Vaser Valley Mocănița

The Vișeu de Sus forestry railway, known as the Vaser Valley Mocănița, starts from the CFF station in Vișeu de Sus and climbs the valley of the Vaser river, in the Maramureș Mountains, to Comanu station, close to the Ukrainian border. Timber from the Vaser valley had been worked since the eighteenth century by the German settlers known as Zipsers, who floated it on rafts to the sawmills of Vișeu. Construction of the railway began in 1932, and its narrow 760 mm gauge allowed it to follow the winding course of the river. In 1961, once the works were complete, the network measured 79.095 km, of which 46.028 km was main line. The railway and its buildings form a class B historic monument (LMI code MM-II-a-B-21017). The listing covers the passenger building, mechanical workshop and engine shed of Vișeu de Sus station (1933), the Vișeu de Sus - Comanu line (from km 3+020 to km 43+500), the Cozia, Bardău, Șuligu, Făina, Lostun, Miraj and Valea Babei halts, concrete and steel bridges, and three tunnels cut into rock, each about 30 m long, between km 25 and 26. Branches lead off the main line towards Novăț and Ștevioara. The line is still used to carry timber, while tourism developed after 2000 with the support of the Swiss foundation "Hilfe für die Wassertalbahn". Since 2008 the railway has been operated under concession by the company RG Holz Company. Four working steam locomotives run on the line, including Măriuța, built by Orenstein & Koppel in Berlin in 1910, a Krauss locomotive from 1921 and locomotives built at Reșița in the 1950s, as well as diesel locomotives. Regular steam-hauled tourist trains run between Vișeu de Sus and Paltin station, a distance of 21.6 km, with a stop at Paltin before the return; the trip takes almost six hours. Trains were running in 2026 as well: at Easter the train left Vișeu de Sus station for Paltin, with tickets bought online. Timetables and fares are set by the operator for each season.