I took the train known as the ‘cuckoo’ in 2019. The Kukushka (translates as little cuckoo in Russian) is a 37 km narrow-gauge railway linking the national park town of Borjomi to the village & ski resort of Bakuriani in Georgia.

The construction of the 900mm wide line began in 1897, when Georgia was still part of the Russian Empire, and was completed in 1902.

Originally a steam loco pulled open carriages, but since 1966 the line has been electrified and the small steam engine was replaced by an electric “crocodile” locomotive made by the Škoda works in the then Czechoslovakia.

There are eight stops between the start and end stations, with the short journey taking around two and a half hours (average 15 km/h) due to the steep climbs and not very powerful engine pulling the two carriages.

I travelled it in October 2019 when the trees were a splendid autumnal canvass of reds, golds & browns. See some of the journey on my YOUTUBE channel.