Saturday 28 May
Leaving Prague on the Friday night sleeper , I eventually got to sleep, and was woken at Zilina in Slovakia where the elderly East German sleeping car was detached, and attached to the first Rychlik of the day to Banska Bystrica car. The experience of being shunted by a diesel and standing for some time within earshot of station announcements didn’t make for a good first impression of Slovakia, though at least the final leg behind a ZSSK diesel was slower. It was light anyway by then, and at least the last bit of the journey is highly scenic.
A chance internet post had alerted me to the preserved Zubacka steam rack line in Central Slovakia (Central being code for inaccessible!), and this was one of its rare operating days. First thing, though, was my ZSSK free pass – so photo, ID and written request at the ready I headed for the booking office, only to be told (by sign language, my Slovak being zilch) that they didn’t have the right sort of machine to issue one. Ah well, fares are pretty cheap, and I could try again later. A 30ct coffee revived me (breakfast on the sleeper was very basic), and I walked into the town centre, very nice but dead at 7am, and ended up at Banska Bystrica Mesto (Town) halt – a single platform but with a rather fancy building and an open booking office. I had time enough to present my request again – and this time they had the right machine with a computer screen, onto which (with the help of photocard driving licence rather than passport) they typed my details – and I got my pass, and a nil-value ticket for the next stage of the journey.
A class 240 “Laminate” electric (with a curved windscreen looking rather like a coach) and standard non-corridors took me the short distance back to the main station, where I boarded a crowded dmu (2x812, again a railbus rebuild but with no low-floor section) for Brezno Mesto, a halt on the edge of a smallish town. With time to spare, I walked into the town centre, to discover it was the day of the town fete; it seemed to be a cross between a mediaeval festival and an arms fair, such was the amount of weaponry on display, so after a quick browse I walked back along the riverbank to the main station, and established that raft racing and beer drinking were to be other key elements of the day. Time to move on – to Tisovec on the lightly loaded 10.50 (another 812).
The line was built to serve ironworks in the area (there is still one just west of Brezno), and the steepest part was rack-equipped with 1 in 20 gradients.
https://www.zubacka.sk/_upload/images/rack-railway-tisovec-zbojska-slovakia.pdf
The rack fell out of use in the 60’s but wasn't removed; "main line" rack railways in Europe are rare and a tourist service was reintroduced in 2014, using Austrian-built 2-8-2 tanks from Transylvania very similar to the line’s original locos. The steam train was almost full (mainly with families) when I boarded, and it promptly set off back up the gradient. I had a seat right at the rear, looking straight at the smokebox of loco 4296 (memories of the Austrian Erzbergbahn in 1972!) and enjoying the sights and sounds; I even eventually persuaded someone to sell me a ticket.
The train stopped at a halt called Zbojska Salas, where nearly everyone alighted. So did I, and got a couple of photos – and was startled to see a preserved diesel railcar following us up the rack (I suspect it acts as a support coach cum fire tender?). Googlemaps had told me there was some sort of eatery just up the hill (it seemed to be a mix of folk museum, petting zoo and playground) and the food was simple, cheap and good. Suitably refreshed, I followed the lineside path up to Zbojska station, where steam and diesel, plus crews and hangers-on, were enjoying a lunch break. I took a few photos, then boarded another 812 down the hill (the "normal" timetable is very peculiar) and on down the valley (an interesting mix of mountain scenery and derelict industry) to Filakovo on the secondary east-west main line from Kosice to Bratislava.
I was thirsty by then, but my hopes of a drink were dashed (the station is about as well sited as Yeovil Jn) - never mind, the Rychlik I was due to catch had a buffet car, so that would be all right. The class 757 “Goggles” rolled in a few minutes late, with 6 on, and I headed straight to the buffet, looking forward to the freshly-cooked food for which ZSSK restaurants are famed. No such luck – bar a selection of drinks and crisps there was nothing on offer, and the attendant didn’t seem bothered (small wonder the cars have now been withdrawn!). However, it was a pleasant hour’s run to Zvolen, where I grabbed a sandwich before heading back behind another 240 to Banska Bystrica and my overnight Pension (a good choice, except that the bus station had been temporarily relocated, so I missed my bus and was quite lucky to find a taxi).
