Trans-Iranian Railway is now a Unesco World Heritage Site

[caravanman]

From the Unesco WHS site:

The Trans-Iranian Railway connects the Caspian Sea in the northeast with the Persian Gulf in the southwest crossing two mountain ranges as well as rivers, highlands, forests and plains, and four different climatic areas. Started in 1927 and completed in 1938, the 1,394-kilometre-long railway was designed and executed in a successful collaboration between the Iranian government and 43 construction contractors from many countries. The railway is notable for its scale and the engineering works it required to overcome steep routes and other difficulties. Its construction involved extensive mountain cutting in some areas, while the rugged terrain in others dictated the construction of 174 large bridges, 186 small bridges and 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels.

The gallery, from the same site, is worth visiting for stunning photos of the line.

 

[WWW]

More to read on the Iranian RR -
Interesting what other countries have for railroads -

The Trans-Iranian Railway: An engineering marvel (msn.com)

A sort of Swiss Alps RR in the desert mountains
Wonder if the passengers are still riding the roofs hanging on for dear life ? LOL !

 

[Ziv]

When they casually mention that the engineers had to plan out the use of spiral tunnels to gain height, I was enthralled. I remember that the Canadians had done something similar while building a rail line in the Rockies. That is some difficult territory to cover! The photos of the Iranian countryside are pretty impressive, too.

 

[mcropod]

From the Unesco WHS site:

The gallery, from the same site, is worth visiting for stunning photos of the line.

If ever we get to depart Oz again (and are allowed to return), I'm ready to take some trains in that part of the world. It'd also be good if the USA could get over its snit with Iran and stop preventing our banks doing business in Iran so we can use our credit cards for purchases.