Week in Turkey - March 2019

Earlier this month, I had my first visit to sample the railways in Turkey. The report I've done is quite lengthy, so I'll put each day into an individual post with a photo. Enjoy...

Day 1 – Sunday 10th March

Following a day in East Anglia on the 37s and a stop and Cambridge for something to eat and drink, the trip began with an overnight flight, 23.40 on Saturday night, from Stansted to Istanbul with Pegasus Airlines. Arrival was pretty much on time around 06.30 (03.30 UK time due to the three hour time difference).

Having queued at and cleared customs (no need to show my Visa) it was then to the ‘internal’ flight area for another Pegasus flight, this time the 08.35 to Batman. Some may think it strange doing an internal flight on a railway holiday, but Turkey is a vast country and the distances have to be taken into account – Istanbul to Batman is almost 700 miles, whereas Leeds to Dusseldorf (one of my regular flights) is only around 400.

Batman airport isn’t the busiest, but there is a bus service into town which connects with the incoming flight. The journey cost 6₺, which was under £1, and we alighted when the bus turned off the road to our hotel (the Hotel Bozoogullari) and walked the rest of the way which took around 10-15 mins. Despite arriving before check-in time, the rooms were available which was good, so I was able to have a shower and freshen up before heading down to the hotel restaurant for a toastie and tea (drank plenty of that over the week).

Today’s train move was a simple one - an afternoon out and back to Diyarbakir. The train was at 15.00 so we left the hotel around 13.30 and wandered down to the station and bought tickets - costing 5₺ (about 75p) each way for the 1 hr 45 min journey. There are 2 trains a day each way over this route, as well as the Guney Kurtalan Ekspresi which runs 5 days a week. The 15.00 was worked by Tülomsaş built DE24123, but despite leaving Batman on time, managed to arrive at Diyarbakir around 20 mins late for no apparent reason – this seemed to be a common theme on many services throughout the week.

Diyarbakir is one of those places where the FCO advises against all but essential travel, but as we had under an hour there anyway, we didn’t leave the station area – the furthest I went was to photograph a plinthed kettle by the approach. A different loco/rake of stock return with the 17.50 train (intensive diagramming – not), so DE24115 provided my second TCDD loco haulage. The return leg didn’t lose 20 minutes on the timings – it lost 30! Again, there didn’t seem to be any real reason for it.

We called in at a Turkish restaurant around half way back to the hotel for a meal, which, consisted of breads, salad and a main course with water, and came to about £3. Early night then as up relatively early in the morning.

Day 2 – Monday 11th March

Alarm just before 06.00 for an 06.30 departure from the hotel – by taxi. The first aim of the day was to cover the end of the branch from Kurtalan, not the easiest to cover as the station is served by a single service, the Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi, which runs five days a week – the incoming train arriving at 10.35 and the departure being at 08.00.

So, 06.30 taxi from Batman to Kurtalan for the 08.00 departure was the move, a distance of around 60 km. For 3 of us, it cost 170₺ (around £24) and took around 45 minutes. During the journey, we were subjected to an army checkpoint security check – a quick check of our passports and we were away. Being in the Kurdish area of the country, security is quite a bit tighter than some other areas.

We arrived around 07.20 and boarded the train which we planned to take to Firat. Traction was GM powered DE22035, which was booked to haul the train all the way to Ankara arriving around 24 hours later. The journey took us back through Batman and Diyarbakir, and, as usual, it was noticeable that the train was losing time.

Had lunch in the restaurant car, a microwave meal and bread roll which I’d describe as adequate – nothing wrong with it but nothing special either. The rain was by now around 40-50 late, and we had a ‘+30’ connection at Firat for the train back along our route and on to Elazig. So we opted to alight at Kussayari instead and wait for the Firat Expressi there. Judging by the time it arrived (slightly late), hauled by DE24195, the two trains had crossed at Firat. Its delay meant it had missed its slot on the single line, so was held at Yolçati to let a DMU pass, meaning arrival at Elazığ was around 45 minutes late (no surprise there!).

After checking in to the Elazığ Guney hotel and confirming our early breakfast which had been pre-arranged was in order, we went out for something to eat, finding a chicken restaurant which served large plates of food, I had chicken & mushrooms with pasta and salad. Time for a quick walk before retiring to bed.

Very interesting so far!

How come the FCO advises against travel there?

Enjoyed reading that, love Turkey

Iskra said:

Very interesting so far!

How come the FCO advises against travel there?

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From https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey/safety-and-security :
"The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the provinces of Diyarbakir, Tunceli and Hakkari. Since July 2015 there has been an intensive period of PKK attacks on Turkish security forces, their premises and vehicles. Civilians have been affected. Security operations have taken place in the cities of Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Hakkari, with curfews imposed in these and other towns and cities in the region. If you’re undertaking essential travel to these provinces, you should take extreme care."

