Special railways in cities

Lisbon has 3 historical funiculars from the 19th century, however they are currently closed due to a tragic accident in 2025. I rode the Bica Funicular (Elevador da Bica) which was opened in 1892.

In Zagreb, there is a very short (66 meters long) historic funicular to the upper town, which was opened in 1890.

The Schloßbergbahn (Castle Hill Railway) is a funicular railway in the Austrian city of Graz. It connects the city center with the Schloßberg hill. It was built in 1894, but has been modernized twice, most recently in 2004.

The Petřín Funicular in Prague reaches a height of over 130 meters on a 510-meter-long track. The funicular was originally water-powered when it was put into operation in 1891. It had to be rebuilt due to major landslides.

 The Buda Castle Funicular in Budapest has been a link between the riverbank of the Danube and Buda Castle since 1870, originally using steam power. The Funicular was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The Budapest Cog-wheel Railway is a rack railway, it was opened in 1874 with steam locomotives. The electrification was completed in 1929. Last Chistmas a train had special decoration.

 The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn in Germany is the oldest and probably the most famous suspension railway in Europe. It was opened in 1901, completed in 1903. It still operates as a local public transport line.

Touristic special railways

Heidelberg (Germany) has 2 funiculars: one to the castle and to the lower station of the other one. The upper one has retained its original appearance even after modernization, and its highest point is 568 meters above sea level.

 Drachenfelsbahn near Bonn is the oldest rack railway in Germany, opened in 1883, electrified in 1953.

The Vitznau–Rigi railway (VRB) was opened on 21 May 1871 as the Rigibahn and the first mountain railway in Europe. The picture shows its oldest electric carriage toegther a modern Stadler EMU at Vitznau station.

 The Transports Publics du Chablais (TPC) regional company operates 3 rack railway at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. The Aigle - Leysin line was opened in 1900, extended in 1915 to Leysin-Grand Hôtel (pictured).

The Bex - Villars - Bretaye rack railway also belongs to TPC. Its highest point is Col-de-Bretaye (altitude 1808 m).

The famous Glacier express has 2 sections which also include cogwheel railway parts. One goes through the Operalppass, between Disentis and Andermatt, opened in 1926 by Furka Oberalp Bahn.

The Visp - Zermatt section is the other one. It was completed by Visp-Zermatt-Bahn in 1891.

Zermatt is the starting point of the Gornergratbahn, which is highest open air rack railway in Europe. The iconic view from the Gornergrat platform (altitude 3089 m) is dominated by the Matterhorn summit.

 Kleine Scheidegg (altitude 2061 m) is the junction of the Wengeralpbahn, the longest continous rack railway and the Jungfraubahn, the highest European rack railway. I was lucky to ride this class BDhe 4/4 old railcar in 2023.

Lauterbrunnen station (pictured) is a junction of the Berner-Oberland-Bahn and the Wengernalpbahn. BOB has also some rack railway sections.

 The Allmendhubelbahn is a short funicular in the Interlaken-Jungfrau region, near Lauterbrunnen, opened is 1912.

There are several special railway lines near Interlaken. One of them is the Schynige Platte-Railway. This rack railway is operated exclusively by historic locomotives from before the First World War.

The Harderbahn(HB) is one of two operating funiculars from the town of Interlaken. Its highest elevation is 1305 m.

The Reisseckbahn was a system of 3 funiculars and a narrow gauge railway in Carinthia. The lowest funicular was the steepest, with an average gradient of 55% and a height difference of 551 meters. It was closed in 2016.

Achenseebahn rack railway in Tyrol (Austria) was opened in 1889. The origional steam locomotives.are still in use.

There is only one funicular in Slovakia between Stary Smokovec and Hrebienok. It was modernised in 2007.

The railway line Tisovec - Brezno (Slovakia) was originally built with rack sections and later converted to adhesion track. In the 2010s, the rack sections were rebuilt and a historic steam locomotive runs on it in the summer.

Like the previous one, the Tanvald - Kořenov line in the Czech Republic has only a reconstructed rack section. I traveled on it on a special train, the last locomotive of which (in the picture) used the rack.

There is only one cogwheel railway in the UK, the Snowdon Mountain Railway in Wales, which opened in 1896. Diesel and steam locomotives are used, including one of the opening vehicles.

The Great Orme Tram is another famous special railway in Wales, and for a long time was the only funicular railway in the UK. Technically it has two separate funicular sections, the lower one running on the street.

From near the endstation of the upper section (which opened in 1903), there are nice views of the sea or the funicular itself.

The Fløibanen funicular in Bergen, Norway, opened in 1918. It is a very popular tourist attraction, as it offers a picturesque panorama from Mount Fløyen.

The Sassi - Superga line (in Turin) was opened as a special cable-driven cogwheel railway. It was converted into a traditional rack railway in 1934. From the Superga hill, there is a beautiful panorama of the city and the Alps.

I have already presented plenty of steam locomotives and old diesel vehicles in my 2 posts about European railway museums. But I hardly showed any electric railway vehicles, so I would like to do it in this article. I have seen these beautiful locomotives and EMU-s in operation, even I could travel by most of them. 

Electric locomotives from the 1950s

The ČSD E499.0 class locomotive was manufactured by the Škoda factory between 1953 and 1958. Similar locomotives were delivered to the Soviet Union and even to North Korea. This locomotive has traditional colors and runs in Slovakia. I traveled with another one (E499.0 052), which is owned by the Arriva group.

The ÖBB Class 4061 locomotives used to pull express trains. They had luggage space inside the locomotive. In 2007 and 2008 I saw it pulling the Erlebniszug between Vienna and Krems. Since 2015 it has been owned by Club 1018 and sometimes runs in special trains.

Electric locomotives and multiple units from the 1960s

The MÁV class V42 locomotives were built by Ganz between 1961 and 1966. Their vehicle structure is the same as the MÁV class V41 locomotives (built between 1958 and 1962), only the electrical components differ. It pulled sometimes special trains but unfortunately it has been out of service for few years.

The Western European "Groupment 50Hz" designed MÁV class V43 locomotives. The first 7 locos were built in Essen, the next 372 under license by Ganz in Budapest. In the picture you can see the 1st one of this series from 1963 which still takes part of daily traffic.

 The SNCF Class BB 25500 is a close relative of MÁV class V43. They were built by Alsthom between 1964 and 1976. I managed to travel by it also its homeland, in France, however it is no more possible. But the "Regio Calatori" Romanian company still operates some of this type in passenger trains between Bucuresti and Brasov.

The SBB class Re 4/4^II is an iconic series of Swiss locomotives. They were produced by different Swiss factories between 1964 and 1985. The picture shows number 11145 which was built in 1965. Only few of this locomotives are still used in passenger trains.

The BLS Re 4/4 class 425 is another legendary type in Switzerland (built between 1964 and 1982). I was lucky enough to travel by one in 2012. Some of them are still in rare use for a while, but no longer in passenger trains.

