Had the Balkan region narrow-gauge rail network survived, it would surely today be a cherished asset in promoting tourism over a wide region - in much the same way as the narrow-gauge Rhaetian Railway network has been important in attracting visitors to the Graubünden region of eastern Switzerland.
article summary —
The Sargan Eight rail route — mentioned in the accompanying feature — is a surviving fragment of a once very extensive narrow-gauge rail network in the western Balkan region which had its origins in the Habsburg administration’s desire to extend its political influence into the Ottoman frontier lands.
The heyday of railway construction in the region was in the late 19th century, although some routes were not completed until the 1930s.
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Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries manage hidden europe, a Berlin-based editorial bureau that supplies text and images to media across Europe. Together they edit hidden europe 
magazine. Nicky and Susanne are dedicated slow travellers. They delight in discovering the exotic in the everyday.
