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Rayak Railway MuseumRayak Railway Museum

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Explo writer
Elias B Maalouf's picture
Elias B Maalou…
105 pts.
  • Off the path Explo
    78 %
    Off the path Explo rate
    Score
    3.9 / 5
    Comments
    The Rayak Railway museum is still quite unknown.
  • Article Quality
    82 %
    Article Quality rate
    • Score
      4 / 5
      Comments
      Good description Elias!
    • Score
      2.5 / 5
      Comments
      Useful info but no plan...
    • Score
      5 / 5
      Comments
      Yes, many!
    • Score
      4 / 5
      Comments
      Yep
    • Score
      5 / 5
      Comments
      Yes!
  • Explo Popularity
    %

A city, a station, a factory… A trip into the vestiges and the history of trains...

My experience, Explo description: 

The first railway was built in Lebanon while it was part of the Ottoman Empire by the French-established Société des Chemins de fer Ottomans économiques de Beyrouth- Damas-Hauran which was granted a concession in 1891. In the Beginning of August 1895 the first train took off from the port of Beirut to Rayak railway station.

Other than having a big station, Rayak was famous for having one of the biggest train factories in the world at that time. It was later well known for designing and reassembling old steam engines that worked on charcoal to work on fuel.

In 1976 the railway was shut due to the civil war, ending more than 85 years of success and achievements.

Rayak Railway heritage is divided into 2 parts : the Train Station and the Factory.

  • The Train Station : it is approximately 35,395 m2, and consists of 9 buildings.
  • The Factory : is approximately 133,430 m2 and consists of forty-eight buildings which were divided into 2 basic units. The storage area, and the factory.

The Factory is about 1km north from the Station.

All the Railway installations have been unemployed since 30 years and are thus in a very bad shape, conferring the site a particular aspect, with many train, tools and other metal sculpture vestiges...

The buildings add a lot of charm to the location. They were designed by French architects who built them in the nineteen-eighties. Scattered all over the site, these buildings served as hotels factories and station. Most of them are still standing and in good condition. Trees and plants have grown all over the site.

There are more than 30 locomotives in the Rayak factory, and approximately 200 wagons.

My personal recommendations: 

I am actually leading at the moment a project aiming at restoring the Station and the Factory to make it the biggest Rail museum of the region. The progress of the work is going really fast.

Might you visit the site in its current desolated state or after restoration, your will for sure visit an interesting part of the history of Lebanon.

If you want to know more, visit :
http://www.rayakrailway.org/french/...

How getting there: 

Go to Rayak. Once in Rayak, just follow the rails ;-)

Useful information: 
Contact: 

Contact me at :

http://www.rayakrailway.org/english...