Serbia’s Mountain Railway – the Sargan 8

At the end of the First World War, the 57 Km stretch between Uzice and Vardiste was the main missing link in a continuous 76 cm railway between the state capital Belgrade and the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. It became known as The Sargan 8 Railway

At the end of the First World War, the 57 Km stretch between Uzice and Vardiste was the main missing link in a continuous 76 cm railway between the state capital Belgrade and the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

Its construction became a priority for the new state of Yugoslavia.  The most difficult task was how to build a railway over the Sargan mountain .

Construction began in  March 1921 and, despite many setbacks, the section opened in  February 1925.  The final 40 Km missing link between Belgrade and Obrenovac opened in October 1928 and a through 76 cm railway now existed over the 444 Km from Belgrade to Sarajevo.

The climb over the Sargan Mountain was an engineering masterpiece.  From Uzice to the summit the height difference was 240 metres.  As the crow flies it was 3.5 Km but by rail it was 15.4 Km.  The average gradient was 18% (1 in 55) and there were 20 tunnels including the summit tunnel at 1,666m.

Destination: Serbia