Budapest loco-hauled

[CC 72100]

Evening,

Looking at going away to Central Europe again, which will involve ~3 days in Budapest.

The visit will not be mainly rail-related (!) but am morning or so spent on the rails sampling some of Hungary's finest seems a good idea.

From reading online, there seems to be a good deal of loco-hauled around Budapest with some stops in the area valid on the city transport ticket ie. https://europeantraction.com/2017/11/05/guides-to-bashing-in-europe-budapest/

However, looking at the excellent MAV START live map, seems that many of these services are operated by class 415 FLIRT units - could this have been a recent change?

I'd be looking for class 431/432/433 and diesel class 418 mainly - if need be, could go on a trip out of the city and back, but I wouldn't want to be going too far (max 90 minutes each way).

Does anyone with a recent visit have any gen?

Thanks in advance

 

[rg177]

You'll find ample 431 and 432 action between Budapest Keleti and Kőbánya Kispest (some stopping at Zuglo as well). The 'S' prefixed trains out of Nyugati tend to be Stadler Flirts as well as services to Esztergom, though faster services to Szob (first stop Vác) tend to throw up a loco.

Fast services to Debrecen and Zahony are solidly 431. These being non Intercity services.

418s I'm not so sure, the only one I picked up on my visit was from Miskolc-Fűzesabony.

(My visit was in July 2018)

 

[43096]

You'll find ample 431 and 432 action between Budapest Keleti and Kőbánya Kispest (some stopping at Zuglo as well). The 'S' prefixed trains out of Nyugati tend to be Stadler Flirts as well as services to Esztergom, though faster services to Szob (first stop Vác) tend to throw up a loco.

Fast services to Debrecen and Zahony are solidly 431. These being non Intercity services.

418s I'm not so sure, the only one I picked up on my visit was from Miskolc-Fűzesabony.

(My visit was in July 2018)

The 418s used to work into Deli from Tapolca, but I think they now all change locos at Székesfehérvár.

 

[DaiGog]

Loco diagrams for MAV/GySev are on the ERG group (formerly Yahoo, now on groups.io) so I would suggest joining that if you haven't already.

 

[CC 72100]

Thanks for those - completely forgot about ERG which is poor show considering I'm a member!

I had heard about Kőbánya Kispest so maybe a trip out there behind a loco and just waiting for one to show up on a return train back towards the city centre could be a good shout.

That said, a trip out on the Taploca line could be just the ticket, although I hope that they have TVMs as I wouldn't fancy my chances with places like Székesfehérvár!

 

[rg177]

Thanks for those - completely forgot about ERG which is poor show considering I'm a member!

I had heard about Kőbánya Kispest so maybe a trip out there behind a loco and just waiting for one to show up on a return train back towards the city centre could be a good shout.

That said, a trip out on the Taploca line could be just the ticket, although I hope that they have TVMs as I wouldn't fancy my chances with places like Székesfehérvár!

TVMs are definitely in situ at the main Budapest stations.

 

[Birdbrain]

I’ve just returned from 5 days in Hungary. Plenty of loco hauled action. On a weekday, almost every local, semi fast and IC service between Nyugati and Kobanya Kispest & Ferihegy will be loco hauled. There are also 50% of services on the line to Vac will be hauled. Most local services out of Deli are units and the hauled ones will require fast train supplements. Keleti has mostly long distance trains but there are some stoppers on the line to Szolnok which are loco hauled.

I asked MAV which services the Budapest travelcard was valid on and they said:

‘ Yes, it is valid on passanger trains (személy), fast (gyors) and semi-fast (sebes) trains within Budapest and for InterCity trains going towards Szeged. For the other InterCity, EuroCity. Railjet, EuroNight and express trains the pass is not valid. For some fast and semi-fast train you should buy a fast train supplement also. This trains are indicated with P letter on the station timetable sheets and in the online timetable.’


I visited Line 29 for diesel haulage and managed to score nine different locos in one day. However I believe the winter timetable is now In force on this line meaning some Tapolca services are now units but the diagrams on HunRail will tell you which are hauled.

Also there is still one stopping diagram on the line between Kobanya Kispest and Kunstenmiklos Tass hauled by a 431 and load four BhV carriages. Leaves at 1421 and returns as the 1615. All other stopping trains on this route are Flirts.

Hope this helps, ask if you’ve got any more questions.

 

[CC 72100]

Birdbrain, that's really detailed and helpful, thank you.

I'm leaning towards a trip out on the Taploca line - as far as need be to get the 418 changeover too, but still within a reasonable connection for the next one back - and then an ad-hoc look around Nyugati, see what's around, if there is a loco out there, great, if coming back is a unit... well it's 1 more loco than I 'planned' for.

 

[dutchflyer]

The FLIRTS are used on suburban services to the west (yes, Szekesfehervar, also Tatabanya-Gyor) and the Szob locals and toward Hatvan (most) and recently to Esztergom. Suburban sets with long rakes of rebuilt cars (swallow-fekete) are used on the busy routes to Szolnok and Cegled. Szolnok is THE railwaycapital of Hungary with former giant works etc.
On the Szeged line, the hourly trains have an IC-part and a longer Gyors (=fast, cars have no AC) part. The suppl. for gyors, if needed, is just 150 HUF till distance of 100 km.
On the TVMs you can also buy tickets TO Bp, but some ingenuity is needed, as you have to give the destination to first and after can change departure. Beside HU they only know ENglish, and they speak too! Are in ANY Bp station, but rare outside.

 

[CC 72100]

For Kispest moves, looks like Gyor trains are the best bet, such as those that have come from Zahony/Debercen

However it looks like quite a few of those that stop at Kispest require the supplement - how is this purchased? Can it be done on TVM too?

My hotel is actually at Kispest, so could be a way of getting a few in.