when the Independence Day parade was held in Haifa a Baldwin was used for a Tel Aviv-bound train.

3). - In 1955 I saw an 8F with a freight train at Binyamina station.

4). - In the same year, some of the trains went from Haifa to Jerusalem through Tel Aviv Tzafon (later B'nei Beraq), where Baldwins were used both for shunting and for working freight trains.

5). - Also in 1955, when the first Orenstein & Koppel coaches arrived, they were introduced to the public coupled to ex-PR coaches and headed by a P-Class loco.

6). -In the 1950's Israel Railways introduced a door-to-door

service, combining train and truck for parcels distribution. It was called 'Israel Express'. The base was at what became

later - and what was until recently - the Railway Museum main building, which at the time was a store. The trucks used were of old Bedford types and a small GMC of WW2 vintage. An exampleof the latter type was used once as a small bus, and can be seen at the Egged Museum at Holon.

7). - In 1960 an interesting initiative to promote rail travel was made by the owner of a ticket selling agency Griinberger, at the time and for some years in Shapira St. He succeeded in putting together combined organised tours from Haifa to Jerusalem. It included a special Egged bus to Haifa Central, reserved seats on the train, and a special Hamekasher bus to see the city and eat lunch, and then back to Haifa. It didn't last long, because Egged saw it as a threat to "Egged Tours". However, his idea is worth mentioning. I recently contacted his grandson, Mr. Kupferstein, who was my friend at school and is today a senior engineer at Zim Hamburg. He said that after his grandfather's death nothing was left, although he did remember this initiative. Apparently an article on it appeared in "HaTzofeh" newspaper.

9). - Another note about reserved seats - later, such seats were available on Haifa - Tel Aviv services, and these were always in the coach at the northern end. Since the British built at Haifa Central a multi-purpose building that incorporated not only the signalbox and a pedestrian footbridge but also the toilets, and since the trains always stopped with the endcoach opposite this facility, it used to be joked that the ticket was not only for the seat but for the smell !

10). - Among the coaches in service on this line were the two ex-ESR ones captured in 1956 during the Sinai Campaign. In 1961 they were painted in dark blue livery, as were all the remaining   ex-PR cars. One of them ended its life near Hof HaCarmel station as a bogie-less body, together with another steel-bodied ex-PR coach.

11). - In October 1961, about four months after the Carel Foucht coaches were placed in service, I travelled from Tel Aviv to Haifa on the 17.07 train, which consisted manly

of the new French stock with one O&K coach. But the real exception was a former Ambulance (ex-Midland) coach converted to a buffet car. The train was stopped at Belt Yehoshua   because a fire broke out in one of the axle- boxes of this buffet car. It was uncoupled, and it was withdrawn shortly after.

12). - Finally - I have been attempting to trace, with no success, the former line from Kafr Jinis to Tel Litwinsky. In my efforts I did discover a garage, located behind Shipude Hatikva and Sadiya Chatuka streets. It is the former station ofYahudia (Yahud); the current owners are Yitzhak Mayish and Meir Lander. They were among the first to arrive here in  1948 and told me that the line was used for a while to bring wounded soldiers from Latrun (probably through Ramle and Led). At exactly this point they were then transferred by ambulance to Tel Hashomer, because a viaduct and bridge near the Avia Hotel was blown up during the war. According to their descriptions, Baldwin locos were used. On the column behind them in this photo was the station name board until 1960 ! They then removed it. The rails were still visible until 1960, and one piece of rail is still used as a support in the garage structure.

HARAKEVET 51 P27