Day 3 – Tuesday 12th March

06.15 breakfast for an 06.30 walk back to the station for the 07.05 departure. Another DE24000 for haulage, this time DE24196 on the 07.05 to Tatvan. We took this as far as Genc (a 2½ hour journey), running through some fantastic scenery. At Genc we visit a café for a snack and drink, where I’m sure we were charged more than we should have been. On the plus side, a load of bread was put on our table, which provided some supplies for the next (long) journey.

Back at the station, our train turned up around 40 minutes late. The Van Golu Ekspresi (Tatvan-Ankara) would be ‘home’ for the next 18+ hours. DE22059 was motive power, and I had my own sleeping berth, with a desk, fridge and wash basin, for the journey – certainly better and more spacious than the Mk.3 Sleepers in the UK. Converting the seat into a bed was an easy operation and both were comfortable.

Popped down to the restaurant car early evening for a meal of meat and rice – like the on-board meal the day before, it was a microwave version, but it was better (and a bit more substantial) than the earlier offering. Pudding was denied though, as they didn’t have any, so had to settle for a chocolate bar.

It was noticeable that the train was gradually losing time and by the time we got to Sivas, where DE22059 was swapped for DE22011, the train was over 90 minutes late. Time for bed then…

Day 4 – Wednesday 13th March

The plan this morning was to get up, alight from the Van Golu Ekspresi at Elmadag and catch the following overnight service (the Dogu Ekspresi) the last bit into Ankara. Our train was by now over 2 hours late, and had gained another loco, DE22040 having been added at Irmak, coupled inside DE22011 for extra traction over the hills.

We were unsure how late the following service was, that was until we spotted it a mile or two behind us in the valley! Game on for Elmadag. DE33079 was traction for the run (stagger) to Ankara, a new Class in the book for me.

The Dogu Ekspresi had been due into Ankara at 08.22, and we’d planned then to do a short move out on the 11.00 departure. As it turned out, arrival wasn’t till 11.10, so the 11.00 departure was missed (it pulled out just after we arrived).

Headed to the ticket office at the YHT station in order to book a ticket for my journey from Ankara to Pendik (Istanbul) for Saturday. YHT services are high speed services which run mainly on dedicated lines, although following a crash a few weeks back, they weren’t serving Ankara and it was necessary to catch the Metro to Eryaman (around 20 mins away) and join there. I found out that economy class was full on the train I wanted to go on, so bought a Business Premier ticket which was still under £20 (and got me a meal thrown in).

It was then out to the park 5 mins from the station where there were a load of eating places for a meal – kofte in my case. A visit to an outdoor aircraft museum also filled in a bit of time.

Our next planned move was a YHT to Konya, so we caught the Metro to Eryaman, popping into a nice little café for a tea and chocolate éclair before joining the YHT for the 90 minute journey south – arriving on time for a change.

Tonight was another sleeper, this time to Izmir. Departure was at 19.15, so had time to go out for something to eat before boarding the train, hauled by DE33053.

theblackwatch said:

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the provinces of Diyarbakir, Tunceli and Hakkari.

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The line was required therefore clearly counts as essential!

theblackwatch said:

Day 2 – Monday 11th March
....
After checking in to the Elazığ Guney hotel and confirming our early breakfast which had been pre-arranged was in order, we went out for something to eat, finding a chicken restaurant which served large plates of food, I had chicken & mushrooms with pasta and salad. Time for a quick walk before retiring to bed.

View attachment 60709

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I've never been to Elazig, but when in Turkey many moons ago I was told it was infamous/famous (depending on pov) for being a communist stronghold. Must have been quite cold there in March, I'd have thought?

As for late running trains, you were lucky. TCDD have clearly cleaned up their act.
Getting a train that was anything less than 2 hours late counted as on-time in the 1970s.

70014IronDuke said:

I've never been to Elazig, but when in Turkey many moons ago I was told it was infamous/famous (depending on pov) for being a communist stronghold. Must have been quite cold there in March, I'd have thought?

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Not at all, around the same temperatures as in the UK. I'd gone armed with a hat and scarf but didn't need either of them all week.

Looks like they were using generator cars on the diesel-hauled passenger trains?

eastwestdivide said:

Looks like they were using generator cars on the diesel-hauled passenger trains?

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Yes that is correct. Very few diesels with ETH capability.

Day 5 – Thursday 14th March

Another on-time arrival! 07.12 into Izmir gave time to go out for a tea and buy tickets before the 07.40 departure. The morning move was a ride out to Turgutlu and back, out with DE24136 and back with DE22060 – a 2 hour journey each way, for about £1!

