Koleje Małe i Duże 1/2016(34)

It was to be a routine run of the international express train No. 204 from Lwów to Kraków with direct coaches from Bucuresti to Vienna and Prague, from Lwów to Prague, from Lwów to Vienna and from Lwów to Krynica. It was almost 23:40 hours, when suddenly the driver of Pn11-6 locomotive spotted an obstacle in the headlights of his machine – an unscrewed rail directed towards the centre of the track. He immediately applied counter steam, but the locomotive rocked, derailed and rolled down the 7m high embankment into a bog after riding on sleepers for 130 meters. The famous Pn11 accident in Rzezawa took place on 8th April 1926 and was a result of a robbery-based sabotage. Based on the existing documents and photographs it was possible to establish that the unlucky machine was Pn11-6 (BMMF 356/10, kkStB 210.07, ex. DRG 16 052), which after WWII found itself in Czechoslovakia. In 1947 it was brought back to Poland, where it was renumbered as Pn11-2, but sadly it was never to be repaired. The locomotive was formally withdrawn from the lists of DOKP Szczecin on 24th June 1950 in the Bydgoszcz locomotive workshop. Roman Garbacik

Even though the history of metallurgy in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski is two thousand years old, in 2013 it was exactly 200 years ago when the (still functioning) steel foundry was founded. In the past the foundry had significant links with railways – it is not well known that in February 2013 90 years have passed from the signing of a contract with the Ministry of Railways, under which the Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski steelworks started the production of railway wagons for PKP. The production scope included standard gauge and narrow gauge freight wagons, flat-bottom self-discharge wagons designed by engineer Radwan, Bj?rke snow ploughs built under licence as well as various railway components: rails, pointwork elements, poles, frames, platforms and even complete steel bridges. The contract for the delivery of freight wagons has led to the significant development of the steelworks as well as the creation of an important rail vehicle production plant in Poland, which was active until the 1960s. Andrzej Broda

Originally railway line No. 229 connected Pruszcz Gdański with Łeba via Stara Piła, Kartuzy and Lębork. Currently only the Lębork – Łeba section is open for passenger traffic. The remaining ones, apart from the section of the line between Stara Piła and Kartuzy which is still being used in freight traffic, have all been closed and dismantled.
The Lębork – Łeba section of railway line 229 was constructed between 1880 and 1899 to serve the tourist passenger traffic, which was booming in late 19th century. The traffic concentrated mostly in summer season, but finally dwindled to the extent that all trains were withdrawn. After three years, in 1st March 2006 the trains were reinstated, but only in summer season from late June to early September. Apart from the long distance trains (the best known are ‘ŁEBSKO’ from Wrocław and „WYDMY” from Racibórz) stopping trains are served by railcars: SA109-006, SA103 (usually SA103-006) and SA132. Interesting locations on the line where time stands still include a picturesque station/ passing loop in Wrzeście and a little halt in Steknica, located between Wrzeście and Łeba.

Stationary models of industrial narrow gauge railways (in mines, brickworks etc.) as well as agricultural railways (sugar beet, manor railways) running on very narrow gauge tracks (600 mm in original) offered by model railway companies were often present on model layouts but merely as a static background for the moving trains, also narrow gauge ones, but running on broader tracks. Due to their size it was very difficult to apply miniature electric motors, and their limited weight did not give enough adhesion. Currently such an attempt can be possible with the use of subminiature electric motors from mobile phones. The article presents my experience in installing such drives in H0f scale locomotive models, as well as building a fully functional track in such a small scale, making it possible to play with a miniature model of an industrial narrow gauge railway. Roman Kozak