Bulgaria: The Rhodope Mountain scenic 760mm narrow gauge railway (Septemvri to Bansko & Dobrinishte)

Bulgaria: The Rhodope Mountain scenic 760mm narrow gauge railway (Septemvri to Bansko & Dobrinishte) A selection of clips from a 2006 visit, full train details shown in annotations... The Septemvri - Dobrinishte narrow gauge line (Bulgarian: теснолинейка Септември — Добринище, tesnolineyka Septemvri - Dobrinishte) is the only operating narrow gauge (760 mm) line in Bulgaria. It is operated by Bulgarian State Railways (BDŽ). The line is actively used with seven passenger trains running per day. The journey takes five hours through the valleys and gorges between Rila and Rhodopes. The route leads from Septemvri on the mainline Sofia - Plovdiv to Dobrinishte, passing Velingrad, Yakoruda, Razlog and Bansko, linking the western part of the Upper Thracian Plain with the Western Rhodopes, Rila and Pirin mountains. Due to the characteristics of the route through the mountains, the narrow gauge line Septemvri - Dobrinishte is also known as the Alpine railway in the Balkans. Avramovo station, situated at 1267 meters above the sea, is the highest station in the Balkans. The railway was built in several stages between 1921 and 1945 with total length of 125 km (78 miles). The Varvara - Pazardzhik branch line, which was closed in 2002, was 16.6 km (10.3 miles) long. In 1965 and 1966 ten diesel engines were delivered from Henschel AG. They are working as class 75 and are still in service now. Ten engines of class 77 are delivered in 1988 from 23 August Works of Bucharest, Romania. ------------------------------------------------------- The Rhodope Mountains are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik (2,191 m), is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain. ------------------- Henschel & Son (German: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons. Georg Christian Carl Henschel founded the factory in 1810 at Kassel. His son Carl Anton Henschel founded another factory in 1837. In 1848, the company began manufacturing locomotives. The factory became the largest locomotive manufacturer in Germany by the 20th century. ------------------- Septemvri (Bulgarian: Септември) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, 19 km (12 mi) away to the west from the city of Pazardzhik. It is the administrative centre of homonymous Septemvri Municipality. ------------------- Razlog (Bulgarian: Разлог) is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. Razlog has developed as a centre of winter tourism in the 1990s and 2000s owing to its favourable position in the vicinity of the Pirin, Rila and Rhodope mountains. ------------------- Velingrad (Bulgarian: Велинград) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most popular Bulgarian balneological resorts. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 22,500 inhabitants. ------------------- Bansko (Bulgarian: Банско) is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level. It is a popular ski resort for both European and Bulgarian tourists. The mountain peaks near the town, the numerous lakes and the old pine woods make it a popular site for recreation. Bulgaria's share in European winter tourism is steadily rising, and Bansko increasingly competes with resorts in France and Switzerland due to the comparative lower costs but not in quality. ------------------- Dobrinishte (Bulgarian: Добринище) is a small town and ski resort in the Blagoevgrad Province, Bansko Municipality, southwestern Bulgaria. As of 2006 it has 2973 inhabitants. It is located 6 km east of Bansko, a famous winter resort. It has an altitude of 850 m and is surrounded by the Rila, Pirin, and Rhodope mountains. Dobrinishte offers good conditions for both winter and summer tourism: beautiful nature, hospitable population, ski runs, mineral waters and opportunities for rural and ecotourism. -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ More FrontCompVids clips are regularly added to so don't forget to Like and Subscribe! Click    / frontcompvids   for more details :-)