Back at Izmir, we wandered down to the Pier (around 15 mins away) for some lunch before heading back to the station via the Oglakcioglu Park Boutique Hotel to check in and deposit bags.

The afternoon move was similar, this time an out and back to Manisa, where there is a plinthed steam loco. DE22048 was traction for the outward journey (which ran to Usak), while E68030, my first TCDD electric, was on the return (ex Balekisir). It was noticeable that the trains around Izmir seemed to be on time.

Izmir is one of the places in Turkey where you can get alcohol, so we took a walk out to a bar, passing a closed station on the way. Food was more expensive here, but a meal (beef stroganoff) and 2 bottles of beer still came to under £12.

Excelkent read thus far. I adore Turkey, and despite visiting annually for over 20 years I've never once even seen a train, let alone ridden one. They don't appear to venture too close to the south coast tourist spots.

palmersears said:

Excelkent read thus far. I adore Turkey, and despite visiting annually for over 20 years I've never once even seen a train, let alone ridden one. They don't appear to venture too close to the south coast tourist spots.

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Judging by one or two other comments I've had, you'll probably find that the tourist spots are completely different to the 'real Turkey' if you haven't ventured away from them ever. One of my travelling companions had been to tourist resorts before and said that there was no hint that Turkey was practically a dry (ie no alcohol) country.

theblackwatch said:

Judging by one or two other comments I've had, you'll probably find that the tourist spots are completely different to the 'real Turkey' if you haven't ventured away from them ever. One of my travelling companions had been to tourist resorts before and said that there was no hint that Turkey was practically a dry (ie no alcohol) country.

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I've always wanted to venture off the tourist trail but sadly the wife isn't keen and I doubt I'd do it on my own.

The amount of EFES I see consumed (and consume myself!) really doesn't lend itself to an image of Turkey being dry, but I have occasionally seen hints of it if we've stopped off at smaller restaurants on the way from Dalaman to Turunc or Kalkan.

Presumably Turkey has imported some German rolling stock at times? That kettle looks quite similar to the sort of steam locomotives you'd have seen in Germany and that EMU looks suspiciously like an ICE3

ainsworth74 said:

Presumably Turkey has imported some German rolling stock at times? That kettle looks quite similar to the sort of steam locomotives you'd have seen in Germany and that EMU looks suspiciously like an ICE3

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Turkey has 'always' had strong links to Germany. In the 70s, I'd say at least 50% of the extant steam locos were German, including Prussian 0-8-0s, 0-10-0s and 4-6-4Ts (078s in DB classification). To my amazement, I even saw an ageing 0-8-0 at Izmir (the little station), in steam, in 1984 when I popped by to have a look. Most of the heavy freight locos were modern 2-10-0s, although I think they might have been Czech (Skoda). Difficult to remember now exactly.

theblackwatch said:

Day 5 – Thursday 14th March

.... The afternoon move was similar, this time an out and back to Manisa, where there is a plinthed steam loco. DE22048 was traction for the outward journey (which ran to Usak), while E68030, my first TCDD electric, was on the return (ex Balekisir). It was noticeable that the trains around Izmir seemed to be on time.

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Even in 1974, the suburban service (more or less 100% steam worked) round the bay at Izmir ran more or less to time. And even the long-distance trains weren't bad.

theblackwatch said:

Izmir is one of the places in Turkey where you can get alcohol, so we took a walk out to a bar, passing a closed station on the way. Food was more expensive here, but a meal (beef stroganoff) and 2 bottles of beer still came to under £12.View attachment 60742

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£12! That's the trouble with tourism, places become rip off. I remember my pal and I had been on the cushions all the way from London to Izmir, where we spent our first night in an 'oteli' just down the road from the main station. The room (shared double bed) cost us TL 25 - about 40 p each at the time

theblackwatch said:

Not at all, around the same temperatures as in the UK. I'd gone armed with a hat and scarf but didn't need either of them all week.

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Interesting. I thought Elazig was up in the hills. I seem to remember coming back from Iran in 1977 and it was snowing in the Erzerum-Erzincan area in late March.

Day 6 – Friday 15th March

Another day doing a few locos around Izmir, as well as a bit of tourism. Had breakfast in the hotel before the 5 min walk to the station for the 07.40 departure again, hauled by DE22033. I took this one stop (30 mins) to Cigli for the following service (worked by E68036) forward to Menemen.

