Jerusalem railfan club visits railroad museum and Carmelit funicular subway in Haifa

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Steve Sattler, originally from Australia, organized the visit. I have downloaded his excellent photos and will post them, hopefully, tomorrow. My own were via my Leica and I am awaiting development and scanning.

Ths was last Thursday, 8 November.

Here is Steve’s own report:

THE TRAINS & TRAM SOCIETY of ISRAEL.

*Dear all, *

A great thanks to all for the very successful trip to HAIFA and the
National TRAIN MUSEUM, 8-11-2018: We left Jerusalem [Navon] at 09.30, [it takes 6 mins to get down the escalators to the platform], got to Ben Gurion Airport, [22 mins] and then hopped the train to TLV-HaHaganah that continued to Haifa with endpoint Naharia, and met in the last carriage with the crowd coming from Modiin.

For the hour+ trip to Haifa Central: we got updates on train-ology and a
poly-chat about news/transport in Israel and the USA/Switzerland.

At Haifa Central some of the group took the Metroline-bus (at age 85, I took the bus, Dave) to the Museum, and a few, walked the 1 Km. We met on the curvery metal bridge overlooking the railway yard and all the various trains and carriages, and then Chen [the manager of the museum] took us for a full-blown and personal tour of the complex.

We got a history, sociology and technical tour of the indoor and outdoor
exhibits-there are hundreds, including the oldest train in Isreal, [Turkish;
or Hejazzian ] and many restored [old] trains. We got literature.

Then an in-depth review of the

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Among the models are a Norfolk and Western J and a UP Big Boy. Both HO. both superdetailed.

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Apologies, did not get to the HU Library today because of an important matter. Hope to tomorrow. But a question: Should the Carmelit have a separate thread from the Museum?

Possibly in the Transit Forum?

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Got to the HU Library at last! First the brochure that is given to every English-speaking visitor to the Israel Railways Musuem:

Here is one steam locomotive in the collection, which served the Hijas Railway under the Turks and was in Haifa on occasion, Steve Sattler photos.

A British adoption for military defense purposes

Above is a 600mm-gauge dump car used on farms.

Below, faces of some 1230ers railway workers:

Above, one of Israel’s first diesels, a diesel-mechanical switcher. Below, the N-gauge model railroad,

Below is Ben Gureon Airport Station,with the electric lcomotive at the lwft.

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Here is a photo of the Carmelit, taken by Steve Sattler, with me on the right and Chen Millsem, Director of the Museum we visited, in the Israel Ry’s hat, on the left/ I hope to discuss the Carmelit more thoroughly on the Transit Forum in a few days, possibly after receiving a reply to a letter sent them.

Meanwhile, does anyone recognize the major technological change with the recent renovation?

And note the close clearance of the left tunnel wall, with the side of the walkway on the right similar.

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Some of my photos, those that don’t duplicate Steve’s:

Part of the plaque on the Museum’s Main Building:

Narrow-gauge gasoline switcher needing lots of work for restoration:

Old boxcar and diesel swither:

Handcar, propelled by pumping the handle at the side.

And another view (but Steve’s picture, above, is better) of the only steam locomotive left in Israel at the moment.

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Israel Railway MUSEUM

Inbox

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What is a funicular subway? I know what a funicular is like the Incline lifts in Pittsburgh but not a funicular subway…

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A subway 1.1 miles long with 6 stations, that climbs 899 ft in elevation. Sounds like a “chair lift” on steroids.

Wikipedia

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This photo of mine posted earlier on this thread, should answer your questions.

Single track with central passing siding, located between stations three and four. Locations of stations symmetrical about center of siding. Switching at siding handles by one train having flages on the outside of the wheesand one conventional. Points not movable, justc essentially long “frogs.”