Sunday 29 May
I was back at the station early, in time to grab a snack, acquire a free ticket and board the weekend 7.39 train east on the scenic Hron valley route to Margecany, which is a must-do: 4 corridors, in varying states of decrepitude, hauled by the inevitable class 757. The train was lightly loaded, and I enjoyed a compartment to myself for the run (well, amble) east. The central section after Brezno is scenic, boasting a station (Telgart Penzion) where trains stop half-in, half-out of a spiral tunnel, and plenty of good mountain and lake scenery. Margecany is a busy junction on the main Bratislava-Kosice line, typical in having low narrow platforms formed of paving slabs between each track. I had only a few minutes to wait before the express came in, so I positioned myself strategically and picked my way across the tracks to board at the restaurant car. This time I was in luck, and the half-hour to Kosice was comfortable time for an omelette.
Kosice is Slovakia’s second city, dominated by the US-owned steelworks to the south of the city, and there’s plenty of railway interest. As it was a Sunday, I had another objective – the former Pioneer Railway, now the Children’s Railway, which was operating steam that day. So a tram (only modern cars run at weekends) and bus took me up to Cermel station for the 13.20 to Alpinka and back. The line is metre gauge (unusual, but so are the town trams), and it is still operated largely by young people; the loco U36.003 is an ex-industrial 060T built by Hagans of Erfurt in 1884. The two coaches were full; it’s an unexciting ride, but there was some interesting shunting at the top station.
Back in Kosice, I got off the tram at the top of the High Street and wandered down in the sunshine. I headed to the Cathedral, but it was packed for Mass, so I decided to skip the homily and head for an ice and the station. As it was a Sunday I’d taken the precaution of getting my ticket on arrival (for Rychliks these are train-specific and theoretically quota controlled), so I boarded the 1608 departure. A class 361 Skoda with 13 on (the normal load for these trains, which must make them almost unique among daytime services in Europe) took me to Poprad, giving me ample time for a decent late lunch or early tea (take your pick) and a glass or two of Slovakian wine); there was only one other passenger in the restaurant car.
There are spectacular views as the train approaches the Tatras, which whetted my appetite for the next bit, the Tatra Electric Railway which runs uphill to Stary Smokevec and down again to Tatranska Lomnica. The units (class 425) must be the widest metre-gauge stock in the world, and the swaying ride takes getting used to. I’d booked a night in the Grand Hotel Prague, to check it out: my room was a bit tatty, but had a spectacular view, the result of its being up a steep hill; fortunately I had already eaten well, as on arrival they calmly informed me the restaurant was fully booked by a conference (occasionally the Central European hospitality industry has a certain je ne sais quoi) - still, there was a nice wellness area to relax in as darkness fell.
Monday 30 May
The excellent breakfast made up for the lack of dinner it was back down the hill for the 09.34 to Stary Smokevec and on, round some very tight curves, to Strbske Pleso, where a half-hour wait was enough for a walk up to the resort’s lake. The connection down to Strba on the main line is a rack line, with typical Swiss-style stock. The 11.42 to Bratislava was running 20 late, and by Zilina we were 30 late after a spot of single line working (the line is steadily being upgraded, again with EU support). The 13 coaches weren’t busy, but filled up steadily as we went west, and I had a late lunch in a differently decorated restaurant car (I think I read that they are individually franchised?). I decided to bail out at the historic town of Trnava, just before Bratislava. An hour and a half was time for a stroll in the hot sun towards its Cathedral (where again I hit service time, and couldn’t manage a proper visit), and to buy an ice, and a ticket from the Austrian border to Vienna – there was even an “English spoken” counter, Trnava being a university town.
The next Rychlik (a mere 12 coaches) was on time, so in Bratislava I had time for a quick glance at the station’s tram terminus before picking up the RE to Vienna, 4 coaches (one of them ZSSK) behind a 2016 diesel. This pottered across the Danube plain into Wien Hbf punctually at 1943, 2 hours before the sleeper, so time to admire the new station and settle down in the lounge for drinks and snacks (alcohol is free after 18.00). And so to the final objective of the trip, the elderly and very nice OeBB sleeper in the 21.39EN to Duesseldorf (since replaced by the ex-DB stock I sampled on my way out). It was running as a separate train that year, and Motorail vehicles had been added (OeBB having some to spare!). I got an excellent night’s sleep, apart from a police check at Passau, and awoke near Cologne in time to enjoy the excellent breakfast. All in all, an excellent trip, which whetted my appetite for more – and if you feel the same, I’ve another two reports to write!
