Steam in Romania & the Ukraine 1997/8 - v.2

Steam in Romania and the Ukraine 1997 – 1998 – v.2

The original version of this video – which since it was posted in 2019 has attracted around 64K views – was shot mainly in Super-VHS, with a small additional footage on first generation Standard Definition digital tape.

Advances in video technology over the past five years has made is possible to enhance the original work, improving the definition somewhat, and correcting a few instances of shaky camerawork in the original.

We have also added a small amount of footage shot on silent 16mm film a year earlier – 1996 – bringing the total length of this film to just under 90 minutes.

By the mid-1990’s steam had all but disappeared from the main lines in both Romania and the Ukraine – although it lingered on on the narrow gauge, mostly on forestry railways and the like. But both countries still had impressive collections of steam locomotives maintained in working order, and railway enthusiast groups and tour operators in Britain, Germany and elsewhere took full advantage, via local travel agencies who had established good connections with the State railway organisations.

In Romania, we originally worked with Ronedo – a group whose name came from the names of the principal members; whilst in the Ukraine, businessman Valentin Paszkiewicz had founded “Dzherelo” which owned – or perhaps leased – a number of steam locomotives, and an entire sleeping- and restaurant-car train, fully staffed with catering and security personnel, and marshals to ensure the safe operation of the photo- run pasts – which were excellent, having learned a lot since our first venture into the then Soviet Union in 1989 (the “Glasnost Express”).

Some attractive narrow gauge railways operated in the more rural parts of Romania, notably the Agnita – Sibiu line; and a number of forestry railways, in various stages of decrepitation, continued to operate. One of the most famous was the Covasna – Comandau system, which involved sections at the top and bottom of a large escarpment, separated by an “inclined plane” up and down which the platform for timber moved by cable haulage. Small steam tank locomotives worked the trains at the top and bottom of the hill, but the shunting was undertaken by horses - inevitably nicknamed "Dobbinescu" - which sometimes travelled up and down the inclined plane as required, accompanied by their handlers, and the operation – now sadly defunct - is well illustrated in our film, during the making of which we were once – unusually – permitted to travel on the platform ourselves!

In the Ukraine, our film amply illustrates two attractive narrow gauge operations in the western part of the country; these two are now believed to be defunct, although there is another – based on Haivoron – which continues to operate thanks to local enthusiasts, although the opportunity for foreigners to get to see it are small while the Ukraine is at war with Russia.

Sadly Valentin Paszkiewicz’s “Dzherelo” main line operation ceased to be viable at around the turn of the century, and it is believed that the locomotives were sold for scrap; however a small number of others are believed to remain.

As in most of the Eastern European countries which retained “heritage steam” for a while, the costs of maintaining and operating the locomotives especially after they became members of the European Union and “normal” economic rules applied, combined with an ageing population of western enthusiasts able and willing to travel abroad to experience steam, meant that these operations, too, became unviable.

We are just pleased that we were around at the right time to record some of these spectacular operations and hope you enjoy our footage.