Calea Ferată Bacău – Piatra. O mărturie a ingineriei tehnice românești

Abstract

An extremely important track for the transport of the wood exploited in the dense forests that covered Tarcău Mountains, Bacău – Piatra narrow gauge (1000 mm.) railway was built between 1883 and 1885, by the New Lines Direction, following the designs of the well known Romanian engineer Elie Radu. The first ideas concerning the building of a railway link on Bistriţa river's inferior course appeared in 1872. On March 15th 1882, according to the Royal Decree No. 1387, Bacău – Piatra railway was declared as a public utility work. The line's building begun on April 1st 1883, its 57,7 km. being inaugurated, under a solemn atmosphere, on February 15th 1885. Started in the autumn of 1890, the line's gauge normalizing work was completed on September 17th 1892. Piatra Neamţ railway station's actual passenger building was completed on October 14th 1913. Initially, the small trains pulling was carried out by the 4 narrow gauge steam locomotives built in 1884, in Belgium, at “Hainaut – Couillet Iron Works”. After the line's gauge changing, the trains were pulled by several types of steam locomotives, this system being changed only in 1972, after the introduction into the active service of the diesel locomotives, railway vehicles which are currently used for the passenger and freight trains pulling.