Engine 70414 Compound

Engine 70414 Compound is a beautiful site in the old city of Be’er-Sheva stands in the historic compound from 1915-The Turkish Train Station. At the site visitors will experience guided tours which tell the tale of Engine 70414 and the ottoman train station in Be’er-Sheva from its establishment to this day. The tours are led by guides that elaborate about the history and the cultural importance of the site, adding knowledge and excitement to the visit in the compound. On site visitors will explore the mini museum built inside the station managers former residence, the lounge wagon- visual effects display about passengers and voyage in the trains throughout history, workshop car for art kits, view a changing gallery, dine at a luxurious restaurant in the stations main building, “Hakater: Restaurant-Bar”, and the icing on the cake- the unique engine No. 70414. Engine No. 70414, which operated in the southern part of Israel on the Be’er-Sheva line in the 1950s, was one of a series of some 850 locomotives manufactured in the United Kingdom for civilian and military use in the 1930s and early 40’s.

Today only 13 engines of this type exist in the world. For the last half a century, most that remained were to be found in Turkey. In a covert operation in the winter of 2012, this LMS Stanier 8F-type steam engine was brought through the Suez Canal to Be’er-Sheva. Following a process of preservation and renewal, the engine looks as he looked at his early life in the 50’s. Engine 70414 Compound is managed by the municipality of Be’er-Sheva with the assistance of The Be’er-Sheva Economic Development Authority- Be’er-Sheva’s Old City and Tourism Administration. Since it was established, various activities and mega events were held in the site, such as: white night events, Sukkot and Passover in The Old City, Mondays Summer Happening for children and youth, the traditional Wine Festival, Klezmer Arabesque Performance and other more special activates. All those in a romantic meeting place, located in the hurt of the vibrant metropolis of Be’er-Sheva.