Hellenic State Railways

Template:Template other Hellenic State Railways or SEK (Template:Langx, Sidirodromi Ellinikou Kratous; Σ.Ε.Κ.) was a Greek public sector entity (legal person of public law, Template:Langx) which was established on 18 March 1920 by the law 2144/20 and operated most Greek railway lines until 1970.

History

The Hellenic State Railways took over the standard gauge railway line from Piraeus to Papapouli at the pre-1912 borders, the extension from Papapouli to Platy and most of the former Ottoman railway lines that were within the Greek borders after 1919. These lines were:

• Piraeus, Demerli & Frontiers Railway (Template:Langx), also known as
• Part of the former Thessaloniki & Monastir Railway (Template:Langx or SM)
• Part of or CO, between Thessaloniki and Idomeni. The line from Alexandroupolis to Ormenio was transferred to the French-Hellenic Railway Company (, CFFH) of Evros (Template:Langx or ) which was absorbed by SEK much later, in 1954
• The Thessaloniki-Constantinople Link Railway (Template:Langx or JSC) operating the Thessaloniki–Alexandroupolis railway.

File:Simplex petrol locomotive on the military Decauville line (600 mm gauge) Sarakli-Stavros in Central Makedonia (Greece) during WW1.jpg

Simplex petrol locomotive on the military Template:RailGauge gauge line Sarakli-Stavros during World War 1

• The 66 km long Sarakli-Stavros line, a former military line (Template:RailGauge gauge) constructed during World War I (see also: Perivolaki – Nea Zichni railway line).
• The 50 km long Skydra local railway, a former military line (Template:RailGauge gauge) constructed during World War I and initially operated until 1936 by a company called Local Railways of Macedonia (Template:Langx).

After World War II the Hellenic State Railways absorbed most other Greek railways, including:

• Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways (1962), which had already absorbed other minor metre gauge railways.
• Thessaly Railways (1955), including Pelion railway.
• The French-Hellenic Railway Company (Chemin de fer Franco-Hellenique) of Evros (1954).

Only Ellinikoi Ilektrikoi Sidirodromoi (E.I.S., later Athens-Piraeus Electric Railways), operator of Piraeus-Kifissia railway and Piraeus-Perama light railway, and the private mining and industrial lines remained independent.

The Hellenic State Railways existed until December 31, 1970. On the next day all railways in Greece with the exception of private industrial lines and E.I.S. were transferred to Hellenic Railways Organisation S.A., a state-owned corporation.

Network and other infrastructure

File:20091129-7520-PapadiaBridge-A325 A326.jpg

Brallos (or Papadia) bridge, rebuilt in 1945.

During this period very little expansion of the existing network took place, the most notable being:

• The Amyntaio-Kozani branch (1955).
• The 15 km long line from Template:Ill to Kulata (1966), connecting the Greek and Bulgarian railway networks.
• Another 25 km long branch line from Nea Zichni (Mirini) to Amphipolis (1931), which was later abandoned and the track was lifted in 1970.
• Conversion of the line between Athens and Inoi to double track.

A contract was signed in 1928 for a new line connecting Kalampaka to Kozani, but the project was abandoned in 1932 due to lack of funds.

The Greek railway system (both infrastructure and rolling stock) suffered serious damages during World War II (especially in 1943–1944) and did not become fully operational until 1950. However the viaduct of Achladokampos in Peloponnese, destroyed in 1944, was rebuilt only in 1974.

In 1960 the line from Larissa to Volos, of the former Thessaly Railways, was converted to standard gauge and was connected in Larissa with the line from Athens to Thessaloniki.

New station buildings were constructed in Thessaloniki (known as Thessaloniki New Passenger Station or ΝΕΣΘ) (1952), Larissa (1962), Lianokladi (1950), Sindos, Aiginio, Platamon, Florina, Edessa, Agras, Arnissa, Polykastron, Ptolemais and Kozani.

Rolling stock

Until 1962 the Hellenic State Railways used a variety of steam locomotives from various sources. Some of them belonged to the pre-1920 networks, a number were acquired as part of foreign aid programs after the war and a small number was procured.

Conversion to diesel traction began in the early 1960s. The first diesel locomotives were delivered in 1962 and included 30 Krupp Y60 shunters (Class A-101), 10 ALCo DL532B (Class A-201) and 10 ALCo DL500C (Class A-301). They were followed by classes A-221, A-321, A-351, A-401 and A-411 for the Template:RailGauge network and classes A-9101, A-9201 and A-9401 for the Template:RailGauge networks.

Diesel multiple units were first introduced in 1936 and became more common in the 1950s and 1960s. Steam locomotives were slowly phased out but were still in limited use in December 1970.

