Year 1957

Year 1957, the Youth Park is like a festival place. The two small steam locomotives “Mehmetçik” and “Efe” manufactured completely in Eskişehir Traction Workshop are a pride for both Ankara and Eskişehir. The two small steam locomotives with 35 t load capacity and running with 20km/h speed on a 1750 m² line between the stations ‘Havuzbaşı’ and ‘Esmen’ are carrying on one side the enjoying children and on the other side the pride of Eskişehir Traction Workshop as well as the hope for producing bigger locomotives.

On April 4, 1957 the prime minister of that time Adnan Menderes who was present at the opening ceremony of Eskişehir (Çukurhisar) Cement Factory visited on April 5 the Traction Workshop of the State Railways and examined all the plant and especially the apprentice school. He made negotiations with the craftsmen and the delegation of labor unions. The prime minister got on one of the locomotives of the miniature trains that were built to operate that year in Ankara Youth Park with aim of attracting people’s attention to trains and railways. He was very pleased with it and said: “Can you build a bigger locomotive if I ask you to do it?”