The PKP class EU07 is an iconic series of electric locomotives in Poland. They were manufactured by Pafawag (Wrocław) and Cegielski (Poznań) between 1965 and 1974, with modifications also between 1983 and 1994. I took this photo in Leszno in 2014.

The CFR Class 40 locomotives were built by Electroputere Craiova under ASEA license from 1967 until 1991 with modifications. They are powerful electric locos, most of them still run. The picture shows the tradiional colours. The Romanian factory built also 4-axle ASEA locomotives and several locos was exported to fomer Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia also purchased a license to manufacture four-axle electric locomotives from ASEA, but the first ones were manufactured in Sweden or Austria. The machine shown in the picture was manufactured by Simmering-Graz-Pauker in 1968. Between 1970 and 1987, factories in Yugoslavia, including Končar, produced this series.

 HŽ series 1061 was a 6-axle articulated electric locomotive series used the 3 KV DC electrical system. They were manufactured by Ansaldo and Breda between 1960 and 1968 (109.1 series shown in the picture in 1968). They served until 2012 when the electriy sytem was converted to the 25 KV AC. I traveled by it in 2009 to Rijeka.

 The Slovenian Railways use 3 KV DC electric system so they have different locomotives. The SŽ 342 series was in delivered between 1968 and 1970. They still run in passenger trains and light freight trains. 

ČSD class S 499 locomotives were produced by Škoda factory in 1968 and 1969. They are very ugly, only the colours shown in the picture can more or less hide this fact. The locomotive is nicknamed Laminátka, because some parts were built from plastic strenghened with fiberglass. They still run, mostly by private cargo companies.

The PKP class EN57 is a three-car Polish electric multiple unit built by Pafawag for the Polish and Yugoslavian Railways between 1961 and 1963. Some are still in service, mainly by Polregio regional railway company.

The Railroad Machinery Plants of Riga produced 850 ER2 type electric multiple units between 1962 and 1984. In 2018, I was able to travel with them in Ukraine, where they are still in use, as well as in the Caucasus countries.

 The ČSD 475.1 series was ahead of its time, as it had low floor sections in the 1960s. They were manufactured between 1964 and 1968. The last one ran in daily traffic in 2018. I traveled by it in a special train in 2019.

 SNCF Z 6100 series was in production between 1965 and 1971 by Alsthom and other 2 French factories. In 2006 the Romanians State Railways (CFR) bought 27 units which were used until the end of the 2010s.  

 The ÖBB class 4010 ("Transalpin") was a legendary EMU, built between 1965 and 1978. They were originally used in long-distance trains. I was lucky enough to travel by them in their 2 last operating years, in 2007 and 2008.

Electric locomotives and multiple units from the 1970s

 However 4 prototypes were manufactured already in 1965, the serial production of the DB legendary Class 103 started only in 1970. The maximum speed of this beautiful locomotives were 200 km/h. They were retired from regular service by 2003, though in 2013 they worked again for a short time. I traveled by it in a historical train.

The ČD class 350 (formerly ČSD class ES 499.0, nicknamed Gorilla) is a Czechoslovak electric locomotive produced by Škoda Works between 1973 and 1975. They were modern locos in the 1970s with high performance (4000kW) and speed (maximum 160 km/h). They are still used in passenger trains, but not anymore in EC trains.

The MÁV class V63 was designed by Ganz-MÁVAG. These were the most powerful electric locomotives built by Ganz (between 1974 and 1988). Some of them still work in the daily traffic, mostly in passenger trains.

The Deutsche Bundesbahn's Class 111 locomotives were manufactured in various factories between 1974 and 1984. They were originally used in express trains and later in regional trains until 2013. The private company RailAdventure Gmbh operates some of them after modernization.

The VL11 is an electric mainline DC freight and passenger locomotive, built in Tbilisi from 1975, used in Russia, Ukraine and Caucasus countries The initials VL are those of Vladimir Lenin after whom the class is named.

 The ČD class 242 (formerly ČSD class S 499.02, nicknamed Pleháč) is a Czechoslovak electric locomotive produced by Škoda Works between 1975 and 1981. They are still used in passenger and freight trains, and  particularly typical locomotives in Bulgaria.

 The ÖBB Class 1044/1144 is a series of four-axle electric locomotives designed and manufactored by Simmering-Graz-Pauker between 1976 and 1995. They were powerful locos (5200kW) with 160 km/h maximum speed. Most of them were converted to ÖBB class 1144. In 2007 I traveled by it on the Salzkammergutbahn.

 The SNCF BB 22200 is a dual-system (1500 V DC and 25 KV AC) mixed traffic locomotive from the “Nez cassé” (broken nose) family produced between 1976 and 1986. Several of them are still active. Locomotives having similar appearance (with "broken nose") are used also in Portugal and Slovenia.

The Norges Statsbaner class 69 electric multiple units were produced by Strømmens Værksted between 1970 and 1994. The EMU in the picture was built in 1975 and shut down in 2018. I rode it between Myrdal and Voss in 2014. 

The ČSD class EM 488.0 (ČD and ŽSSK class 460, nicknamed Pantográf) are Czechoslovakian EMUs manufactured between 1975 and 1978, however the prototype was built already in 1971. They used to work until 2023 in the Czech Republic and until 2024 in Slovakia. Unfortunately I have never traveled with them.

Latvian Railways operated the ER2 electric trains until the end of 2024, I was lucky to catch them in 2023. Their serial numbers can be confusing, as ER2 stands for the 3 KV DC version and ER9 for the 25 KV AC version, while Latvia uses the second electrification system. ER2 and ER9 class trains received this type of nose after 1974.

The ÖBB class 4020 are electric multiple units (EMU) developed by Simmering-Graz-Pauker. They started their service in 1978 and few of them are still in operation, however it was planned to shut down all of them in 2025.

Hungary, Budapest

The BKVT company got S-type trams from 3 different factories between 1907 and 1909. These 2 trams were converted to a twin unit in the 1950s. Number 611 car was restored to its original condition. Number 1820 tram got back its BSZKRT-era (1923-1949) state.

Number 2624 type-G tram is the oldest vintage tram of Budapest, originally was built in 1906 by Schlick factory. In 1959 it was given a steel body and later it was restored to its last operational condition.

This BKVT V-type tram was built by Ganz in 1912. The 1074 car was steel-framed in the summer of 1958, but during the restoration in 1991 it was  given back a wood-frame structure

This BVVV company K-type tram was produced by Schlick in 1911. It served until 1977. The vehicle was restored to its last working condition in 2018. In the picture the electric car is pulling a trailer built in 1912. 

In 1913, the Budapest Municipal Electric Railway (BVVV) ordered a total of 65 L-type double-axle trams from the Schlick Factory, it is the first one of them. Between 1961 and 1980 it ran in a twin unit. In 1987 it got back its original condition by restoration. 

