Wolzstyn 2013

A couple of weeks ago I decided to book a last minute trip to Poland. Flights booked on Sunday evening, and flew out the following Thursday, back on Saturday morning. Amazingly at such short notice, the flights came to £62 return. Bearing in mind most weather forecasts 12 hours in advance are often wrong, I was sceptical when Weather Underground suggested overnight snow on Thursday, and sun on Friday. They were correct!





It's a pity there's only 2 return trips each day, and only Mon - Fri, but I was told the last couple of years have seen weekend cancellations due to crews and locos being used on charters and other special workings. Hopefully this new arrangement will make things more robust in the future.

Ol49-59 was working the services, and Ol49-69 was in the shed at Wolsztyn. No sign of Pt47-65 so assume it has now gone for overhaul.

Full collection at Two Days in Poland - a set on Flickr

 

Nice pictures, I fear WE's influence however is starting to fade.
Polands economy is finally set to stagnate in 2013, so this won't help the situation either.

 

Some very nice shots, makes me want to get back out there this year. Didn't make it out last year for the first time in 3. Ol49-59 comes out of service in April/May I believe (don't quote me on that), so they might be very short of locos for a while.

 

Pt47 is due back from Chabowka very soon, (you could see it under overhaul in the BBC film "spies of Warsaw" last week, in the workshop scene where they were planning to make hidden compartments in the coaches).

funny how there's more working locos at Chabowka (a PKP owned museum, with a handful of weekend operations), then there is at Wolsztyn... Similarly they closed Gnieszno, and Leszno.. Both workshops close to Wolsztyn and consolidated the skills at Chabowka

 

I went out in Sept 09 for a week, we had Pt47-65 and Ol49-7. One of the morning turns we had with 49-7 was quite a nice day, whilst we were wating at Poznan, to pass the time before the return trip we decided to fish-scale polish the green cab sides and cyl cladding as there had been a few photographers about and thought that 49-7 could do with a bit of a wash and brush up!

 

That's good, at least they should be back up to two loco's then. I remember visiting Leszno Depot in Aug 10 and they said they'd have Ol49-59 ready by October. Don't think it came back until about March the next year!

 

Ol49-7 had some major boiler water leaks to the end... To say a hosepipe of water was leaking from the firebox was an understatement...

 

Yes, I've never seen a loco leak so badly. It was a waterfall! Several broken stays too. I'm surprised it lasted another month after I saw it.

 

Poland is still worth a visit. , not just for Wolsztyn steam.

The nearby Smigiel narrow gauge line seems to be coming back from the dead - planning a winter special on Saturday 2 February, when the event will also see the opening of another short extension of the operational line, 1.8km from Nowa Wies to Zegrowo; gradually restoring the long abandoned line to Wielochowo with luck. Elsewhere on the Polish narrow gauge, the Bieszczady forest railway is operating regular winter trains from Majdan station at 12:00 on Fridays and Saturdays during the Polish winter school holidays, running 6km to Dolzyca and returning to Majdan at around 13:15. And a special train is planned on the Znin narrow gauge railway on 30 March, including a connecting standard gauge special train and bus from Poznan. 'Behind The Water Tower' blog is worth following.

 

Not in Poland..

I recall an incident where pm36-2 lifted it's safety valves... 200ft clear of the shed.. but was in service a few hours later.
And a Mayday parade is truly not a mayday parade unless something runs off the end of the turntable..but within the hour those well used jacks have the show back on the road.

The 2013 parade (27th April) is supposed to feature a first in Poland.. a Polish volunteer lead preserved and restored Polish loco, From Berlin is 52 8177 and from Cottbus the beast that is 01.0509 double headed with 23-1019.

 

I went on a Railtrail holiday earlier this month we visited the narrow gauge at Znin ( instead of Srnoda) and Gniezno, as well Wolsztyn. Snow but no sun. It started snowing the evening we arrived and had a night shoot. Photos can be found at : -Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | The ?ni?ska Kolej Powiatowa ? the ?nin District Railway , [Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | The Gnie?nie?ska Kolej Powiatowa - Gnie?no District Railway, and Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Wolsztyn

 

Thanks for the updates,Paul .

Sroda - it's was mentioned that a possible boiler extension of the Px48 to 2014 was hoped for. We shall see(and hope)

Znin- does steam run regularly or for spl charters only ? It's a lovely line and the museum contains many gems incl the pacific you illustrated- and 600mm(?)

good to see steam working at Gniezno and Poznan......

thanks. Ray

 

According to the timetable May to September ciuchciaznin.pl and list of locos at the museum can be found at The Zninska Kolej Powiatowa – the Znin District Railway, 2012 and scroll down the page.

