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T r a n s - I r a n
The strategic railway Turkey - Iran was completed in 1970 - Iran was completed. In 1971 passenger services Istanbul - Tehran started, initially with change of trains at Lake Van. Then the horribly crowded dark-green trains were ferried across the lake. After the Iranian revolution they were stopped. In 2000 a once-weekly Trans Aasya Ekspresi resumed services Istanbul - Tatvan connecting with an express Van - Tehran. Passengers had to change trains at Lake Van. Express Istanbul - Tehran (Vangφlό Ekspresi) Departure Razi (Iranian border), August 11, 1973:
Tatvan - Van by train-ferry. Traction: Istanbul - Ankara DE24 (CoCo, Alsthom), to Tatvan Pier DE21 by TCDD, from Van 90.5 by RAI. Colors: RAI diesels and cars dark-green. Express Damascus - Tehran Tabriz, Oct.10, 2005:
Connection once weekly with the express Damascus Tatvan over the electrified line Fevzipasa - Malatya. Express 67 Damascus Tehran in Syria 2008 2 diesel CFS Damascus Meydan Ekbez 1 van CFS Damascus Tatvan 3 cars 1st class CFS Damascus Tatvan 1 diner CFS Damascus Tatvan 3 sleepers CFS Damascus Tatvan 1 postal van RAI Damascus Tehran Colors: CFS sleepers blue/pastel, van RAI yellow/orange/green Connection once weekly with the express Van Tehran of RAI, consisting of couchettes (built at Graz resp. Bautzen) and diner (all information by Heiko Mueller). Trans Asya Express It consistedinitially only of white Turkish couchette cars and a diner. All passengers had to change on the ferry Tatvan - Van and had to take another train Van - Tehran. Traction: Istanbul - Ankara E43000 (25 kV ac Toshiba), Ankara - Tatvan General Motors DE22, Van - border Alsthom DE24, in Iran General Motors 90.5. In 2004 the section Van - Tehran was seen with turquoise/yellow Iranian sleepers Istanbul - Tehran of the Russian 0-T type built at Ammendorf, obviously the cars aquired in 1991 for Tehran - Moscow services, and a red Iranian diner. Trans - Iranian railway The extremely difficult Trans-Iranian railway from the Gulf to the Caspian Sea had been completed in 1938. During WWII it was the important way for the Allies' military supply for the Soviet Union. On the IrSR/IRR expresses Bandar Shahpur - and Khorramshahr - Tehran and Tehran - Bandarshah appeared cars from Germany, Belgium, during WWII also from India, and then new cars from Germany, Switzerland and France. Traction: Steam locomotives from Germany classes 41 (2-8-0) and 51 (2-10-0), 41 (2-8-0) by War Department, 42.4 (2-8-2) from USA/TC, 86 (Garratt). The class 52.1 (2-10-2) was used probably only for freight. Diesels from USA/TC (Alco), from the '50s BoBo types and then CoCo types GM, and class 60 from Romania (now out of service). Russia - Iran The Tsars already dreamt of a railway Russia - Persia - India. In 1900 Russian broad gauge reached Kars in eastern Anatolia and in 1908 also Dzhulfa on the Iranian border, in 1916 extended to Tabriz. In 1958 with the completion of the line Tehran - Tabriz, the broad gauge Dzhulfa - Tabriz was converted to standard gauge. In 1973 a Soviet sleeper Moscow - Sochi - Dzhulfa - Tehran was introduced, due to the Abhkasian war then conveyed via Baku, and in the '80s confined to Dzhulfa. Nevertheless the line Dzhulfa - Tabriz was electrified and ASEA/SGP rather secretly delivered 25kV standard locomotives. In 1991 a twicw-weekly service Tehran - Moscow was resumed with one Russian and one Iranian train set consisting of Russian 0-T type sleepers, however it disappeared from the timetable in 1994.
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