From here, I planned to get the incoming service from Balekisir back in to Izmir. Unfortunately, when I went to the ticket office to buy a ticket for this, Bert didn’t want to sell me one and directed me in the direction of the Metro. He kept saying ‘rota, metro’ and I wondered if he meant that the main line service was late. I decided to investigate the Metro but found a ticket machine which didn't seem to have an 'English' option that worked and appeared to only accept some sort of cards similar to Oyster, and ticket gates so I couldn’t get onto the platform. So that option was out.

By now it was almost time for the service from Balekisir to arrive, and I noticed it approaching, so it wasn’t late. I decided to chance it and get on in the front coach (where ‘pay on board’ is accepted from unmanned stations it seems). As it turned out, nobody came to ‘grip’ anyway, so, thanks to the staff member’s refusal to sell me a ticket, I went back to Izmir without one.

Back at Izmir, I had another wander round, looking at an old-fashioned traditional market as well as photographing a couple of trams. The tram stops are also barriered, and have a security guard on them to stop people jumping onto the platform to avoid the barrier!

Had a nice meal (kofte again) before another spin out to Cigli with E68071 (see pic below prior to departure from Izmir Basmane) where, as well as photographing a couple of EMUs, I visited the tea shack by the platform – which was full of old guys playing cards and board games. Clearly part of the everyday culture over there. I then picked up DE22013 to Manisa, visiting the café there again for E68030 (again) back to Menemen.

No problems having to get a ticket at Menemen this time, as sleepers had already been booked. The Konya Mavi Treni runs from Izmir to Ankara, and features two changes of traction as electrification of the middle bit of the route has yet to be completed. E68060 hauled the train to Belakasir (arriving 22.45), where the expected DE22000 turned out to be a pair of DE24000s instead (DE24127+DE24389). Didn’t hear anything from these though as I went to bed, and by the time I woke, they had been replaced by E68061. By now, the train was about 30 late, and a lengthy stop at Sincan helped ensure it was an hour late into Ankara – normal service had been resumed!

Some funky looking trains, and while I've no idea where those places are, it sounds like quite an adventure was had. Certainly the timekeeping of those trains would drive me crazy!

I must say that while Turkey is required, I've not been convinced to visit. There's something about the Middle East and Asia that creeps me out. What causes that I don't know, I certainly couldn't go to that part of the world on my own! Which is a shame as I'll never get to see or walk the Great Wall of China. Before anyone asks, no I haven't got anyone to travel with, friends or otherwise, and most of the time I prefer solo travel anyway. Japan will be a special exception to that with the language barrier!

Not sure if you`ll get chance to check out Istanbul, Haydapassar, the station building is magnificent and mothballed containing loads of units just left in situ, in front of the station exit is the locomotive depot which also contains units and mothballed locomotives, we were able to wonder around without issue.

shredder1 said:

Not sure if you`ll get chance to check out Istanbul, Haydapassar, the station building is magnificent and mothballed containing loads of units just left in situ, in front of the station exit is the locomotive depot which also contains units and mothballed locomotives, we were able to wonder around without issue.

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No, Istanbul wasn't on my list this time - apart from getting the train to Pendik for a taxi to the airport (as you will see on the day 7 report which will follow very soon...). It is somewhere I'd like to visit at some point though, partly for railways but also for some tourism.

Final instalment...

Day 7 – Saturday 16th March

Last day in Turkey. After a toastie and tea in the park in Ankara, it was back to the station at around 10.30, where I photographed the overnight from Kars (due in at 08.22, so over 2 hours late again) arriving.

I went for the Metro to Eryaman, only to be directed back to the YHT station. It turned out that YHT services into Ankara had resumed that day or the day before, so my service to Pendik would be starting there. It was due to depart at 12.05 but, having been let on to the platform around 11.55, there was no sign of a train. It appeared around 12.00, but went to the opposite end of the platform to drop people off before returning to pick people up, departing about 10 late.

My Business Premier meal was much better than what we’d been given earlier in the week (a cheese sandwich). There was a choice of meat or chicken (!), I opted for the meat, which came with rice as an airline-style meal, along with yoghurt and a bread roll. Also had a tea and a couple of cups of coke.

On arrival at Pendik, I jumped into a taxi which took me to the airport (took just under 30 mins and cost 48₺), arriving about 4 hours before my flight – a bit early really, but there wasn’t time to do anything like start looking round Istanbul. Flight was on time anyway, and landed at Stansted at 22.30, after which I made my way to the Premier Inn (using the free bus to the mid-stay car park, and a 5-10 min walk), rather than waiting for the Premier Inn bus which only runs every 30 minutes and costs £3. You can take the man out of Yorkshire but not Yorkshire out of the man….

Quite a good trip by the looks of it! I agree with your choice of avoiding the bus ching, I'd have done the same!