In an excellent post on rec.collecting.stamps.discuss (rcsd), “Blair” describes the orgin and shows some excellent examples of the Danube Black Sea Railway local stamps of Romania. This is not one of my collecting areas, but still I found this post fascinating. Blair is known for his thorough posts to the discussion group, and if you have never checked out rcsd, you owe it to yourself as a stamp collector to check it out sometime. Here is the post, in it’s entirety, complete with links, since I don’t know of anyway to just put a link to a post:

Romania – D.B.S.R. Local Railroad Post:

http://www.romaniastamps.com/local/dbsr3.jpg

the local railroad post formed the link between
the Danube Steam Navigation Company mail
boats calling at the commercial port of Czernawoda
(Rom. Cernavoda, or Cerna-Voda), located in
SE Romania on the Danube River WNW of
the city of Constanta and ca. 105 miles E of
Bucharest, and the Austrian Llyod services
at Kustandje (Ger. Küstenja, Rom. Constanta),
the Black Sea port ca. 25 miles E of Czernawoda.

These are local stamps issued in 1867 for
the territory then belonging to Turkey and are
inscribed “D.B.S.R. / Local-Post / KUSTENDIE
& CZERNAWODA / 20 PARAS” (“D.B.S.R.”:
stands for “Danube Black Sea Railway”).

These stamps are found used on letters
from either Kustandje or Czernowoda,
paying the loose letter railroad rate.

They are found as mixed franking , on covers,
with the stamps of Lombardy-Venetia.

==================================

Below is more background information about
these stamps courtesy of S. Ringstrom / H.E. Tesler
“The Private Ship Letter Stamps of the World Part 2″
which is recommended tor those for whom this has
served as an appetizer:

In 1864, the DBSR Company (Danube and Black Sea
Railway Kustendje Harbour Company Limited, DBSR
in short) was founded; in fact it was a private post
called “Local Post.” It was the link between the two
cities and the Austrian maritime company Lloyd.

The post came by ship from Constantinople to
Constanta, it was taken by railway to Cernavoda
and then to the destinations, by a ship belonging
to DDJG.

In 1867 this Local Post – that functioned for four
years – minted a stamp marked with ink and
sometimes with the sign “Kustendje” of the Lloyd
Agency. Such stamps of the DBSR Company are
extremely rare and a letter with such a stamp on it
is considered “the greatest rarity in Romanian
philately.”

The stamp issued by DBSR had jagged edges,
small measurements 18.5 x 22.25 mm, the minting
was made by lithography on colored paper with
a value of “20 paras.”

http://cjoint.com/data/gknJqaWYpB.htm

As you can see in the blown up picture, the stamp
is marked in the lower right – DBSR,
up – LOCAL POST,
left – KUSTENDJE & CZERNAVODA and
down – 20 PARAS.

Starting with the lower right corner, the stamp depicts
the Black Sea, a big ship, some smaller vessels and
a train with a locomotive puffing smoke, then some
mountains and above the landscape, the Ottoman
symbol – a star and a moon – sign of sovereignty.

This is the only graphic representation of the old
railway that we have been able to discover.

These stamps were printed in black on many shades
of green, blue, orange, pink and yellow paper. There
were 4 printings of these stamps. I believe the
greyish blue one on was from the first printing, and
the others are from subsequent printings.

example of a pink paper issue shown here
http://cjoint.com/data/gknJqaWYpB.htm

example of a blue paper issue shown here
http://www.romaniastamps.com/local/dbsr4.jpg

Genuine stamps

Colours: yellowish green paper or faded to a greyish-blue shade

1. There is no extension to the bottom of the left leg of R in DBSR
3. Faint vertical shading on engine wheels
5. Faint rays from star, 5 at right and 2-3 at left
6. The right vertical and bottom horizontal lines of
each corner square are thickened
7. There are small corner guide lines about 1 mm from each corner
of the design
10. The outline of the left white mountain in the upper range is not
joined to that of the dark mountain to its left 1. There is an
extension (a line) from the foot of the R to frame

1st reprint

Colours: Several shades of green and in blue, pink and yellow

3. Shading on train wheels almost missing
5. Rays fainter or invisible
6. There is no difference in thickness of corner square lines
7. The corner angles are present

2nd reprint

1. Extension to the bottom of the left leg of R in DBSR
3. No vertical shading on train wheels
5. Strengthened rays, 5 at each side
6. Lines as 1st reprint, slight evidence of strengthening
7. The corner angles are present

3rd reprint

Colours: Green, blue, orange, pink and yellow

1. The extension to the bottom of the left leg of R in DBSR
is faint or non-existent
3. No shading, wheels distorted
5. No rays, only fragments of line
6. The right and bottom lines of each corner square are a
little thicker than the other lines
7. No corner angles

Forgeries: Please see a great article at :
http://www.romaniastamps.com/local/dbsr.htm

For a very interesting history of this railway and post,
I also highly recommend the article at :
http://www.cfr.ro/JF/engleza/2000_6/testimonies.htm

Blair