure (history-wise with a yet more interesting symmetrical direct current system using two overhead lines). The CFR is the only surviving line of the once many "Voies Ferrées Départmentales du Midi".

Good guessing. How did you find it?

[edit]
Hehe. Some extra points as well.
[/edit]

regards
Michael

[Packer]

I got one, probably quite easy.

[Illegal_Alien]

What do we need to give? Company or something, well i am making a try;


Sante Fe

[Packer]

I was wanting people to guess what type of engine it is.

[Chrill]

GP40?

[Railwaymodeler]

SD45-2.

With a CPRail style hood over the front grille behind the engineer's side door. Probably there for the same reason as a CPRail diesel, to keep snow out of the grille.

@Chrill, any GP series diesel will only have four axles, a SD series always has six.

[Train-a-Mania]

Railroad: Santa Fe
Loco: EMD SD45-2 #5653
Location: Walong Siding, Tehachapi, California

http://hankstruckpictures.com/pix/rail/sf/hs_sf5653.jpg

[Packer]

It was an SD45-2; I was thinking you all would think it was an SD40-2. Train-a-mania and Railwaymodeler both got it right.

[Chrill]

SD45-2.

With a CPRail style hood over the front grille behind the engineer's side door. Probably there for the same reason as a CPRail diesel, to keep snow out of the grille.

@Chrill, any GP series diesel will only have four axles, a SD series always has six.

It looked similiar and trains aren't my strongest side