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The only travel service introducing you to Belgrade & Serbia with care and affection!
The 'Sargan Eight' Narrow Gauge Railroad Tour |
A
tiny
railway station
A
dinky
steam-powered train
A gorgeous
landscape
A spectacular
view
The sights and sounds of yesteryear
There was once a narrow
gauge train, affectionately known as the Cira. It used to cut its path
through astonishing landscapes of Serbia and Bosnia on its way from Belgrade to
Sarajevo. The Cira did everything: it took holidaymakers, farmers,
salesmen and school children, as well as mail, milk, livestock and other
freight. Both travellers and people who lived by the railway line loved it and
enjoyed it - although it was slow and poured out steam and smoke. For children in
villages along the line passing trains were a daily joy and they waved to them
cheerfully. So for many generations this train became part of the sweet memories
of childhood. Then in the mid-seventies the good old Cira
was abandoned and banished as history.
In 1999, people decided to reconstruct the most attractive part of the former
narrow gauge railway. They have done a great job. They re-laid the tracks; they
renovated or rebuilt all the railway stations of the Sargan Eight*.
Today's travellers may not have such strong feelings, but their childhood
memories may well stir suddenly awake. For many of us the journey on that great
little train will be more than just a charming travel experience, it will be a
flashback to our own childhood days, to the bygone days we sometimes miss, to
the sights and sounds that won our hearts long ago and remain with us for ever.
*
WHAT IS 'THE SARGAN
EIGHT'?
The line was famous for the Sargan (Shargan) Eight, a curve in the shape of the
number 8, that made it possible to climb the steep slopes of the mountains
Sargan and Mokra Gora, where rocky gorges and high passages are to be found all
around. On this 13.5 kilometer section of track were 20 tunnels, 10 bridges and a
few tiny railway stations. The voyage through this remote wilderness was slow.
Impatient with the low speed or fond of the surrounding country, some passengers
used to jump from the moving train, carry on their journey on foot, and wait at
the next railway station for the same train to arrive. Others who stayed on the
train may have been puzzled by the winding track: what way was the train going,
and what way was it going to go?
Note: The tour will not be operating in 2003
Want more information?
In the meantime, visit these fine web sites:
'Sargan
Eight' Home Page
A
translated text from the 'Sargan Eight' prospectus