Tramcar 1522 was built in 1939 based on the BSZKRT company's own designs as a member of the 1500 F1A series. It served in daily traffic until 1979. Its restoration was completed in 2023.

UV-type trams were built between 1956 and 1965 by Ganz. This series was a further development of the earlier Stuka type trams. They ran in daily traffic until 2007, often with a middle trailer.I took this photo at a tram stop that was part of the last operating line.

 Number 3720 is the prototype of the unidirectional "in-house made" articulated "Bengáli" trams. The ivory-red colours give it an elegant appearance. It was in operation until 1980. After a complex restoration, it has been a highlight of the heritage fleet since 2018.

A few years after the Füzesi Main Workshop had manufactured articulated "Bengáli" trams, the Ganz Factory also started producing articulated trams, they did it from 1967 until 1978. Some of these are still part of daily operation on line 47 and 49. The tram in the picture was 50 years old on the 50th anniversary of BKV in 2018.

Slovakia

The Tatranská Kométa tram was built by Ganz in 1912 Sometimes it runs in heritage trains on the Tatranská Elektrická Železnica.

Czech Republic

Tram 223 was built in Prague in 1930 for the local network. In 1975 it was transferred to Olomouc, where it was restored in 1989. In 1996 it was declared a cultural monument.

 Car 412 began operating in the 1920s as one of the first series of trams containing doors and nine windows along the sides. It regularly runs on the streets of Prague in heritage service.

Poland

Linke-Hofmann Standard trams were produced for Breslau (Wrocław) from 1925. Most of them survived World War II, and some of them served until 1977. Several cars were delivered to Warsaw. Tram 1192 was produced in 1929 and is a valuable, monument-like vehicle of the historical tram service of Wrocław.

Kraków bought some E1 trams with C3 trailers from Vienna. These are still in operation, but will soon be completely replaced by new Pesa trams.

Austria

An iconic E-type tram in its home city of Vienna. They were a permanent part of the cityscape between 1959 and 2022. They were built by the Simmering-Graz-Pauker factory under license from Düwag.

I could see the Pöstlingbergbahn in Linz in its original state in 2007 before the modernization and integration into the city tram network. It used to be the steepest adhesion tram line in Europe. Tram number XV was built by ESG factory in 1954.

Höllentalbahn (Austria) is a narrow gauge interurban museum tram line in the Semmering area. This 4-axle electric railcar was produced in 1926. It is the standard vehicle of heritage service.

Isle of Man

The Manx Electric Railway is an interurban heritage tram line on the Isle of Man. Only original vehicles run there. The blue tram (number 7, type Tunnel Car) was built in 1894. In the background you can see a brown tram (number 21, type Winter Saloon) from 1896.

Winter saloon number 19 is waiting to depart in Douglas. You can buy a model of this railcar in the gift shop of the tramway. Trams usually pull a trailer, most of which are open.

The Unvestibuled Saloon is the oldest type of electric railcars, they were built in 1893. A group ordered it for their special train.

The Snaefell Mountain Railway is another historic tramway on the Isle of Man. Most of the railcars were built in 1895. The cars change colour from time to time.

Portugal

The Remodelado trams have become an iconic part of the streets of Lisbon. They have been running since the 1930s. Although line 28 is the most famous, they can also be found on other lines in the city center.

Porto has 3 historic tram lines (two currently in operation), with vehicles from different decades. The cars in the picture were originally built before World War I, but were rebuilt by local workshops in the 1940s.

Germany

Let us continue with 2-axle trams. The Woltersdorf tram is located near Berlin. Until 2025, the Gotha T57 type trams were in operation, which were manufactured in the 1960s.

The Kirnitzschtalbahn, a forest tram line in the Saxon Switzerland, still uses Gotha type T57 trams, usually with trailers.

Romania

The GT4 is an articulated tram vehicle built by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen from 1959 until 1965. They were used in Arad between 2003 and 2025 where I took this photo in 2010. They are still operated in Iași.

Arad still uses few Tatra T4 (left) and Düwag GT6 (right) trams. GT6 trams arrived in Arad from different German cities as second-hand vehicles. In 2010 the trams had various colours.

Düwag GT8 type trams have 8 axles. 7 of them are still in operation in Arad. Most of them served in Essen before arriving in Arad.

Only a few Hansa GT4 trams are still running on the streets of Timisoara. All of them came from Bremen. The tram in the picture was manufactured in 1967.

Sweden

2026 will be the last year that the M29 class trams (built between 1969 and 1972) will run in Gothenburg. After the new trams arrive, they will be donated to Ukraine. I took this picture in 2014 at the train station.

Hungary 

 The Forestry Railway of Lillafüred (LÁEV) owns a tiny B-26 type locomotive from 1954. It used to work in a sugar factory and it is the only preserved one of this series. Sometimes it runs in special trains.

 There are special locomotives on the Forestry Museum Railway of Kemence. This series's nickname is "Kuli", they used to work mostly in brickyards. In the picture it is running on a temporary track.

The passenger trains on the museum railway are usually pulled by MD40 locomotives. This locomotive came from a narrow gauge railway operated by a fish farm near Szeged.

Locomotive number P2 is the symbol of the museum railway. It is the only surviving MD40 series locomotive with such a driver's cab. Some other railways also have MD40 locos but they don't use them in passenger service.

 Series C50 locos were produced in the 1950s with truck engines. They have pedals and a gearbox in the driver's cabin like in a truck. 600 mm gauge version has a little bit different engine hood. The picture was taken on a removed mine railway. 600 mm gauge C50 locos currently run only in Almamellék.

 C50 locomotives were common on forestry and agricultural narrow gauge railways. I took this photo in Kaszó, at the endstation of a short forestry railway. They work regularly on the forestry railways of Gemenc, Csömödér, Nagybörzsöny, Felsőtárkány and Pálháza, as well as on leisure railways in Pécs, Debrecen and Tiszakécske.

The Lenti Forest Railway was connected to the Csömödér network in 2000, and is currently the longest narrow gauge railway in Hungary. The picture shows a red C50 locomotive, which is rare, only found in Csömödér and Felsőtárkány. Occasionally, C50 locomotives also run in Nagycenk, Budapest, Balatonfenyves and Lillafüred.

Type L-60 locomotives were built in East-Germany in the 1950s. One of them operates regularly near to the Danube Bend, between Szob and Nagyirtás. The Forestry Railway of Szilvásvárad also have one loco of this type. 

The Mk48 series was an other widely use type of narrow gauge locomotives in Hungary. They were produced in Rába Factory in Győr between 1960 ans 1961. This picture represents the Forestry Railway of Királyrét near Budapest with Christmas decoration. 

 "Mátravasút" in Gyöngyös has diesel locomotives only from Mk48 series. They have typical colours here. Type Mk48 is the usual locomotive on the forestry railways of Szilvásvárad and Lillafüred. These 2 other railways have even few modernised, hybrid ones of them, as well as the Children's Railway in Budapest.

