Cabride in Romania: Constanta - Eforie Sud and back

During my trip to Romania I squeezed in some railfanning and also got to experience a cabride on Romania's line that heads south from Constanta to the border with Bulgaria along the coast of the Black Sea and passing through many tourist/beach communities and villages.

I had this opportunity come to me because a family friend happened to work for CFR and we just nonchalantly walked into the cabs of both trains and were treated with the uttermost respect and curiosity as well as I am from the U.S. and exchanged knowledge and differences between our railroads and ways of life with each crew.

On another note, during my trip to Romania one night when I was railfanning at the Constanta station a railfan actually hopped into the cab of a train with his tripod and everything and headed home in the cab as a free ride. Something you will never see in the USA...

We start off departing Constanta's train station. Before our train (which originated in București, Romania) can depart for the border with Bulgaria, the electric locomotive on the lead gets got off for a diesel locomotive as this line is diesel only. From Constanta westward, towards Bucuresti (the capital of Romania) most if not all trains use electricity to operate.


We took our train to Eforie Sud (south Eforie) where we got off and met our northbound train back to Constanta. In the midst of me video-taping our first train leaving and trying to walk to the head end the northbound train actually started moving and we had to board it while it was moving. The only way this was possible was with a button on the outside of the doors that lets you open it from the outside. Without that, we would have been shit out of luck waiting hours for the next train because of my foamer dumbass.

We road in a passenger car to the next station stop Eforie Nord (North Eforie) where we moved to the headend more quickly. The cabride back starts here at Eforie Nord all the way back to Constanta where we started.


You can see the video of my railfanning from the ground level in the link below:
   • Railfanning in Romania August 9-22, 2014  



1:45 leaving Constanta station
5:05 overtaking CFR Marfa and connection to Port of Constanta
9:45 - 11:00 Agigea Nord Yard
12:55 Crossing Canalul Dunare wear it enters Marea Neagra (the Black Sea)
14:35 Entering single-track mainline
19:00 Entering Eforie Nord
20:25 stray dog uses crossing to cross tracks
21:00 using horns on conductor side (right is horn/left is whistle)
22:15 this stretch of track is thin piece of land between Black Sea and a lake
23:50 crew explains beeping in association with yellow signal
25:40 entering Eforie Sud
27:15 exit Southbound train to wait for the northbound
27:20 "terminal auto" decades ago, trains with autoracks so vacationers from interior parts of Romania and Europe could bring their cars to the typical beach vacation spots along Romania's Black Sea coast
27:30 the northbound we will take back arrives
28:30 southbound departs and because of me videoing we have to jump into passenger car of the northbound
29:06 after riding on the train one station stop we get to the cab
29:20 northbound depart Eforie Nord
35:30 back onto double track
40:00 crossing port entry
41:20 look at deadmens pedal and a brick
43:20 freight tracks seperate to the left from passenger entry to train station (freight bypassed the station although sometimes goes through the station as well)
45:30 constanta station