Re: Big cog-and-adhesion steam power - Trans Andino vs Austria's Ore Mt. RR

Bob - thank you so much for posting the link to the 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge lines in the Balkans. There certainly was an amazing collection of different narrow gauge power besides the cog-and-adhesion locomotives, such as those engines with the Klose articulation. I may be biased, but I think the ALCO 2-8-2s were the nicest looking engines. I was a few years too late to see narrow gauge steam in action, not visiting Sarajevo, Mostar and Dubrovnik until 1978, by which time we were traveling on the standard gauge that replaced the much more interesting narrow gauge.

In the 1970s there was still much steam action on the Austrian 2 ft 6 in gauge lines at Gmuend, where the 0-8-0s certainly had a resemblance to the Bosnian engines. The Austrian engines were still busy hauling passenger trains, mixed trains, and pure freights. There was a substantial traffic of standard gauge cars hauled on narrow gauge transporters as well as well as lumber traffic on narrow gauge cars.