Steam locomotives

The following table shows steam locomotives acquired by the Hellenic State Railways between 1920 and 1969. They also continued to use an assortment of older types of locomotives inherited from the previous Greek and Ottoman railway companies.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Photo	Class	Numbers	Type	Quantity	Manufacturer	Serial Nos.	Year	Power	Notes
	Αα	1–4	0-4-0T	4					Ex CO 403–408
	Βα	11–?	2-4-0T						Ex CO 321–328 series
	Γα	21–22	4-4-0T	2	Neilson & Co.		1892		Ex SEK 301–302, originally SAP
	Γβ	31–34	4-4-0	4					Ex CO
	Δα (1st)	51	0-6-0ST	1	Manning Wardle		1892		Ex SAP
File:USATC S100 locomotive Thessaloniki.jpg	Δα (2nd)	51–70	0-6-0T	20	Davenport Locomotive Works, Vulcan Iron Works, H.K. Porter		1945–1946		USATC S100; several rebuilt as 0-6-0
	Δβ	61-?	0-6-0						Ex Railway Operating Division
	Δγ	71-75	0-6-0	5					Ex JSC 50–54
File:CFFH No102.jpg	Δγ	76	4-4-0	1	StEG		1888		Ex CFFH 102, previously CO
	Δδ	81–87	0-6-0	7					Ex CO 4–10
	Δε	88–103	0-6-0						Ex CO 11–54 series
	Δζ	111–114	0-6-0	4					Ex CO 502–506
	Εα	201–223	2-6-0T	23	Batignolles (13) St. Léonard (10)		1903–1907		Ex SEK 101–123
	Εβ	231–232	2-6-0	2					Ex CO 509–510
	Εγ	241–243	2-6-0	3					Ex CO 521–523
	Ζα	301–307	4-6-0	7	Batignolles		1906		Ex SEK 201–207; four-cylinder de Glenn compounds, based on Midi 1400 class
	Ζβ	311	4-6-0	1					Ex SEK 221
	Ζγ	321–330	4-6-0	10					Ex JSC 101–110
	Ζδ	341–350	4-6-0	10					Ex Prussian P 8
	Ζε	331–333	2-6-2	3					Ex CFFH
	Ηα	401	0-8-0	1					Ex JSC, originally Prussian G 7
	Ηβ	411–423	0-8-0	13					Ex JSC 1–16
	Ηγ	431–432	0-8-0	2					Ex SBB 4105, 4112
	Ηδ	441–443	0-8-0	3					Ex SBB 4130, 4134, 4135
	Ηε	444–446	2-8-0	3	Batignolles		1924		Ex CFFH, previously CO 260–262
	Θα	501	2-8-0	1					ex SEK 601
	Θβ	511–512	2-8-0	2					Ex SEK 621–622
	Θγ	521–537 551–560 571–595	2-8-0	27+25	Baldwin Locomotive Works, American Locomotive Works, Lima Locomotive Works		1947		USATC S160 521–537 coal-fired, 551–560 oil-fired, 571–595 from Italy in 1959 (FS Class 736)
	Ια	701–720	2-8-2	20	American Locomotive Company		1915		ex SEK 401–420
	Κα	801–802	0-10-0	2					ex SEK 521–522
	Κβ	811–860	0-10-0	60	StEG		1922–1926		kkStB / BBÖ class 80.900 (ÖBB class 57)
	Κβ	809	0-10-0	1					kkStB / BBÖ class 80.900 (ÖBB class 57); Ex CFFH
File:SEK-Kg-880.jpg	Κγ	861–880	0-10-0	20	Ateliers de Tubize, Haine St Pierre, St. Léonard La Meuse		1929
	Κδ	881–891	0-10-0	11	Henschel				Ex Deutsche Reichsbahn 57.10-35 (Prussian G 10), used by the German occupation forces and left behind when they retreated in 1944
	Λα	901–940	2-10-0	40	StEG (10), Škoda Works (30)		1925–1927		Südbahn class 580
	Λβ	951–966	2-10-0	16	North British Locomotive Company		1946		WD Austerity 2-10-0
	Λγ	991–998	2-10-0	8	Baldwin Locomotive Works		1947
File:20070120-Rouf-Ma1002-0007A.jpg	Μα	1001–1020	2-10-2	20	Ansaldo (10) Breda (10)		1953–1954

Diesel locomotives (standard gauge)

Photo	Class	Numbers	Type	Quantity	Manufacturer	Year	Model	Power	Notes
File:20090212-Thessaloniki-A104.jpg	A-101		0-6-0 dh	30	Krupp	1962–1967	Y60
File:20070611-AIR-A204-0002.jpg	A-201		Bo-Bo de	10	ALCo	1962	DL532B
File:04.11.92 Αμύνταιο-Amyntaio A.304 (15083193706).jpg	A-301		Co-Co de	10	ALCo	1962	DL500C
File:20071104-air-a326-0018.jpg	A-321		Co-Co de	7	ALCo	1967	DL543
File:20080531-7520-Tithorea-A367.jpg	A-351		Co-Co de	26	Alsthom	1967	CC AD 2100C1
	A-401		Co-Co de	10	Siemens-Jung	1966
File:06.11.92 Λάρισα Larísa A422 (5803673957).jpg	A-411		B-B dh	20	Krauss-Maffei	1963	V200

Diesel locomotives (metre gauge)

Photo	Class	Numbers	Type	Quantity	Manufacturer	Year	Model	Power	Notes
File:20070420-Korinthos-9106.JPG	A-9101		Co-Co de	12	ALCo	1965	DL537
File:20070829-PATRAS-A9202.jpg	A-9201		Co-Co de	10	Alsthom	1967	CC AD 1600A1
File:20080405-Patras-A9415.jpg	A-9401		B-B dh	20	Mitsubishi	1967	48-BB-HI

Diesel multiple units

The Hellenic State Railways bought their first DMUs in 1936 and acquired larger numbers in the 1950s. Additional metre gauge multiple units were inherited from networks absorbed in SEK.

Photo	Class	Numbers	Type	Quantity	Manufacturer	Year	Model	Power	Notes
	(AA11)		2-Bo de	2	Floridsdorf	1936
	AA11-AA26 A111-A118		A1-1A+2-2	16	Fiat	1950
File:03 427a Bf Litóchoro, Fiat-VT.jpg	AA27-AA36 A119-A128		A1-1A+2-2	10	Fiat	1958
	AA41		2-B	9	Renault	1950
	AA61		B-B	3	MAN	1955
File:Station Athene 1979.jpg	AA71		2-B	20	Ferrostaal-Esslingen	1962

See also

• Railways of Greece
• Hellenic Railways Organisation

References and notes

• It is the only extensive and authoritative source for the history of Greek railways.

Further reading

• Contains brief history, simple line maps and extensive list of rolling stock until 1997.