Trip to Chabówka

Hi,

It is a warm summer day and we get into the car early in the morning. Our things are packed, the car is started and we can go. They are going on vacation. This year we are going on vacation to Poland and our first stop is the town of Chabówka. We have two small children, so we adapted this holiday so that they would like it above all. After all, what wouldn't we do for our children, right?

The town of Chabówka is about an hour away from our final destination. We arrived here at lunchtime exactly as planned. We wanted our children to eat here, we would walk a bit and continue on our way.

We get off at the parking lot in front of the Rolling Stock Museum in Chabówka. My kids love trains so it was the perfect stop for us. But I have to say that not only for them. I believe that many of us wanted to be train drivers and ride trains when we were little. I like history and especially old steam locomotives. And if there is a little rust on them, I don't mind at all. At least it's a nicer photo.

As soon as we entered, both of them immediately ran and started to climb the displayed exhibits.

The open-air museum is not that old. It was created in 1993 in the former depot of a locomotive from 1944.

The exhibited exhibits really surprised me. There are quite a few of them, and some types of locomotives I have never seen before. Most trains can be entered. And so we don't hesitate and move from one train to another.

I have to say that I was most interested in such snow plows. At first glance, they remind me of ships on rails. Björke snow plows are really old. They were made in 1930 and are very impressive. They are double-sided plows. The side wings were adjusted manually using a gear wheel.

These Björke 837 095 snow plows are somewhat newer. They were produced in 1942 and were used to remove snow from single-track tracks.

They are even more beautiful from the inside than from the outside. It's like going back in time and being able to ride this locomotive. Although we really went back in time a bit. Because it's a nice warm summer outside and we're looking at a train that's used in winter.

We go further and come to such a locomotive. It was built in the interwar period in 1927 and ran on the Sierpc – Lubicz line until 1938. It is not known where the locomotive was located during the Second World War. After that, we could see it on the railway line until 1973. At that time, it served Polish railways. It was taken to a repair shop, but it was never repaired. Instead, it was donated to a museum in poor condition. It was a wreck. It was only repaired when it reached the Rolling Stock Museum in Chabówka. And thanks to that, today we see it in its full beauty and can look at it with admiration.

In addition to old steam locomotives, we also see railway equipment here. This is a track beater. It is a self-propelled machine that levels the track surface. And how does it actually work? During tamping, the track is lifted by the handles of the tamping machine, and then the rubble is poured under the sleepers. Thanks to this, the track is at the appropriate height after launch. The load is thus transferred to the gravel material along its entire length.

Today's article was primarily intended for all train lovers, especially old ones. But I hope others liked it and maybe learned something new.

I can say for myself that I learned something new and interesting again thanks to this visit.

Thank you