The Zsuzsi Forest Railway is the oldest narrow gauge railway in Hungary, still in operation today. Passenger trains are pulled by Mk48 locomotives. The Csömödéri Forest Railway also has two green colour Mk48 locomotives, but these are rarely used. We can also find this type of locomotive in Slovakia and Austria.

The Balatonfenyves Agricultural Railway is Hungary's last narrow gauge railway line with little commuter passenger traffic, operated by MÁV. These Mk48 locomotives arrived from Kecskemét, a closed railway line. MÁV's Mk48 locomotives can also be found in Viktor Orbán's hometown, in Felcsút.

The MK48 type (LDH45) is very close to my heart because I used to work for the Children's Railway of Széchenyi-hegy for several years. This strong series was produced in Bucuresti and became a common type in several countries. In Hungary they operate only in Budapest.

Germany

Although the LDH45 is a widely used series, I have only encountered it outside of Hungary on the Zittauer Schmalspurbahn.

The 199.8 series were truly special, originally standard gauge type 112 locomotives, later their gauge was modified to 1000 mm. However, steam traction was eventually retained on the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen, so these special locomotives are rarely used. Two of them (including this one) were equipped with standard gauge folding buffers.

Orenstein-Koppel built three three-axle diesel locomotives for the Brohltalbahn in the 1960s. This railway also has a four-axle Henschel diesel locomotive, but unfortunately I did not see it.

Bulgaria

 On the Rhodope Narrow Gauge Railway I managed to travel by a 4-axles Henschel diesel locomotive from 1965. At the end of the 1980s, the FAUR Factory in Bucuresti copied this type, but the original one was a better construction.

Poland

The L30H series (Polish: Lyd2) were widely used on Polish narrow gauge railways, including industrial railways. These three-axle types were manufactured by FAUR in Bucharest between 1973 and 1983. They are regularly used on passenger trains by Bieszczadzka Kolejka Leśna in south-eastern Poland.

The Wls 150 series (Lyd1) locomotives are not in service on this forestry railway, but I saw a working locomotive in Środa Wielkopolska in 2023. This type was mainly used on industrial railways.

Slovakia

The BNE-50 series locomotives were built in the 1950s with Škoda engine. On the Čiernohronská železnica they use it mostly in work trains. The narrow gauge railway of Szob has also one of this type.

TU29.2 series was a modified narrow gauge version of type T211 shunting locomotives. This locomotive originally was built on standard gauge by ČKD factory. It has been working on the Children's Railway of Košice since 2018.

Czech Republic

ČKD produced TU47 series narrow gauge locos in the 1950s in Prague. These have 2 driver's cab which is not so common on narrow gauge lines. This one operates in Osoblaha which is the last narrow gauge line of ČD.

The Jindřichův Hradec Local Railways (JHMD) also operates some locos of TU47 series, both in red and green colours. These series also previously operated on the former narrow gauge line of Ružomberok, which is now located in Slovakia.

Austria

The ÖBB 2095 series diesel locomotives were built by Simmering-Graz-Pauker Factory between 1958 and 1962. On the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn they were operated regularly in 2007. This one has beautiful original BBÖ colours.

Zillertalbahn got 7 high-permormance diesel locomotives between 2004 and 2012. They are used for both freight and passenger trains. Their local nickname is Lupo. The loco in the picture was sold to the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn.

Lithuania

The TU2 series was built in the 1950s by Kaluga machine factory in the Soviet Union with tank engines. They are in operation only on the last Lithuathian narrow gauge line (Panevežys - Rubikai) and on Ukrainian narrow gauge railways. They are suprisingly quiet vehicles.

Ukraine

The Borzhava narrow gauge railway was shut down just before the war. TU2 diesel locomotives are still in operation in other parts of Ukraine, such as Haivoron. This type is the last in my collection to have two cabs.

The former Vyhoda Forest Railway has become a tourist attraction under the name "Carpathian Railway". This TU6P locomotive or railcar from 1988 built in Kambarka was the standard engine for passenger trains.

Latvia

The TU7 series locomotives were built in the same factory which produced TU6 type. This TU7 engine works on the last daily operating narrow gauge railway of the Baltics, between Gulbene and Alūksne.

Wales

The Snowdon Mountain Railway is the UK's only narrow gauge cogwheel railway. Hunslet-built diesel or steam locomotives take passenger trains up the summit of Snowdon.

Slovakia

The Zvolen - Vrútky railway was the first line built by MÁV, was opened in 1872. It passes through the Kremnica Mountains. 

The endstation of the Tatra Electric Railway (Slovak: Tatranská elektrická železnica) in Poprad, in the background with the High Tatras. The Poprad - Starý Smokovec section was opened in 1908.

The newly independent Czechoslovakia needed west-east lines in Slovakia, as they only had a single railway line in that direction to eastern Slovakia. The Červená Skala - Margecany railway line was finally opened in 1936.

The Telgárt - Dedinky section is particularly beautiful with its viaducts, tunnels and the Slovak Ore Mountains.

This part of the route crosses the popular Slovak Paradise National Park. 

Czechoslovakia built another west-east railway between Turňa nad Bodvou and Rožňava to connect Košice and Lučenec. They finished it in 1955.

A double-track line was built on the new section, except for a long tunnel that crosses the Slovak Ore Mountains.

Ukraine

Travelling towards the Uzhok Pass by an old Elektricka. This line is electrified but it has only one track.

The Lviv-Mukachevo-Chop main line crosses the Carpathians under the Volovets Pass in a tunnel. The picture shows a long-distance train pulled by a two-section electric locomotive.

A single-track, non-electrified railway line goes through the Yablonitski Pass. In this picture you can see the Upper-Tisa river in the Carpathians.

Romania

The Salva - Sighetu Marmației railway is spectacular with the mountains, its viaducts and few tunnels. The Salva - Vișeu de Jos section was finished in 1949.

In the background, the Plopiș Mountains near Ciucea in Northern Transylvania. The Oradea - Cluj line is currently undergoing an electrification and modernization project.

The Oravița - Anina line is a scenic, mountainous line with narrow curves, so special vehicles operate on it. And although the train reaches its maximum speed at the Oravița switch area, as a Hungarian tourist sarcastically remarked during our trip, the first viaduct is not far from the starting point of the line.

When the railway line was opened, passenger traffic was not allowed due to its danger, and it was only permitted later. The line has tunnels, viaducts and cuttings. It is called sometimes as the Semmering of Banat.

The Podu Olt - Piatra Olt railway line is the only non-electrified line that crosses the Carpathians in Romania. The train heads towards the Turnu Roșu Pass, the only place where a river (the Olt) flows through this mountain range.

There are high mountains.in the Olt River valley. This picure shows also a light railway signal.

