Preserved Steam or Rwy Museums in Iraq?

Robert Evans · **Posted:** Sat Apr 12, 2003 12:45 pm

Does anyone know the extent of steam preservation or if any railway museums exist in Iraq? With this country in the news, it would be interesting to learn about the extent of preservation efforts there.

Bob

Erik Ledbetter · **Posted:** Sat Apr 12, 2003 2:22 pm

This Web page cover the recent Iraq railway scene in great depth. It includes mention of one possible ex-British WD steamer surviving, but it's a pretty thin lead.

Basically, the Iraq railways seem to have been dieselized since the mid-50s or early 60s. Up until the late 1970s Iraq was one of the most educationally and technologically modern societies in the middle east, with some of the best infrastructure--not a great place to find steam hanging on. Since 1990 I imagine there were no resources available for any kind of railway preservation activity at all--I would assume it was a struggle just to keep the network running.

http://www.ajg41.clara.co.uk/iraqrailways.html

Iraq railways page
eledbetter@rypn.org

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Sat Apr 12, 2003 2:44 pm

Somewhere on the web I found a steam roster, which showed some meter gauge USATC 2-8-2s used on the Baghdad to Basra line. Posted the URL here some time ago, but can't find it now.

http://www.math.iastate.edu/jdhsmith/term/slusatc.htm
ryarger@rypn.org

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Sat Apr 12, 2003 4:13 pm

Here's the meter gauge list:

> Somewhere on the web I found a steam roster,
> which showed some meter gauge USATC 2-8-2s
> used on the Baghdad to Basra line. Posted
> the URL here some time ago, but can't find
> it now.

http://www.math.iastate.edu/jdhsmith/term/sliqisrm.htm
ryarger@rypn.org

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Sat Apr 12, 2003 4:14 pm

And here's the standard gauge list:

http://www.math.iastate.edu/jdhsmith/term/sliqisr.htm
ryarger@rypn.org

Matt Conrad · **Posted:** Mon Apr 14, 2003 10:36 am

> Does anyone know the extent of steam
> preservation or if any railway museums exist
> in Iraq? With this country in the news, it
> would be interesting to learn about the
> extent of preservation efforts there.

> Bob

There's been some discussion on the parktains email list about a Crown Metals 3' gauge 4-4-0. I haven't been following the thread too closely, but it seems like there was a Crown in Kuwait which was stolen by the Iraqis when they invaded. Severn Lamb built a quick-and-dirty replacement for it.

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