Currently really struggling to be motivated to upload anything at the moment despite sitting around the entire time, but two colourful locos from Poland are presented here from earlier when we were briefly allowed to go out

In express orange livery, EP08-001 stands at Poznan working one of PKP’s top link services, EIC1800 the 1734 Warsaw Wsch-Szczecin, vice EP09. A fine way to spend the evening in the bar car as we stormed west, September 2020.

In its retro colours, SM42 462 waits departure time at Leba with the afternoon TLK to Warsaw. This steeply graded, heavily forested branch from Lebork to the seaside sees trains for only a short summer season and both diagrams were being worked by unrebuilt SM42s on this day in Aug 2020.

Another weekend trip of January escapism

EP07-1029, Gdansk with a TLK.

EP07-338 in a fresh coat of retro two-tone-green is working IC85107 from Szczecin to Olsztyn, just a pathetic load 3

A small number of heavily rebuilt EU07A locos can be found on Gdynia to Wroclaw ICs, EU07A-001 is seen at Gdansk.

With large numbers of locos stopped awaiting funds for overhaul, PKP have resorted to hiring in from Cargo, EU07-336 one such welcome loco at Gydnia on the 0531 Bialystok – Szczecin. It will have worked from Olsztyn most likely taking over from a CD Goggle which PKP have a handful of on long-term loan.

Not just locos, PKP also don’t have enough stock of their own that works so ZSSK have provided some fine Zilina B 249s seen here at Gdansk Wrz with EP07-1003.

Another green’un is EP07-174 seen at Gydnia next to a “real as fuck” EN57 to complete the scene. ‘174 is about to remove itself and dead inside classmate EP07-435 from a very late TLK81105 which was two and a half hours down after locomotive failure.

The Poznan – Wroxlaw line is the latest to be being rehabilitated and upgraded. We had gone down early to do the Poznan – Woltzyn kettle turn…to be greeted with a cart! Oh well, EU07-302 entered the book to Koscian.

EP07-345 at Gdansk with the 1735 Gdynia – Poznan

EU07-220 was another appearance from the Gydnia whirlpool, despite plenty of passenger locos hanging around but not for us to question. It had replaced the inward EP07 at Gydnia on the 1023 Szczecin – Bialystok and is seen here leaving Sopot where we just had time for a celebratory beer before heading back home.

A long overdue return for a long weekend based in Warsaw covering some narrow gauge lines, hired MRCE Vectron and usual selection of EU07s.

First port of call was a cart out to Rogow to cover the narrow gauge which was operating due to it being a holiday weekend. After an hour of absolutely nothing happening Lxd2-264 emerged from the shed to work the 1035 Rogow Osob – Jezow where it is seen here running round.

Lxd2-264 poses at Rogow Osob with the lunchtime KWRRB departure for Jezow. This is very accessible from the Warsaw-Lodz mainline which is out of sight to the left. Very pleased to get this Lxd2 Maybach rather than their other working loco which is a glorified lawnmower!

Due to a shortage of their own Taurus currently able to operate in Germany, PKP have hired MRCE 193626 to work a Berlin-Warsaw trainpair daily. Here it brings the empties for the 1559 Berlin into Warsaw Wschodnia

New(ish) PESA diesel junk SU160-003 arrives at Radzyn Podlaski with the 0839 Warsaw Zach – Chelm. This was “only” 80L, we had leapt off the one that should have been three hours in front on a plus 15 after a complete BLS tour of freight lines between Warsaw and Minsk M including a run round due to some farce on the mainline.

Still PKP’s core workhorses, EU07-325 arrives at Wschodnia with a Gydnia to Krakow TLK.

New to traffic in 1967, EU07-013 pauses at Wschodnia still in frontline service with the 0815 departure from Świnoujście New to traffic in 1967, EU07-013 pauses at Wschodnia still in frontline service with the 0815 departure from Świnoujście.

EP09-019 is one of now few locos which retain variants of the national livery which a number were painted in last year to celebrate the centenary of the Second Polish Republic’s foundation. Its worked the 0557 Ostrava Svinov – Warsaw Wschodnia which includes a full PKP resturant wagon before the more usual CD rake.

Lxd2-465 at Piaseczno Miasto with the Saturday afternoon trip down the remnants of a once large 750mm network south of Warsaw, which a connecting bus from Centralna helpfully operates for each Saturday. It runs as far as Szczaki Złotokłos, run round, forward to a field where everyone has a BBQ/drive engine/drinks for a few hours before returning. This one has a Polish built WOLA power unit as is much louder than the Maybach one sampled at Rogow.

EP07-544 has EP07-390 dead inside for a trip on the 0821 Warsaw Zachodnia to Brest. The Polish locos work throughout over dual gauge track in Belarus.