 

Some bad news - steam suspended at Wolsztyn.

One of the two carriages used for the regular steam service was almost completely destroyed in a fire early yesterday, and with no spare steam heat-capable stock Koleje Wielkopolskie were forced to cancel Monday’s steam service. A railbus normally used on the Leszno service was substituted.

The steam service may now be suspended for some time until Koleje Wielkopolskie can obtain a suitable replacement coach.

(Information from Behind the Water Tower)

John

 

more pictures here..

Wolsztyn. Sp

In good old Polish style.. normal service has already been resumed with the 17.38 ex Poznan, ol49-59 went LE earlier (presumably for more stock).
The coaches are not owned, but leased, so would imagine it's the leesors obligation to provide and it's not as if there's no spare stock in Poland.

 

Just did a bit more back ground reading of all things PKP..

Apparently PKP is reviewing its redundant assets, and in 2013 will issue a tender for the disposal of 250 "scrap items of rolling stock".
This is listed as the railway collection at Jaworzyna Slaska.

(Inline with previous practice) bidding will be to Polish railway musuems and institutions first, followed by other Polish companies, therefore foreign bidders will be excluded, as a will any attempt to export. Sadly this results in loco's being dismantled, turned into art exhibits etc etc.. allegro.pl has parts of an Ol49 being sold as furniture as I look this evening.

Of particular interest at Jaworzyna is a WD 2-8-0 lookalike, built at Vulcan foundry post war, and has a very similar looking WD 2-8-0 tender body and more than a few similarities to it's UK cousin.

Liberation Class - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tr202-28 + 25D202-28 (Vulcan Foundry5448/ 1946) is the relevent example one of only 2 surviviors (the other being at Chabowka and was inspected for potential overhaul some years ago and was quoted at €100k to do the job)


For those who like farce... there's an on going debacle about ol49-80 right now, apparently PKP sold it from the Elk musuem to an individual who promptly put it up for auction on the Polish equivalent of ebay... no bidders and now wants to scrap it..except a team of individuals have written to the Polish Cultural ministry to have it listed as a scheduled monument.. except there's 34 others and this isnt the best example...it continues through to various appeals, with suggestions of going to the EU government !!... meanwhile it's owner is selling it's gauges, rods and regulator handle etc each month on www.allegro.pl...
it continues reading about how PKP offered to donate a steam locomotive from the Chabowka collection to a television "telethon" event to raise money for the Polish Orchestra...

Imagine if the NRM offered 2818 to a property developer to do as he will, or 92220 as a donation to save the Royal Albert Hall ?

 

Well today is the last day of steam on the Wolsztyn Poznan line. From Sunday the service will be two return trips a day, 7 days a week, from Wolsztyn to Leszno. However, it hasn't quite gone to plan! Ol49-59 has been working the service for the last couple of weeks on its own, while Ol49-69 has been in Leszno for some repairs. 69 is currently in the shed at Wolsztyn, seemingly having some final repairs and a washout done. 59 is also in the shed!

The 17.38 Poznan Wolsztyn last night was around 35 late back at Wolsztyn, and 59 didn't sound in the best of health. After arrival at Wolsztyn, the loco ran round and took the stock on shed, was serviced, then was turned on the turntable ready for the morning. After a couple of minutes it was turned again and shunted into the shed. When I woke up at 5am this morning the stock was still on the turntable road, and no sign of smoke coming from the shed. A quick look through a gap in the doors showed both locos were dead. Bugger!

I'm hoping one of the Ol49s will be lit up for this afternoon's trip, but it didn't look to promising at 5am. Quite how they're going to manage from Sunday running 7 days a week is anyone's guess. One of the Ol49s finishes in the spring, about the same time Pt47-65 is due back. However, the Pt47 has been due back imminently for the last couple of years!

 

An end of an era for Poznan Nigel. How many of us have arrived from Berlin by train or Poznan airport and ,suddenly,the thrill of steam in one of the bays. Rain,snow,ice and a lack of cover.......
Eating at Poznan station ESP the old communist style outlets now largely gone
My wife having her first cabride on ,poss,one of the locos Nigel refers to and her reaction in the dark swirling snowstorm!

Good luck Nigel this weekend . At least you witnessed the end of an unlikely operation.
Lezno has its attractions and the line pleasant . I ESP enjoyed Poznan because of a little mainline running and the fast,busy nature of the line. Specials for Wolstyn May bashes might go via Grodisk-we will see! Please keep us updated Nigel!