From Brașov towards to the Predal Pass and the Carpathians.

Between Predeal and Sinaia you can see breathtaking mountains from the window of the train.

Bulgaria

The Rhodope narrow gauge railway has the highest railway station in the Balkans. However, the line between Varvara and Kostandovo stations, including the valley of the Chepinskaya River, is more spectacular than the higher section. This railway is less crowded than the Šargan Eight in Serbia.

Bosnia

A long section of the Ploče - Sarajevo line runs through the Neretva River valley, surrounded by mountains.

The Neretva river from the window of the train.

Between Konjic and Sarajevo the railway line has several U-shaped curves, tunnels and few viaducts. This viaduct is located between 2 tunnels and is visible from an other point on the railway line, too.

Montenegro

The Belgrade - Bar standard gauge railway was finished in 1976. It is a very spectacular line through the mountains of Serbia and Montenegro. On the Montenegrin side you can travel at daylight only by local trains or in summer by the Tara fast train.

There are rocks and tunnels everywhere. About 20% of Montenegro's railway lines is located in tunnels.

The railway line runs along the side of the mountains. The layers of the fold mountains can be observed.

Hungary

The Ganz factory produced famous diesel railcars also for narrow gauge railways. This Abamot railcar from 1929 is one of the first ones. It used to run in Miskolc (on the forestry railway of Lillafüred) for decades but since the 1990s it serves on the Children's Railway in Budapest.

Ganz Dmot type is a narrow gauge baggage railcar. The last preserved one from 1940 has been running on the museum railway of Nagycenk since 2021. Ganz exported several narrow gauge passenger railcars to former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The Rhodope Railway in Bulgaria plans to renew a preserved one.

In the 2010s the engine shed of the forestry railway of Királyrét transformed 2 cargo wagons to railcars. One of them runs there and the other one (in the picture) works nearby, between Szob and Nagyirtás.

Romania

The famous Vaser Valley Forestry Railway in Vișeu de Sus manufactured a railcar from a passenger wagon around 1960. Unfortunately it doesn't run, it is part of the open-air exhibition.

You can find several light railcars there, mostly transformed Ford Transit minibuses. 

Poland

The Park Railway Maltanka in Poznań has a railbus built in 1932.

Slovakia

The M21.004 Tatra railcar from 1939 is a valuable vehicle of the Čiernohronská železnica (ČHŽ).

Czech Republic

The Jindřichův Hradec Local Railways (JHMD) bought a MBxd2 series railcar from Poland. They reconstructed it in an unconventional way in 2014. Its nickname is Submarine.

Austria

The ÖBB used to have narrow gauge railways in the past. Railcars type 5090 were common vehicles on these lines. The track to Ybbsitz has been already removed, I took this picture in 2007.

Type 5090 railcar in Mittersill in 2007. They still run there on the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn. This series was built by Jenbacher Werke in Austria.

Murtalbahn has also very similar vehicles to type 5090. In one train they use a railcar and a driving trailer. Unfortunately the driving trailers lost their traditional colours in 2023 and they are currently white.

Portugal

On the last narrow gauge line of Portugal only series 9630 diesel multiple units serve the daily traffic.

Germany

In Bautzen they built 4 vehicles of VT 137 series. Only one of them survived which was 80 years old in 2018 when I traveled with it to Jonsdorf on the Zittauer Schmalspurbahn. Unfortunately currently it is out of service.

Number 187.013-8 railcar was built in Talbot factory in 1955. Nowadays it runs on the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen. They have one more railcar of this type.

Number 187.015-3 is a prototype railcar of HSB from 1996.

Verkehrsbetriebe Nordhausen GmbH got 3 Combino Duo type vehicles in 2004. They have also a diesel and an electric engines and use a short section of the HSB network.

Wales

Sir Haydn locomotive is shunting at Nant Gwernol station on the Talyllyn Railway. This tiny steam was built in 1878 and it changed its colour, currently is red.

Edward Thomas is the second youngest steam loco of this museum railway, but it is also over 100 years old.

Talyllyn is the oldest locomotive what I have even seen in operation. It was built in 1864.

Dolgoch, a cute steam loco from 1866, is about to depart from Tywyn Wharf station.

Probably the Ffestiniog Railway is the most famous among of the museum railways of Wales. It is the only place where fairlie steams are in operation. Fairlie locos have double engine and 2 fronts. James Spooner is a new one, was produced in 2023, but the museum railway has some old ones, too.

Garratt locomotives were mostly used in Africa. This one was built in Manchester in 1951 and then served in South Africa until 1985. It has been operating on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway since 2021.

Llanberris is the start station of the Snowdon Mountain Railway. It has also a museum railway next to the lake. Thomas Bach, the tiny steam loco has arrived at the endstation with its red and green carriages. 

Isle of Man

The smallest steam locomotive which has ever pulled my train on the Great Mine Laxey Railway. It is a new one, based on an old plan. They have an other same loco.

The Groudle Glen Railway is a 900-meter-long narrow gauge railway operated by railway enthusiasts. Brown Bear is a replica locomotive. It pulled an extra train ordered by German railway fans on our visiting day.

Isle of Man Steam Railway operates only original locomotives of the same local type which started their service there. Kissack (number 13) is one of the operable steams.

Kissack is meeting with the train pulled by Maitland (number 11) at Castletown station.

Germany

Steam locos from the typical series of Harzer Schmalspurbahnen in Wernigerode. They were built after WW2.

HSB owns also few Mallet steam locomotives but they rarely run. This is the oldest one, around from 1900. 

99-222 is the only high performance steam loco of HSB from before WW2.

 Zittauer Schmalspurbahn has similar locomotives from the 1920s. This one is waiting for the departure time in Kurort Oybin.

Poland

Px48 is a common steam loco series in Poland. I traveled with this between Środa Wielkopolska and Zaniemyśl.

Bieszczadzka Kolejka Leśna is a narrow gauge railway in South-Eastern Poland. Steam locomotives of Kp4 series were common here after 1957, but this one arrived from a sugar factory.

Latvia

The only daily operating narrow gauge line in the Baltics is situated between Gulbene and Alūksne. In summer some weekends there are steam loco pulled trains, usually by Ferdinands (Gr-319) from 1951.

Hungary

 447-401 (Lilla) is a steam locomotive of LÁEV but unfortunately is out of service since 2011. This type was produced in MÁVAG in the 1950s. It has a tender like the previous Polish and Latvian locos.

"Triglav" is the oldest operating narrow gauge locomotive in Hungary. It runs on the Forestry Museum Railway of Kemence. It was built by Krauss Factory in München and originally worked near the Triglav summit. 

394 was a series of tiny steam locomotives by MÁVAG. Number 023 was produced in 1923 and had served different places before arrived in Debrecen in 2006. It pulls special trains.

MÁVAG has been produced type 490 steam locomotives for decades. The Children's Railway in Budapest has two operable steams of them. 490-039 was built in 1942. 

