Eastern Europe wanted to get rid of steam as greatly as the West did; they just werent in a position to accomplish it so soon. As with many facets of this issue, things varied from country to country. By 1980, effectively the only countries still with state-railways steam line working (shunting-type stuff with steam continued, elsewhere) were Poland, East Germany, Hungary and Yugoslavia. Poland had as many steam locos as the other three put together, and this continued to obtain for the next dozen years. This factor, plus other ones, caused me among a number of other enthusiasts to fall in love with the Polish steam scene in its declining years, and to make a number of visits to Poland in pursuit of steam travelling, by preference, on timetabled local passenger trains. In the 80s, and once in 1970, I visited a few other E. European countries for steam (never got to Hungary or Bulgaria), but for me it was Poland first and most.
In the main, Polands steam attraction in the last dozen years was on the standard gauge; on which steams most prominent duties in those years, were local passenger (main-, and branch-line) an immense branch-passenger network still running: on Polands state railways (PKP) in 1980, probably at about the equivalent level as for BR in 1955. As at 1980, PKP had either seven or eight (depending on how much use you have for minutiae) different s/g steam classes in action. PKPs narrow gauge at that time was extensive, fascinating, and not steam-devoid; but had only one steam class active, and some long systems without steam. The lesser s/g. and the n/g, were decidedly different beasts; in a situation of meagre timetables, one or the other pretty much had to be chosen: most steam fans went for the standard-gauge-local scene.
I've been listening to a lot of history programs about the Cold War recently while I've been working. Poland has a very interesting history.
Was the set up at Wolsztyn going before the iron curtain came down or was it a case of people from Western Europe trying to save what they could before it was too late?
By my understanding: Wolsztyn as a living museum was originally a Polish initiative. Poland has had, since its rebirth as an independent nation nearly a hundred years ago (and probably since before that), a significant railway-enthusiast community though not so numerous as in Britain or various other Western European countries. From around the early 1980s (in coincidental parallel with Solidarity and all that) there was a strong move within PKP largely the brain-child of one particular, highly charismatic guy, a passionate rail and steam enthusiast high in PKPs counsels to take advantage of PKPs being Europes steamiest remaining state rail system, to set up several museum depots (with an eye to tourism earnings from railfan visitors from the west; and co-opting voluntary work by Polish enthusiasts) with regular local workings therefrom operated by modern, still-active steam classes; and assorted older preserved types on special workings now and again. Such were planned, with attempted putting into action, at Wolsztyn; and Jaworzyna Śl. and Kłodzko in the south-east; and Ełk way to the north-east. Wolsztyn was the only one which truly took off: a little is still going on at Jaworzyna Śl., no steam museum action remains at the other two.
It was a thoroughly Polish undertaking until 1997, when the involvement began, of the British group The Wolsztyn Experience.
Originally posted by
Taunton:"I had to go to Western Poland in 1991, just after the curtain came down., and had heard of Wolsztyn, so went over there on a day off. Significant number of steam locos being run as a sort of museum operation - although timetabled, there were hardly any passengers any more, and only one other enthusiast around. I think there were maybe about 12 locos in steam, one of each type it seemed."
I visited Wolsztyn in 1990 and 91 Id say as
Taunton describes it, except that I recall plenty of passengers. Despite wretchedly slow and infrequent local passenger schedules, I dont recall ever seeing an empty Polish passenger train up to and including 1991 after which there was a fierce and rapid holocaust of standard-gauge branch passenger services. I do get the picture that under Communist rules of kinds still in action for a year or two post-Communism, numerous classes of people (not only railway workers / their relatives) got free, or extremely cheap, rail travel: so a PKP branch train circa 1991 was quite likely, the same sort of scene as a present-day British country bus well-loaded with pensioners using their Freedom Passes, but not a single fare-paying passenger.
The Wolsztyn Experience being involved, has without a doubt saved steam at Wolsztyn over the past couple of decades these have been sharp and entrepreneurial people who have availed themselves of the money forthcoming from people wishful of driving and firing steam in genuine rail public service; and have been ingenious and adroit in arranging things (sometimes not totally officially) with the various local parties involved at times, at odds with each other -- in the undertaking. Nonetheless, the scope of operations from Wolsztyn and the number of locos taking part day-by-day, has drastically lessened from say the late 1990s. This is probably inevitable; with it being more appropriate to rejoice about what remains, than to lament over how much is gone.
That's pretty much it. In Germany the hopeless DDR narrow gauge operations became classed as 'historic monuments' as soon as the wall came down which ensured their survival. Having lost around a third of their population to the Soviet holocaust I suspect the Polish were less enthusiastic to preserve that era for posterity
I'd take a bit more of a mellow view, perhaps. I see "hopeless" as a bit of a harsh description of -- say -- the extensive metre-gauge Harz Mountains system, still going strong, and striking me as quite a magnificent outfit. And in my perception, the people of Poland have been and are, pretty much pragmatic / forgiving vis-a-vis USSR / Russia and 1939 -- 91. History goes at times, through very horrible ups-and-downs; and while Poland has undoubtedly been afflicted with some outstandingly awful neighbours; they're there, and have to be dealt with. I'd ascribe the shortage of enthusiasm among Poles, for supporting transport-museumising of a particular period; to their belonging to a culture which isn't very big on this particular kind of nostalgia, and to their having a lot of other, more immediate, stuff on their minds these days !
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