Answer needed for visitors to North Cyprus

bigmac


Joined: 26/11/2010
Posts: 25

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 00:55

Can anyone tell me the significance of the small bright yellow engine on display at the side of the main Girne to Lefkosia road?

Visitors keep asking me and I would like to know the answer.

Marion


Joined: 06/03/2011
Posts: 1816

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 01:04

apart from the fact that it is one of the few remaining engines from the days when we had a railway for the delivery of goods. there is another at guzelyurt. If you look up infofrmation on the island you can learn all about the days of the train here. I believe it was mainly to take stuff from the copper mines at Guzelyurt to the docks at Famagusta , but not 100% sure of my facts on this. Maybe someone else knows far more - in fact |I suspect they do.

philbailey


Joined: 17/01/2011
Posts: 3534

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 01:06

he Cyprus Government Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway network that operated in Cyprus from October 1905 to December 1951. With a total length of 76 miles (122 km), there were 39 stations, stops and halts, the most prominent of which served Famagusta, Prastio Mesaoria, Angastina, Trachoni, Nicosia, Kokkinotrimithia, Morphou, Kalo Chorio and Evrychou. The CGR was closed down due to financial reasons. An extension of the railway which was built to serve the Cyprus Mines Corporation operated until 1974.[1]

Pugwash


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 1797

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 01:08

It was one of the CMC trains that took ore from Guzelyurt to Famagusta, plenty of info if you google it.

philbailey


Joined: 17/01/2011
Posts: 3534

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 01:11

nice story and explanation here



http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/cyprus01.htm

decanddyl


Joined: 17/01/2009
Posts: 792

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 01:40

msg 5



Thanks for that I also always wondered why it was there

Marion


Joined: 06/03/2011
Posts: 1816

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 12:33

Thanks Phil for filling in yet another piece of my knowledge gap. Wish I had been here in those days to see it - my kid brother loved trains and would have bene thrilled to see it all. Hope bigmac can now answer all his friend's queries.

bigmac


Joined: 26/11/2010
Posts: 25

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 16:58

Thank you Marion, philbailey and pugwash. I guessed it was something to do with the old railway as I knew it had existed and have seen the engine at Guzelyurt but was not sure about any of the details. Thanks for filling me in.

kaiserphil


Joined: 14/12/2008
Posts: 1096

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 20:33

When it was placed there it was in it's proper livery. Didn't take long for the tasteless goons to paint it bright yellow. Only amazed it isn't orange and peppermint green.

rowlo



Joined: 12/10/2008
Posts: 4796

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 20:49

its the prototype for the new high speed rail link from lapta to paphos , calling at all stations .

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 21:20

Here is another link - a picture of the first locomotive situated outside the Tapu office



http://www.flickr.com/photos/25193786@N02/5595382249/

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 21:21

in Famagusta

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
06/04/2011 22:09

Re : Msg 1,



bigmac,



There are very interesting pictures and information about the railway here:



http://davidheyscollectionextra.com/page17.htm





Clarissa

Zoots


Joined: 05/02/2011
Posts: 669

Message Posted:
07/04/2011 00:50

Clambered all over those engines when they were still lying around the CMC site near Xeros.

bigmac


Joined: 26/11/2010
Posts: 25

Message Posted:
09/04/2011 19:37

Thanks again to all those who responded with information and relevant links.

I will certainly have all the answers the next time I am asked.

AnthonySmith


Joined: 14/05/2009
Posts: 455

Message Posted:
09/04/2011 19:42

Kaiserphil, I thought they painted it bright yellow to distract drivers and cause accidents

kaiserphil


Joined: 14/12/2008
Posts: 1096

Message Posted:
09/04/2011 20:50

AS - nice one. I never thought of that!