Chabowka Parade 5th / 6th September

Chabowka are putting on their annual "rail parade" on 5th / 6th September.
The venue will be Sucha Beskidzka and Chabowka, with several steam hauled services between the two.

As like previous years the format is expected to remain the same... a procession of steam hauled trains (passenger, freight etc etc) through the station and area.
Often at slow speed, with breaks, full open (it's a polish thing) allowing photographers excellant chance to see whats in section and follow it through to the other side..
After the parade, they pick up passengers and run back down to Chabowka each of the 12 trains a few minutes behind the other (making Chabowka station / yard a very busy station with a large number of steam freight / passenger etc arrivals / departures in the space of 30 minutes!), each one with the station announcer announcing the train / platform.. very authentic !

As with other years there will also be trips to Zakopane etc with railtours on the sunday.

List of attendees / schedules hasnt been fully confirmed yet, but in previous years expect it to include visitors from Germany and Slovakia, as well as Wolsztyn. (as ever credit crunch funding pending), and the musuem is in process of sale from PKP to the local government, the future of this parade, infact Chabowka can still be questioned !

Chabowka is 90 minutes by car from Krakow, close to the mountain resort of Zakopane.
It is about 3 hours by "express" train, which involves a loco run round in 3 places !

Locomotives include:

Chabowka: Ty2-911, Ty2-953, Tkt48-191, Ol12-7, Tr5-65.
Maybe's include: Tkh49-1, plus a something from Wolsztyn (not a lot currently only Ol49-7, Ol49-59, Pt47-65 are operational), though there are others which can be ticketed for "one offs".

There is a possiblity of a something unusual in Poland.. a mainline steam run for a non-pkp owned Polish preserved steam locomotive, this being Tkp4422 a large tank locomotive from the private preserved musuem at Pyskowice. Last year they ran some steam trips using the visiting Slovak tank to Msana Dolna !

 

A bit more of an update..

Unfortunately the event has been somewhat credit crunched.

The event will now only take place within Chabowka shed / station area and using the Msana Dolna line.
There will be a series of arrivals / departures within the shed / station / yard area for photographers.

Sadly no international visitors and only 2 from Wolsztyn n(Pt47-65 / Tr5-65, the Tr65 being ticketed for the weekend especially).
There will be a special train from Krakow, and Zakopane and a further special up the Nowy Sacz line to Msana Dolna.

Unfortunately this shows the financially pickled state of PKP, and Steam is really only "survival of the fittest" right now, with no maintenace money at Wolsztyn, and their attempts to sell Chabowka at full commercial retail but also their reluctance to either support steam or protect them.

However as with everything PKP.. the schedule is not final until the day.. there could be more or less still on the cards !

 

Chabowka event schedule

Below is the parade schedule (as current)..

Saturday 5th September

All saturday's steam hauled services are open to the public, buy tickets on board the train, the event at the Shed / Station is free.
I understand the Krakow / Zakopane services are regular PKP fares, that Krakow - Chabowka 56zl (2nd), about £11 one way. (103km)

06:50 Chabowka to Dobrej k. Limanowa tkt48-191 and Bi-29 coaches.
07:00 Chabowka - Zakopane Ty2-911 + BCi, Ci coaches.
08:00 Krakow - Chabowka with vintage electric EP03-01 to Sucha Beskidzka, and Ty2-953 onwards to Chabowka, type 120A coaches. (EP03 remains on the rear of the train, SB is a turn back station a-la Battersby style)
09:00 Zakopane - Chabówka Ty2-911 BCi, Ci coaches.
10:10 Dobrej k. Limanowa - Chabowka TKt48-191
10:30 Zakopane train arrives in Chabowka Ty2-911
11:15 Krakow train arrives in Chabowka Ty2-953 (EP03-01 on the rear)

12:30-13:00 "PAROWOZJADA'2009" Starts
13:00-13:30 Parade from the Shed to the station (Nowy Sacz line) of the locomotives:

Ol12-7, Pt47-65, Tr5-65, Ty2-953, TKt48-191, TKh49-1.

14:15-14:45 Parade of 3 Passenger and 2 Freight trains through the station (Nowy Sacz line)
15:00-15:15 Demonstration of locomotive preparation on shed.
15:30-16:30 Driving competion / footplate experiences on shed with:
Ty2-911, TKt48-191, Ol12-7, Pt47-65, TKh49-1.

16:40 Chabowka - Rabka Zaryte Tr5-65
18:00 Rabka Zaryte - Chabowka arrives at Chabowka.

PKP Return services for Krakow dep at 16:47 (arrives) 18.56 Krakow, dep at 18:48 (arrives) 21:01 Krakow

Sunday 6th September 10am - 4pm

Footplate rides on shed, Outdoor BBQ (polish style)

11:00 Chabowka - Zakopane Ty2-911
16:00 Zakopane - Chabowka (arrives at Chabowka)

Additionally there is a photo charter on the Nowy Sacz line, from Chabówka - Mszana Dolna , Mszana Dolna - Rabka Zaryte with Ty2-953 and 4 coaches, at Mszana Dolna, passengers can detrain to the SN160 Heritage DMU, back from Rabka Zaryte (once the Ty2 has passed) to Mszana Dolna and return to Chabówka.
There is a second run from Chabówka to Dobra k. Limanowa and return to Chabówka with TKt48-191 and 6 coaches.
This day out multi-railtour is 130zl and pre-reserved.
For reservations, on the sunday photo railtour, it's pay on the train, but pre-reserve the seat, this can be done at 07:00 - 14:30, 0048-18 267-62-00 or e-mail m.panasiewicz@pkp-cargo.pl , If you don't understand Polish, best is to email they'll understand english emails !