A Kriegslok of the TCDD 565XX series stands in Izmir Alsancak station with the 7.47 mixed train to Afyon on 17/4/1976.
Photo Tony Bowles

The first railways in Turkey were largely built & financed by western european interests in Britain, France & Germany which slowly developed the system up to the 1920s. Following the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, railway development was accorded a high priority and the TCDD was created in 1927 with the nationalisation of the CF d'Anatolie - Baghdad. Over the following 8 years the other private companies were progressively bought out and new lines were being built.
For those seeking further information of the railways of Turkey, the following web-site is available Trains of Turkey. Much information used on the following pages came from ‘Steam in Turkey’ written by Ted Talbot and published by The Continental Railway Circle in 1981 ISBN 0 9503469 6 9