The Vaserului Valley is a spectacular defile, formed in the Maramuresului Mountains, a wild corner of nature combining rich forests, bright glades, abrupt cliffs and small, noisy springs. The area is largely unpopulated and the only way to visit it is the Mocăniţa, an old steam train whistling on the rails.

The Last Forestry Railway in Europe

The Mocanita on the Vaserului Valley is the most well-known in the country because it travels regularly from May to November, covering a 21 km route along which splendid sceneries are unveiled. Built in 1932 to ensure the wood transport, this narrow gauge railway is presently used for touristic purposes as well.

Each morning, dressed in the thick steam in the Viseu de Sus railway station, Mocanita is ready for a new journey. Inhaling the smell of freshly cut wood, the tourist can observe the way in which the train is loaded with supplies and how the forestry wagons as well as the tourist ones are being attached to the locomotive. Shortly, the place fills up with the bustle and excitement of those eager to discover nature’s charm on Vaserului Valley.

The trip is long and done at a low speed, involving many stops. The clear and fast Vaser River permanently accompanies the whistling locomotive. One by one, the houses are left behind as the train enters the rich and quiet forest, home only to the wild animals. Mocanita makes several stops to replenish the water supplies or to pick up locals from almost deserted train stations, thus giving the tourist enough time to admire the scenery.  If you want to have a clearer understanding of the life and customs in Maramures you can get down in one of the picturesque villages in the valley and find lodgings in the peasants’ houses. Or you can set out on an adventurous hike in the Maramuresului Mountains.

A trip on Mocanita gives you the feeling you have returned to the days of old. As soon as you leave the ViÅŸeu de Sus train station you lose contact with the modern world. On the road, there is no phone signal and you no longer see stores, only scattered villages and the mighty wild nature. For those travelers used to keep track of time, plans will be overturned: numerous obstacles can appear on the railway and the mountain weather is extremely capricious.

At the end of the journey, in the Paltin train station, there is a specially designed area for a stopover, where you can eat or have a picnic. You have enough time to explore the surroundings before heading back. On its way back, Mocanita takes its wagons loaded with logs following the same itinerary and piercing once again nature’s quietness with the whistling of its locomotive.

An Amazing Night on the Train

A journey with the Mocanita is a unique experience which deserves an original ending. The hotel-train stationing in the Viseu de Sus railway station is made of a restaurant car and two sleeping cars. If you are a fan of railways, you can spend the night and dine in the designed compartments, thus experiencing a part of the place’s continuous bustle.

The Mocanita on Vaserului Valley is not only a tourist attraction, but a page in the history of the Romanian railways. The fairytale-like world where the steam train takes you makes you forget about the time. Here, everything is measured in wonderful sceneries, traditional houses, golden haystacks and small, insurgent waterfalls, all cheered by the clinking sound of the flocks and herds.

For information regarding the schedule and price list visit: http://www.cffviseu.ro/.

[An article written by Andreea Bertea]