Leaving Prague on the Friday night sleeper , I eventually got to sleep, and was woken at Zilina in Slovakia where the elderly East German sleeping car was detached, and attached to the first Rychlik of the day to Banska Bystrica car. The experience of being shunted by a diesel and standing for some time within earshot of station announcements didn’t make for a good first impression of Slovakia, though at least the final leg behind a ZSSK diesel was slower. It was light anyway by then, and at least the last bit of the journey is highly scenic.
A chance internet post had alerted me to the preserved Zubacka steam rack line in Central Slovakia (Central being code for inaccessible!), and this was one of its rare operating days. First thing, though, was my ZSSK free pass – so photo, ID and written request at the ready I headed for the booking office, only to be told (by sign language, my Slovak being zilch) that they didn’t have the right sort of machine to issue one. Ah well, fares are pretty cheap, and I could try again later. A 30ct coffee revived me (breakfast on the sleeper was very basic), and I walked into the town centre, very nice but dead at 7am, and ended up at Banska Bystrica Mesto (Town) halt – a single platform but with a rather fancy building and an open booking office. I had time enough to present my request again – and this time they had the right machine with a computer screen, onto which (with the help of photocard driving licence rather than passport) they typed my details – and I got my pass, and a nil-value ticket for the next stage of the journey.
A class 240 “Laminate” electric (with a curved windscreen looking rather like a coach) and standard non-corridors took me the short distance back to the main station, where I boarded a crowded dmu (2x812, again a railbus rebuild but with no low-floor section) for Brezno Mesto, a halt on the edge of a smallish town. With time to spare, I walked into the town centre, to discover it was the day of the town fete; it seemed to be a cross between a mediaeval festival and an arms fair, such was the amount of weaponry on display, so after a quick browse I walked back along the riverbank to the main station, and established that raft racing and beer drinking were to be other key elements of the day. Time to move on – to Tisovec on the lightly loaded 10.50 (another 812).
The line was built to serve ironworks in the area (there is still one just west of Brezno), and the steepest part was rack-equipped with 1 in 20 gradients.
https://www.zubacka.sk/_upload/images/rack-railway-tisovec-zbojska-slovakia.pdf
The rack fell out of use in the 60’s but wasn't removed; "main line" rack railways in Europe are rare and a tourist service was reintroduced in 2014, using Austrian-built 2-8-2 tanks from Transylvania very similar to the line’s original locos. The steam train was almost full (mainly with families) when I boarded, and it promptly set off back up the gradient. I had a seat right at the rear, looking straight at the smokebox of loco 4296 (memories of the Austrian Erzbergbahn in 1972!) and enjoying the sights and sounds; I even eventually persuaded someone to sell me a ticket.
The train stopped at a halt called Zbojska Salas, where nearly everyone alighted. So did I, and got a couple of photos – and was startled to see a preserved diesel railcar following us up the rack (I suspect it acts as a support coach cum fire tender?). Googlemaps had told me there was some sort of eatery just up the hill (it seemed to be a mix of folk museum, petting zoo and playground) and the food was simple, cheap and good. Suitably refreshed, I followed the lineside path up to Zbojska station, where steam and diesel, plus crews and hangers-on, were enjoying a lunch break. I took a few photos, then boarded another 812 down the hill (the "normal" timetable is very peculiar) and on down the valley (an interesting mix of mountain scenery and derelict industry) to Filakovo on the secondary east-west main line from Kosice to Bratislava.
I was thirsty by then, but my hopes of a drink were dashed (the station is about as well sited as Yeovil Jn) - never mind, the Rychlik I was due to catch had a buffet car, so that would be all right. The class 757 “Goggles” rolled in a few minutes late, with 6 on, and I headed straight to the buffet, looking forward to the freshly-cooked food for which ZSSK restaurants are famed. No such luck – bar a selection of drinks and crisps there was nothing on offer, and the attendant didn’t seem bothered (small wonder the cars have now been withdrawn!). However, it was a pleasant hour’s run to Zvolen, where I grabbed a sandwich before heading back behind another 240 to Banska Bystrica and my overnight Pension (a good choice, except that the bus station had been temporarily relocated, so I missed my bus and was quite lucky to find a taxi).
