My first trip to Turkey was with a group called "TEFS" (To Europe for Steam) which was led by Bill Alborough. It was very professional and well-organised. We visited Izmir for four days, then called in at Afyon before spending two days in Konya. I had read previously about the friendliness of the Turkish people, and quickly found out how hospitable they were.
We arrived in the evening, and lost no time before visiting Alsancak station, where we found a Henschel 2-10-2 as pilot sitting simmering in the darkness. The driver immediately invited us on to the footplate, and we were each offered a cup of strong Turkish tea (cay). We noted a scimitar (curved sword often associated with the Crusades) rivetted on to the loco regulator! This was a fitting introduction to this fantastic country.
Izmir had two main stations, Alsancak and Basmane, their lines crossing at a flat 90 degree intersection at Hilal, one of the few in the world. A regular steam-hauled suburban service ran to Buca, often using four-wheel coaches, and climbed a sinuous, steeply-graded route through the teeming settlement of Yeşildere. The sight and sounds of these locos charging up the slopes, their whistles screaming and echoing from the valley sides was a wonderful experience.
In 1982 video equipment was cumbersome and very expensive - 8mm sound film was really the only portable option for an amateur. The quality is not comparable to what we have today, but it attempts to record and portray what we saw and loved in those happy days.
Locos seen in this clip are a Swedish Nohab 2-8-0, German Kreigslok 2-10-0, British Stephenson 2-8-2, German Henschel 2-10-2 and Prussian G8 0-8-0. Film transfer courtesy Planet Television.
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