Interesting facts
The „Resicza” Locomotive – the first locomotive built at the Reşiţa plants in the year 1872, after the model of the locomotive “Szekul”, brought from Vienna in 1871.
The Szekul Locomotive (1871) was manufactured in Vienna and brought to Resita
Description
The museum has 16 locomotives, of which 13 are manufactured in Reşiţa:
1. The Resicza narrow gauge locomotive (948 mm) – St.EG Reşiţa -1872
2. The CFU 28 normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm) – MAV Budapest -1900
3. The CFF narrow gauge locomotive (760 mm), no. 704 209 – St.EG Vienna -1917
4. The CFR normal gauge locomotive (760 mm), series 50 025 – St.EG Vienna -1921
5. The „Princess Elena” narrow gauge locomotive, nr.704 402 – UDR Reşiţa -1925
6. The CFR normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm), series 50 378 – UDR Reşiţa -1930
7. The CFR normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm), series 230 128 – UDR Reşiţa -1933
8. The CFR normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm), series 142 072 – UDR Reşiţa -1939
9. The CFR normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm), series 131 003 – UDR Reşiţa -1940
10. The CFF narrow gauge locomotive (760 mm), no. 704 404 – UDR Reşiţa -1944
11. The CFU 29 normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm) –SOVROM Metal Reşiţa -1952
12. The CFR narrow gauge locomotive, nr. 764 103–SOVROM Metal Reşiţa -1952
13. The CFU 14 normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm) –SOVROM Metal Reşiţa -1954
14. The CFR normal gauge locomotive (1435 mm), series 150 038 –C.M. Reşiţa -1955
15. The CFR narrow gauge locomotive, no. 764 001- C.M.Reşiţa -1958
16. The CFR narrow gauge locomotive (760 mm), nr. 764 493 – C.M. Reşiţa -1959
The travellers arriving in Resita will discover with amazement in the Triaj area of the city a museum displayed in open-air, the steam locomotives museum.
The museum was inaugurated in 1972 when UCM Resita celebrated the 100th anniversary of the launch of the first “Resicza” steam locomotive, manufactured in Resita on 6th of September 1872.
The 16 steam locomotives, pulled out of service and parked for good in the only museum of its kind in Romania, represent an attraction for tourists who are visiting Resita or passing through to the mountain resorts of Mount Semenic. The locomotives, as well as the blast furnaces, have constituted the city emblem – fanion of the Romanian Metallurgy for almost a century.
At Reşiţa, 1461 steam locomotives of various types, powers and dimensions have been manufactured for 92 years, between the years 1872 and 1964, with gauges between 600 and 1542 mm, used in the past for the railway and forestry transport.
The star of the exhibition is the “Resicza” locomotive; one of the first three locomotives – Resicza, Bogsan and Hungaria – manufactured in Resita, after the model brought from Vienna in 1871, and the locomotive is called “Szekul”. Bringing this locomotive from Vienna to Reşiţa was in itself a great adventure. It was transported on the Danube till Baziaş, then on the railway from Baziaş to Oraviţa, and finally on a platform pulled by 36 pairs of oxen, from Oraviţa to Resita. The locomotive received the number 1 for circulation but, according to the time tradition (like with ships!), it continued to bear its own name. Every visitor can hear from Engineer Dan Perianu himself the story of the recovery and bringing of the Resicza locomotive in the museum: “Its salvation from scraping was a miracle; it was found in 1957, on a industrial railway at Campia Turzii, where it was used as a stationary steam generator; in 1961 it was brought to Resita and in 1972 the locomotive found its well-deserved resting place in the museum.” [Perianu D, 2000].
While in their time locomotives represented “a symbol of speed”, nowadays every locomotive in the museum appears having a certain grace, like a jewel of the technique and industry of Banat.
At the same time, the open air museum of steam locomotives is unique in Europe, because almost all of its exhibits have been manufactured in the place where the actual museum is today, the town of Resita.
It represents a page in the history of a settlement that has also witnessed times of true majesty, and priorities for the part of Europe situated to the “East of Vienna”:
1771, on July 3rd the flame of the metallurgical industry is lit at Resita;
1851 is the year when the Reşiţa plants produce the first railway rails;
1854, on 20th of August, the first railway in Romania is put into operation: Oraviţa – Baziaş;
1863, on December 15th the first and the most beautiful mountain railway in the Romanian territory is put into operation: Oraviţa – Anina;
1870, the first wheel bands and locomotive axles are made at Resita;
1871, the “Szekul” locomotive is brought from Vienna to Reşiţa;
1872 the first three steam locomotives in Romania are manufactured at Resita;
1873, the “Hungaria” locomotive is sent from Resita to Vienna’s exhibition;
1955, in autumn of that year locomotive with number 1000 is manufactured;
1964, in this year they stop manufacturing steam locomotives in Reşiţa.
Out of the 16 locomotives exhibited in the museum, 13 locomotives were manufactured in Resita, marking the two distinct stages of production. The first stage is that of the St.E.G, between 1872 and 1898, when nine locomotives were built in 3 constructive types. They were used on the industrial and mining railroads in Banat.
In the second stage, that of the UDR locomotive factory, lasting from 1925 to 1964, a number of 1452 locomotives were manufactured in 24 constructive types. The first two locomotives of the new factory, made in 1925, were named “Prince Carol” and “Princess Elena” and circulated in the Anina area until 1970. One was scraped and the other is still at the museum today. The “Princess Elena” locomotive (no. 704 402) constitutes another attraction of the museum due to its age and performance. It was awarded the gold medal at the International Technical Exhibition in Bucharest in 1926.
Just as the idea of creating the museum was born at the initiative of a group of engineers, led by Mr. Mircea Popa, the general manager of the plant at the time, in a period when the old locomotives were being scrapped one by one, in the same way tourists may hope today for an ideal time to come when they could visit the new building of the Museum of Engineering and Industry in Banat. Furnace nr. 2 of the TMK (formerly CSR) will be “replanted” in it, as well as the other “testimonies” built by the locals on the days and white nights of a city that, for a large number of visitors, remains with the image of the past of the “Fire Fortress.” Come and rediscover Resita through its industrial and cultural past to create its future touristic image!