Just a quick Bank Holiday trip to Poland to cane in some ‘roarers’ and a couple of hired in electrics for PKP-IC who are having a DRS-style “fleet shortage” despite new Pendos in service. Didn’t spin Warsaw that much in favour (/as a result of) of an excellent evening in the brewpub…

There has certainly been a lot of activity with the paintbrush since my last visit and the stock in particular is in superb condition with many refreshed wagons around. KM’s Traxx may be the silliest livery for a loco I’ve ever had, oh and its got three different numbers to boot.

PKP Bash – February 2012 to whip in some PKP “Roarers” and hit the Katowice area where new private operator KS Koleje Slaskie had taken over lots of local routes from PKP but without any units to run them – clever!

Having travelled on EC249 from Berlin to get a SU46 diesel over the border we spent a night in Wroclaw which despite a Saturday afternoon OHL riot was fairly productive before moving on to Katowice. With gen fairly sketchy but a raft of hired in locos available we were soon in mass scooping mode. Railpool Traxx locos were working the majority of services with PKP Cargo providing EU07 and ET22s for some of the branches so once again some “freight only” ET22 passenger action was available, just like every other time I’ve been in Poland!

120118

SU46-037

EP07-1027

163043

EP07-1062

66417

ET22-1054

EP07-1039

EP09-023

EP07-1014

186247

186126

EU07-173

TEM2-210

ET22-958

186276

186274

ET22-1007

640025

EP07-198

186275

EP07-1045

ET22-094

ET22-1106

186274

ET22-1063

170016

EU07-123

182005

EU07-138

German Trip December 2011 – Second week long bash to Germany, this time a bit more time in the East, highlights being a tours with 103222 and V100 2091 and a raft of both DB and MRCE Taurus on Regio turns – all of the ‘noisy’ tune playing variety as well as cheeky leaps on OBB, PKP and CD locos.

Tuesday: Flew to ‘Frankfurt’ Hahn, local breadvan to Bullay then into Frankfurt via Koblenz and had the evening around Frankfurt prior to getting the overnight up to Hamburg

Wednesday: RA Berlin from Hamburg, spent all day spinning around which fell apart when the downstairs collapsed then onto Leipzig for the night.

Thursday: Spent all day around Dresden taking in a variety of stuff including a run to Bad Schandau on CD 371s

Friday: A few leaps around Leipzig then onto Halle to cover off the 182 turns on the Eisenach REs before a long IC west to Hamm

Saturday: Joined ‘every man and his dog’ (well, nearly everyone) for a Hamm to Bremen tour with ‘massive’ 103222, a leap for 110464 out of Rottenburg which went pear shaped before a rioutous return tour spent enjoying the whopping bar/disco car

Sunday: Covered V100 2091 from Euskircken to Aachen on a Christmas Special then worked back to Dusseldorf for a few beers

Monday: Home today via Brussels, SNCB farce to welcome us with a caped local Aachen-Liege unit then no space on the following Thalys so local bus to Eupen for carts vice IC set to Welkenraedt then 1351 into Brussels for a bit of a run at the peak, which managed to feature 3×27 vice 23! 1850 Eurostar back to St Pancras, next 319 home duly caped so usual UK FCC quality on arrival!

New WordPress slideshow avoidance – click on ‘permalink’ from the slideshow to go back to the old format photo pages which have the captions on…

My first visit to Poland, a very quick overnight visit from Germany to spin in the 232 on the EC from Amsterdam, a quick PKP spin to Stargrad and back before taking the 232 back into Germany the next morning.

Moves:

232583 Augermunde – Szczecin (1045 ex Amsterdam)

EU07-458 Szczecin – Stargrad (2026 to Przemysl)

ET22-011 Stargrad – Szczecin (1448 ex Warsaw)

232583 Szczecin – Augermunde (0613 to Amsterdam)

Long weekend in Poland with the inbound journey via Berlin. Not many phots as the weather was rubbish for a lot of the time…

Flew out early on Friday to Berlin, taking the 232 diagram acrss the border to Szczecin, then down to Poznan to spin in some “freight” ET22s. Saturday and Sunday we headed for Gydnia albeit via Wroclaw and Warsaw, the former to cover a drag which dropped a SM-31 which is apparently “quite rare”, then a night in Warsaw. Warsaw to Gdansk was an endurance test as the entire mainline is in bits with single line working and speed restrictions aplenty, the line between Gdansk and Gydnia also being single track at the moment. On Monday we covered the Hel branch with SM/SU42s then played around Gydnia on Tuesday morning before flying home.

Please click on individual photos for full caption gen.

182530

232538

EU07-124

ET22-140

SM31-065

ET22-1046

EP09-026

EP08-012

SM42-084

SM42-221

SU42-534

SU42-501

SM42-419

EN57 unit

SU42-534

EU07-223