Sunday 29 May
I was back at the station early, in time to grab a snack, acquire a free ticket and board the weekend 7.39 train east on the scenic Hron valley route to Margecany, which is a must-do: 4 corridors, in varying states of decrepitude, hauled by the inevitable class 757. The train was lightly loaded, and I enjoyed a compartment to myself for the run (well, amble) east. The central section after Brezno is scenic, boasting a station (Telgart Penzion) where trains stop half-in, half-out of a spiral tunnel, and plenty of good mountain and lake scenery. Margecany is a busy junction on the main Bratislava-Kosice line, typical in having low narrow platforms formed of paving slabs between each track. I had only a few minutes to wait before the express came in, so I positioned myself strategically and picked my way across the tracks to board at the restaurant car. This time I was in luck, and the half-hour to Kosice was comfortable time for an omelette.
Kosice is Slovakia’s second city, dominated by the US-owned steelworks to the south of the city, and there’s plenty of railway interest. As it was a Sunday, I had another objective – the former Pioneer Railway, now the Children’s Railway, which was operating steam that day. So a tram (only modern cars run at weekends) and bus took me up to Cermel station for the 13.20 to Alpinka and back. The line is metre gauge (unusual, but so are the town trams), and it is still operated largely by young people; the loco U36.003 is an ex-industrial 060T built by Hagans of Erfurt in 1884. The two coaches were full; it’s an unexciting ride, but there was some interesting shunting at the top station.
Back in Kosice, I got off the tram at the top of the High Street and wandered down in the sunshine. I headed to the Cathedral, but it was packed for Mass, so I decided to skip the homily and head for an ice and the station. As it was a Sunday I’d taken the precaution of getting my ticket on arrival (for Rychliks these are train-specific and theoretically quota controlled), so I boarded the 1608 departure. A class 361 Skoda with 13 on (the normal load for these trains, which must make them almost unique among daytime services in Europe) took me to Poprad, giving me ample time for a decent late lunch or early tea (take your pick) and a glass or two of Slovakian wine); there was only one other passenger in the restaurant car.
There are spectacular views as the train approaches the Tatras, which whetted my appetite for the next bit, the Tatra Electric Railway which runs uphill to Stary Smokevec and down again to Tatranska Lomnica. The units (class 425) must be the widest metre-gauge stock in the world, and the swaying ride takes getting used to. I’d booked a night in the Grand Hotel Prague, to check it out: my room was a bit tatty, but had a spectacular view, the result of its being up a steep hill; fortunately I had already eaten well, as on arrival they calmly informed me the restaurant was fully booked by a conference (occasionally the Central European hospitality industry has a certain je ne sais quoi) - still, there was a nice wellness area to relax in as darkness fell.
Monday 30 May
The excellent breakfast made up for the lack of dinner it was back down the hill for the 09.34 to Stary Smokevec and on, round some very tight curves, to Strbske Pleso, where a half-hour wait was enough for a walk up to the resort’s lake. The connection down to Strba on the main line is a rack line, with typical Swiss-style stock. The 11.42 to Bratislava was running 20 late, and by Zilina we were 30 late after a spot of single line working (the line is steadily being upgraded, again with EU support). The 13 coaches weren’t busy, but filled up steadily as we went west, and I had a late lunch in a differently decorated restaurant car (I think I read that they are individually franchised?). I decided to bail out at the historic town of Trnava, just before Bratislava. An hour and a half was time for a stroll in the hot sun towards its Cathedral (where again I hit service time, and couldn’t manage a proper visit), and to buy an ice, and a ticket from the Austrian border to Vienna – there was even an “English spoken” counter, Trnava being a university town.
The next Rychlik (a mere 12 coaches) was on time, so in Bratislava I had time for a quick glance at the station’s tram terminus before picking up the RE to Vienna, 4 coaches (one of them ZSSK) behind a 2016 diesel. This pottered across the Danube plain into Wien Hbf punctually at 1943, 2 hours before the sleeper, so time to admire the new station and settle down in the lounge for drinks and snacks (alcohol is free after 18.00). And so to the final objective of the trip, the elderly and very nice OeBB sleeper in the 21.39EN to Duesseldorf (since replaced by the ex-DB stock I sampled on my way out). It was running as a separate train that year, and Motorail vehicles had been added (OeBB having some to spare!). I got an excellent night’s sleep, apart from a police check at Passau, and awoke near Cologne in time to enjoy the excellent breakfast. All in all, an excellent trip, which whetted my appetite for more – and if you feel the same, I’ve another two reports to write!
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