The CFR Calatori 77 0901-7 seen between Govora and Tătărani

We followed the little railcar South from Ramnicu Valcea before we started photographing the narrow-gauge trains. But where are we geographically? Ramnicu Valcea is in Souther Romania, just South of the Carpathian Mountains and along the Olt river that originates from Transylvania and breaks out from the Carpathian Basin and historical Hungary through the Turnu Rusu gorge. At the Souther side of Ramnicu Valcea is the industrialized suburb of Govora where a soda factory operates (producing Sodium Carbonate). The Solvay Process uses ammonium chloride as a catalysator and uses limestone as its raw material. This cheap ingredient can be mined in massive quantities and allows the making of detergents, the production of glass and bricks to be cheap. This limestone is mined at Bistrita village and the narrow-gauge train takes it to the factory.