490-056 was built in 1950. There is one more operable loco of this original series in Hungary in Balatonfenyves.

Romania produced very similar steam locomotives to MÁVAG 490 series. Most of them were built in Reșița which became the nickname of them. "Ábel" from 1955 runs on the forestry railway of Csömödér.

Romania

A "Reșița" in their homeland, in Romania is filling water on the Vaser Valley Forestry Railway which is the most famous narrow gauge railway of the country. "Mocăniță" is the Romanian nickname of narrow gauge steams.

Slovakia

MÁVAG series 492 locomotive on the Čiernohronská železnica (ČHŽ) from 1916. It is very similar to type 490. This forestry railway has other operable steams and some interesting diesel vehicles, too.

Czech Republic

The "Reșița" of JHMD is departing from Jindřichův Hradec. This railway was closed for few years, was reopened in 2024 but its future is still in danger.

The Czech Railway Museum in Lužná u Rakovnika has a short narrow gauge track. This popular tiny steam (produced by Krauss in Linz in 1912) runs there.

Austria

 An other Krauss steam locomotive from 1906 on the Taurachbahn in Mauterndorf. This railway is operated by railway enthusiasts.

 Achenseebahn is a meter gauge rack railway in Tyrol. Its steams were produced in 1889 in Wien, in Floridsdorf.

Austria

Semmering line was the first mountain railway in the world. It crosses picturesque landscape and it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. This photo shows a gallery tunnel of the railway in the rocky mountains.

A 4020/6020 series EMU is about to enter a tunnel. It looks like a model railway.

Payerbach-Reichenau station of the Semmeringbahn is the starting point of the Höllentalbahn which is a narrow gauge museum tram. In the background you can see the Rax mountain range.

Mariazellerbahn is a narrow gauge mountain railway between Sankt Pölten and Mariazell. The mountains were very beautiful of the colors of autumn and the windows of this nostalgic train were openable.

Tamsweg is the endstation of the daily operating section of Murtalbahn. The background shows the Alps.

Reisseckbahn was a system of 3 funiculars and a narrow gauge railway in Carinthia. The endstation was situated at 2250 m altitude. Unfortunately this railway was closed in 2016.

Slovenia

Slovenia used to belong to Carinthia for centuries. I took this picture of a nostalgic train in the Bohinj area. The Bohinj Railway is the most spectacular line in Slovenia.

Italy, South Tyrol

 A former storage building of San Candido railway station with the famous Dolomites in the background.

Norway

 Myrdal is the junction between the Oslo - Bergen line and the famous Flåm Line (Flåmsbana). The station is situated 867 m above the sea level.

Though the altitude of Mjølfjell station is only 627 m, the nearby mountains were snowy also in May.

 Åndalsnes is the endstation of the scenic Raumabahn, you can see the tracks. The town lies in a fjord.

Scotland

Scotland has also fjords and some lakes look similar. This is Loch Shiel in Glenfinnan. You can see a short section of railway track which is situated between the famous viaduct and Glenfinnan railway station.

Wales

 The panorama from the Snowdon Mountain Railway's window is breathtaking.

The mountains nearby Blaenau Ffestiniog were used for slate mining. It is the endstation of the famous Ffestiniog museum railway and of a normal gauge secondary line.

Portugal

 A tight section of the Douro River Valley in Portugal. You can do this trip either by boat or by train.

Switzerland

 The Pre-Rhine valley between Tamins and Ilanz has spectacular rocks.

Clouds, mountains and a train of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) near Disentis in summer.

The Disentis - Andermatt section, through Oberalppass is one the most scenic part of the Glacier express route. In winter usually snow covers everything.

From Nätschen to Andermatt the train passes several U-shaped curves before arriving in the valley.

The view in December is quite different from in May.

Kleine Scheidegg is a junction between Wengernalpbahn és Jungfraubahn. Jungfraubahn has the railway station at the highest level in Europe (3454 m). You can see Jungfrau summit (4158 m) in the background. 

The Luzern - Interlaken section of the Golden Pass route goes next to Alpine lakes. Lungerersee is situated at the highest altitude of them, at 688 m. Unfortunately the windows of the trains can not be opened to take photos.

After Interlaken the Golden Pass route continues on normal gauge at the side of Lake Thun.

The landscape of the Golden Pass route between Spiez and Montreux is different from the previous part of it.

Rhaetian Railway's Arosa line is not as well known as Albula or Bernina, but goes through beautiful mountains.

Rhaetian Railway operates nostalgic trains between Filisur and Davos from May to October with normal fare.

Let's finish this series with some pictures of other UNESCO World Heritage railways. Albula line was opened in 1904. In this picture the train is in shadow near Bergün but the mountains bright in sunshine.

 The Bergün - Preda section is the most exciting part of the Albula line, it has several lops and U-shaped curves.

Bernina line, the highest adhesion railway in Europe is also part of UNESCO World Heritage. Its highest point lies 2253 m above sea level. The photos shows a typical landscape between Pontresina and Bernina Pass.

The train goes down from Alp Grüm to Poschiavo through plenty of curves. It has already left the foggy, higher altitude part of the route.

 Tram Museum of Prague

 Tram number 3062( "Ponorka") is about to start a nostalgic run from the tram museum. It was built in 1942 during WW2 and the years of the Nazi occupation of Czechia

In Prague red is the common colour of the traims. Number 444 was produced in 1923.

Number 88 from 1900 is the oldest tram of the museum.

Controllers of trams

Number 200 used to be the Mayor's tram until 1951. It is also from 1900.

Trolleybus number 431 was produced in 1954 by ČKD factory in Prague

Elegant Tatra T2 prototype from 1955

Tram Museum of Porto

Unfortunatelly it is only a replica of an open tram from 1910, the original tram was destroyed in a fire in 1928. This tram can be hired for private runs.

American style tram from about 1905 built by the local company.

Porto's tram museum is small but interesting. Electric car number 288 (left) arrived form Belgium in 1928. Tram number 250 (right) was built in Porto around 1927.

Tram Museum of Lisbon

Car number 283 is the only remaining open tram from the early 20th century in the museum, built in 1902.

In 1901 CARRIS, the local tram company got 75 comfortable new trams, number 444 is one of them.

 American style tram from 1924 built by CARRIS.

Double decker buses used to run in Lisbon for decades. This one was in operation from 1957 until 1981.

Transport Museum of Dresden

Transport Museum is located in the city center of Dresden. So it doesn't have very big territory and in the collection there are only few trains. The replica of the first steam locomotive of Saxony is the most interesting train there.

Transport Museum of Switzerland, Lucerne

 The oldest electric motorcar of the collection, built in 1888 for Vevey-Montreux-Chillon company.

Electric locomotive of the Jungfraubahn. It was produced in 1898.

However electric trams already ran that time, Bern Tramway company ordered a steam loco in 1894.

