Mocănița of Vișeu de Sus: forest narrow-gauge steam railway

The last working forest railway in the Carpathians

In Romania narrow-gauge steam trains are affectionately called mocănița, and the most famous of them runs from the town of Vișeu de Sus in northern Maramureș. The CFF Vișeu forest railway was completed in 1932 to carry timber out of the Vaser valley (Valea Vaserului), a deep mountain gorge that reaches towards the border with Ukraine. The track is 760 mm wide, the so-called Bosnian gauge.

Unlike most former forest railways in the Carpathians, this line has not become a museum: working trains loaded with logs still run on it for the local sawmill, which has owned the railway since 2003. For a long time the forest work was done mainly by German-speaking Zipsers, whose ancestors settled here at the end of the 18th century. Since 2010 the railway has been a listed cultural monument in Romania, and steam operation for visitors has survived thanks to the Swiss association «Hilfe für die Wassertalbahn», which helps to restore the locomotives and carriages.

Why go

The tourist train covers roughly half of the line, up to Paltin station at kilometre 21.6, in the heart of the Maramureș Mountains Natural Park. The train moves slowly, so there is time to take in the cliffs, the rushing Vaser, bridges, forest halts and loggers' huts. For many visitors it is the best way to see a wild valley that no ordinary road reaches.

The station itself is worth a look too: old steam locomotives built in Romania and Germany, wooden carriages including former coaches of a Swiss mountain railway, and the everyday work of a forest railway yard. At Paltin the train stops for longer, with a picnic area and a grill.

What to see and try

• The steam ride up the Vaser valley, in open summer coaches or closed wooden carriages.
• Paltin station, a stop for lunch, a walk down to the river and photos.
• The «Mocănița Special» package: ticket plus a grill lunch, coffee, a soft drink and a pastry.
• Souvenirs in the station building.
• Winter and holiday trains: the snowy valley looks completely different.

Note: on peak days the steam engine may be replaced by a historic diesel locomotive, and departure times or the stop at Paltin may change.

Practical information

Address: CFF station, Str. Cerbului 5, Vișeu de Sus (signposted «Mocănița», on the northern edge of the town).

Getting there: from Ukraine the nearest border crossing is Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației; from there Vișeu de Sus is about 60–70 km by car, roughly an hour and a half. From Baia Mare it is about 120 km.

Timetable: departures in the morning at 9:00 or 10:00; the return trip takes about 6 hours. From May to October trains run daily, in other months only a few days a week. Holidays have their own timetables and fares.

Prices (as of November 2026): adult ticket 136 lei, students and pensioners 126 lei, children aged 3–18 95 lei; the package with lunch costs 198 / 189 / 149 lei.

Tickets: the operator advises buying online in advance, as in summer and at weekends there may be no seats left at the station. Groups of more than 15 people book with a deposit. Phone: +40 372 672 480 (8:00–16:00), e-mail: [email protected].

Nearby

• Mihăilecu and Farcău, peaks of the Maramureș Mountains above the Vaser valley.
• Pietrosu Bardăului, another summit of the Maramureș Mountains.
• Cailor Waterfall near Băile Borșa, about 35 km away.
• Woodcarver Teodor Bârsan's workshop in Bârsana, on the way to Sighetu Marmației.

Official website: mocanita-maramures.com

Photos: Maramu1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Nicu Farcaș, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Pivari.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Eddy Renard, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Remus Pereni, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.