Poland’s Marvel: Wolsztyn Steam Regulars and Parades

Photo from posterboy2007

Wolsztyn is a town in  Poland.  It is the only place in the world which still runs REGULAR steam-locomotive passenger trains.  Wolsztyn is also known to be the single place with the single most number of working steam locomotives.  There are daily regular steam-pulled passenger trains from Wolsztyn to Leszno and Poznań. It is *not* a heritage park or a museum of trains, but is a regular working line.  However, the shed does include a heritage museum and the annual steam locomotive parade that attracts thousands from around the world.

The Wolsztyn Steam Shed, housing a large number of working locomotives, houses and takes care of the locomotives.

In the 1990s, Howard Jones, an Englishman and steam enthusiast from Buck, England, saved the steam locomotives and station from being shut down by forming a contract with the PKP (Polish National Railways) so that tourists may take turns to be trained, and operate the steam engines from their cab.  Regular tourists, then, could come to actually steer and manage the locomotive, pulling the regular steam trains.  Most of the year, however, local workers maintain and run the trains and the station and yards.

Wolsztyn is a town of 14,000 in  rural west Poland. It is the hub of two rail lines: One runs 29 miles (47 km ) to Leszno, a small city of 60,000. The other runs  59 miles (81 km) to Poznan, a large city of over a million. The Poznan steam trains are pulled by 2-6-2 Prairie-types, and Leszno trains by 2-8-2 Mikados.


The Wolsztyn Experience

Below, one of my favorite steam locomotives, the Pacific locomotive PM36-2 named  “Piekna Helena” or “Beautiful Helena” is featured on the Wolztyn line by  hughrobertwright.

Two Videos feature the Wolstzyn shed by AndrzejMastalerz  and  XxBec3509

Last:  2010 year glimpse of the annual parade by  IneedU1971