 This narrow gauge rack steam locomotive of SBB was used on Brünig line between 1909 and 1957.

This picture shows 2 different  type of cog tracks: left one is the Riggenbach, right one is the Abt system.

Narrow gauge steam from 1912 of the Waldenburg Railway.

Electric locomotive Ge 2/4 number 207 of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) from 1913. In 2022 I saw an other Ge 2/4 locomotive (RhB 222) in operation.

The Ae 4/4 was an electric locomotive series of Bern-Lötschberg-Simplom (BLS) railway company. Only 8 locos were produced of them, this last one in 1955.

Tram Museum of Vienna

 This WIVO type bus from 1928 was a typical vehicle that time in Vienna.

This train from the 1920s was used on former Stadtbahn of Vienna.

 The WL 777, a type G railcar from 1929.

 The “Wiener Schnauze”, a bus that travelled through Vienna after the Second World War, also stands between trams. 

Tram number 4208 was built in New York in 1939. It arrived in Vienna in 1949.

The bus that fell into the Danube when the Reichsbrücke collapsed. After that it was repaired and ran again.

 Type F tram is similar to type E. The E series trams were iconic vehicles of Vienna and were used for decades.

Tamási és Keszőhidegkút-Gyönk állomások között már 1990-ben megszűnt a személyszállítás, néhány évvel később a teherszállítás érdekében azonban a vonal felújításra került. 2013-ban "Mozdony és madárfütty" szlogennel különvonatot szerveztek helyi vasútbarátok. A Bz mellékkocsival érkezett Tamási állomásra.

A Győr - Veszprém vonalon (a Bakonyvasúton) sokáig rendszeresek voltak a nosztalgiavonatok. 2013. szeptemberében az egyetlen üzemképesen megőrzött MDmot mozdony vitte a MÁV-Nosztalgia Kft. különvonatát.

A mezőcsáti szárnyvonalon 2007. március 3-án ment el az utolsó menetrend szerinti személyvonat. Vonalra én 2016-ban jutottam el, egy kisdácsiás különvonattal. Azóta már a vörös tárcsa is kikerült rá, a pálya járhatatlan. 

Újabb megismételhetetlen felvétel: a NOHAB-GM alapítvány mozdonya Lovasberényben, az egykori Székesfehérvár - Bicske vasútvonalon, ami 2017-ben vasútbarátok különvonatát vitte. Azóta már ez a pálya is ki van zárva a forgalomból. 

2019-ben a Rákos - Hatvan vasútvonal felújítása bizonyos fázisában Vácrátót - Galgamácsa - Balassagyarmat viszonylatban jártak személyvonatok. Fényképem Galgamácsán készült az irányt váltó szinkron Bz szerelvényről. Akkor még nem sejtettük, hogy a 77-es vonal személyforgalma állandó jelleggel is újraindul a jövőben. 

A "Vasparipák" oldal Cibak expressz 2019. szeptemberi különvonata Balkány állomáson egy IK211 társaságában. Jelenleg Nagykálló és Nyíradony között már csak pályafenntartási vonatok közlekedhetnek, max. 10 km/h-val.

A különvonat a Nyírbátor - Nyíregyháza vonalon tért vissza a szabolcsi megyeszékhelyre. Itt Kállósemjén állomáson vár a menetrend szerinti vonattal való keresztjére. Habár a pályaállapotok errefelé se rózsásak, szerelvénymenetekhez mindenképpen szükséges a vonal, ami megmentette a személyforgalom fenntartását.

A Somogyszob - Nagyatád vasúti mellékvonal egykor Barcsig vezetett, rövidke túlélő szakasza is több halállistán szerepelt. A 2020-as "járványügyi menetrendek" bevezetése előtt kerestem fel, amik lecsengése után még rövid időre feltámadt a vonal, de a 2023-as nyári módváltás óta nincsen rajta személyforgalom. 

Lakitelek jellegzetes formájú állomása a háttérben egy Kecskemét - Szolnok viszonylatú vonattal. Korábban négyes keresztek is voltak az állomáson, de a 2023-as nyári módváltás óta Kunszentmárton felé nem indít vonatokat. Fényképeim innentől kezdve a rédicsi képemmel bezárva 2020. május-júniusban készültek.. 

Turisztikai szerepe és közúton való nehézkes pótlása miatt a Kál-Kápolna - Kisújszállás túlélt minden bezárási kísérletet, bár a "járványügyi menetrendek" ideje alatt próbálkoztak részben buszos pótlásával. Különlegessége a kiskörei közös közúti-vasúti híd. A vonatok hagyományos keresztezési helye Kisköre, ahol biciklis bakter szolgál.

Történelmi és hálózati besorolás szempontjából egyértelműen fővonal, de utasforgalma alapján inkább mellékvonallá süllyedt a Hatvan - Somoskőújfalu közötti vasút. Pedig egykor neves nemzetközi vonatok is koptatták erre a síneket. 2020 nyarán jellemzően Uzsgyik közlekedtek, néhány Csörgős vonattal kiegészítve.

Az Újszász - Vámosgyörk szárnyvonal Vámosgyörk - Jászapáti szakasza 2009-ben volt 100 éves. Sajnos a mellékvonalak többségéhez hasonlóan itt is folyamatos leépülés figyelhető meg.

Tiszalökre 1896-ban ért el a vasút a Tiszapolgári HÉV kivitelezésében, melyet takaros állomásán emléktábla hirdet. Egy évvel később bekötötték az állomásra a Debrecen-Hajdúnánási HÉV vonalát is. 2009-es decemberi menetrendváltás óta Polgár felé már nem járnak vonatok, a görögszállási és debreceni irány maradt meg.

A Karcag - Tiszafüred vasútvonal jelképe Pusztakettős megállóhely, a 2213-as Csörgő homlokfalával és egyéb vasúti emlékeivel. A 2023-as nyári módváltás óta itt sem vonatozhatunk. 

 A Debrecen - Nyírábrány - Nagykároly (Carei) vasút fővonalnak épült, hivatalosan országos törzshálózat, de csak a Nagyvárad (Oradea) - Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) vasútvonal átépítésének köszönhetően tölt be újra átmenetileg fővonali szerepet. Nyírábrányban vár debreceni visszaindulásra a Bz a júniusi alkonyban.

Mátészalkáról 6 irányba is indultak a közelmúltig vonatok, habár két irányba más közeli állomáson volt a tényleges elágazás. A 2023. nyári módváltás óta a napi két csengeri vonatpár esett ki ezek közül. A jellegzetes formájú felvételi épület előtt várakozó szerelvények közül az InterPicivel folytattam az utam Tiborszállásra. 

Vásárosnamény felújított állomásépülete erős kontrasztot képez az innen kiinduló vasútvonalak  pályaállapotával. Különösen Nyíregyháza és Záhony felé versenyképtelen a vasút, Mátészalka felé valamivel jobb a helyzet. 

