CFR 389.001 at Sibiu Steam Locomotive Museum

This is the oldest steam locomotive in the Sibiu steam locomotive museum and one of the oldest narrow gauge steam locomotives that ever functioned in Transylvania. It was built a long time ago, in 1885, by the Wiener-Neustadt factories for the Taracz Valley Railway (Taracz Völgyi Vasút, located in the present Ukraine). During its first years of existance the locomotive had only a name ("Taraczvölgy", hungarian name), it received a number ID only when it was taken over by MAV in 1911 as part of the 389.000 series. After the First World War the locomotive was given to CFR and assigned to the Sighet depot. It hauled trains on the Sighet-Sugatag and Sighet-Costiui lines until the fifities, when it was transfered to the Sibiu depot. In its final years of service (until 1973) one could see it working on the Sibiu-Agnita line. Finally it was retired and is now being displayed in the Sibiu steam locomotive museum.

The locomotive ran on narrow gauge (760 mm) track. Its type is C-n2 and it has a top speed of 30 km/h.

Facts:

ID: CFR 389.001

Wheel arrangement: 0-6-0

Built: 1885

Builder: Wiener-Neustadt

Top speed: 30 km/h

Gauge: 760 mm

Location: Sibiu, Romania (steam locomotive museum)

The little locomotive has definitely seen better days during its long life. For example you can see pictures of it when it was beautifuly painted in the standard CFR color scheme here or here. As you can see, nowdays it's in a museum but is not really taken care of. Hidden in the bushes, it has not seen fresh paint for a long time ago.

Links:

CFR 389.001 at www.steamlocomotive.info

CFR 389.001 at www.infofer.ro