A több szakaszban megépült Tiszatenyő - Hódmezővásárhely vasútvonal mellett több műemléket is találunk. Talán ismertebb a bagimajori szélmalom, de Mártély felvételi épülete is figyelmet érdemel.

A battonyai vasútállomás is egy az egykori Arad-Csanádi Vasút gyönyörű típusépületei közül. A vesztes első világháborút követő új határok kettészelték a vasútvonalat, azóta csonkán végződik Battonyán. Számos halállistára felkerült, végül a 2023-as nyári módváltással tűntek el róla a személyszállító vonatok. 

Rédicsen is az 1920-as országhatárok eredményezték a vasútvonal csonka végződését. Bizakodásra ad okot, hogy az anyagi forrásokhoz jobban hozzáférő, agilisabb GYSEV-hez került a vonal. Azóta Bz-k helyett Jenbacherek pendliznek rajta. Határon való visszaépítése a közeljövőben így sem valószínű.

Zirc és Dudar között eredetileg keskeny nyomtávval, szén szállítására  épült vasút, melyet 1947-ben építtek át normál nyomtávra. A bányák bezárásával az 1990-es években megszűnt rajta a személyforgalom. A Bakonyvasút Szövetség 2020. szeptemberében különvonatot indított, melynek mozdonya jár körül Dudarbányán. 

A tiszaújvárosi vasútvonal teherforgalma megkérdőjelezhetetlen, de a személyforgalom szüneteltetése sokszor felmerült. Végül tartósan 2023. augusztusában következett be, de a képen szereplő Tiszapalkonyára már 2013. decemberétől nem jártak ablakos vonatok. 2021 május végén vasútbarátok különvonatával jutottam el ide. 

A Sajó-völgyi vasutat a MÁV építette, legnagyobb forgalmát a szocializmus éveiben bonyolította le. A '90-es évek végén, 2000-es évek elején InterPIci vonatok is jártak Miskolc és Ózd között. A 2021-es júniusi miskolci retró hétvégén egy InterPIci szerelvény visszatért a vonalra.

A miskolci retró hétvége keretében a tornanádaskai vonalon két szerelvény Szergej (M62) vontatással került kiadásra. A felvételen a vasárnap koraeste Szendrőhöz közelítő vonat látható. Sajnos azóta egyre kétségesebb a vonal hosszú távú jövője a járműhiány, a pálya állapota és az egyeskocsi fuvarozás állami támogatásának megszűnése miatt.

 2021. júniusában Kunsági Vasúttúra keretében lehetett a szünetelő személyforgalmú Kunszentmiklós-Tass - Solt és Kiskőrös - Kalocsa között vonatozni. Én csak Kalocsára tartottam a csapattal, felvételem is itt készült. Hátha a 77-es vonalhoz hasonlóan ide is visszatérnek a személyvonatok, csatlakozva a Budapest - Belgrád vonalhoz.

2021. szeptemberében a Szeged - Békéscsaba vonal volt az őszi retró hétvége helyszíne. A felújított orosházi állomásra érkezett meg a jelenleginél eggyel korábbi festésű 001-es Szergej. A fővonal mellett a Mezőtúr - Mezőhegyes mellékvonal is keresztezi az állomást, ami végpontja a Szentes felől befutó vicinálisnak is.

2022. márciusában néhány hétig átmenetileg újra járható volt a teljes Pápa - Veszprémvarsány vonalszakasz, aminek alkalmából 2 különvonat is indult. Fényképem a másodikról készült, Bakonytamási megállóhelyen. Azóta a Pápa - Franciavágás szakasz már hivatalosan sem számít vasútvonalnak. 

Egy héttel a második pápai különvonat után miskolci csapat Mátrakerülő fotósvonatot szervezett, mely végigment a szünetelő személyforgalmú Kál-Kápolna - Kisterenye vonalon. A Mátramindszenten készült felvétel a Ladával a '80-as, '90-es éveket idézi. A vasútvonal egy szakasza komoly teherforgalmat bonyolít le a recski kőbányából.

A 2022. szeptemberi pécsi retró hétvégén egyes mellékvonalakon is különleges járművek közlekedtek. A sellyeit az ABbmot motorkocsi  szolgálta ki, melyen állóhely is alig maradt a sok vasútbarát mellett.

Villány és Mohács között a személyvonatok többsége egy retró festésű M43-as vonatásával közlekedett. Itt épp a hétvégi programját fejezi be a szerelvény Villányban. Érdekesség, hogy először Villányban láttam menetrend szerinti személyvonatot kisdácsiával, még 2010-ben Magyarbólyba indulva, de sajnos nincs fényképem róla. 

 A retró hétvége fénypontjának volt szánva a BCmottal közlekedő komlói napi 2 vonatpár. Baleset és műszaki hiba miatt vasárnap ez nem jött össze, délután egy szakadt dombóvári Bobó segítségére volt szükség. Komlóra 2023. augusztusa óta nem járnak ablakos vonatok, és a teherforgalom dacára veszélyben van maga az állomás is.

Bár néha felmerült a 2007-ben leállított személyforgalom újraindítása Zalaszentgrótra, a tervek nem valósultak meg. 2023 májusában a "Vasparipák" oldal szervezésében jutottam el ide. Zalaszentgrót csak 1974-ben lett fejállomás, előtte Sármelléken át Balatonszentgyörgyig vezetett a sínpár.  

2023. júliusában ünnepelte a Dombóvár - Bátaszék vasútvonal a 150. évfordulóját. Ebből az alkalomból a személyvonatok az 50 éves évfordulóját ünneplő Csörgővel közlekedtek, és egy gőzvontatású különvonatot is indítottak a meghívott vendégeknek. Sajnos átlagos napokon az utasforgalom jóval elmarad ettől a hétvégitől. 

2023. novemberében igazi különlegesség volt a Budapest - Esztergom - Almásfüzitő között 2 napon közlekedő dupla Csörgős vonatpár. Mindkét vonalat a Budapest-Esztergom-Füzitői HÉV építette. Míg a Budapest - Esztergom vasútvonal fontos elővárosi vonallá vált, az Esztergom-Kertváros - Almásfüzitő szakasz megmaradt mellékvonalnak, komolyabb teherforgalommal. A képen Esztergom-Kertvárosba érkezik a vonat Tokod felől.  

2025-ben ünnepelte a Szergej (M62) sorozat a 60 éves évfordulóját. A gőzvasút 200 éves évfordulóján az egyetlen dízelvontatású Budapestre érkező vasúton, a lajosmizsein majdnem minden vonatot Szergej húzott a jeles napon. Bár pont a képen szereplő Inárcs-Kakucs megálló-rakodóhely állomássá átépítésével történt jelentős menetrendi fejlesztés, a vonal infrastruktúrája mellékvonali jellegű, pedig hatalmas elővárosi potenciállal bír.