On Sunday (18.10.2020) the railway museum in Jaworzyna Śląska has organized a retro train "Antracyt". The train has departed around 8:40 (with 10 minutes of delay) from Jaworzyna Śląska and headed to Wałbrzych, then Kłodzko. After arriving at Kłodzko, the train went to Nowa Ruda and back. Later it was supposed to come back with a train to Jaworzyna but... it broke down in Ścinawka Średnia, which resulted in the train being hauled to the museum by a diesel locomotive. On film, I have the train on its route from Jaworzyna to Kłodzko and then Nowa Ruda. Sadly, our car has been damaged in a minor car crash, which meant we couldn't continue our journey.
The railway line from Kłodzko to Wałbrzych is said to be one of the most beautiful railway lines in Poland and Europe because of its huge number of monumental pieces of infrastructure raised by the Prussian workers.
The steam locomotive which hauled the train was a tenderless TKt48-18, one of the members of the post-war class nicknamed "Plecak" (backpack) or "Tekatka" (from the TKt designation). These locomotives were very good in mountainous terrain, where trains need to change the direction very often. They also had a couple of downsides - mainly the fact, that their range was very limited. On its run to Kłodzko, the steam locomotive had to take water in Głuszyca.
We begin on a freezing cold morning, when the train departs the Jaworzyna Śląska station. As the train accelerates, it throws out condensed steam from the cylinders and the chimney. On the next shot, the loco beats the last meters of the hardest incline on its route with very tight curves on the entrance to Wałbrzych Main Railway Station. Through the first minute we can hear the train gasping on a huge S curve through the center of Wałbrzych.
Next shot is on a beautiful classical passenger stop Jedlina Górna, just after leaving the tunnel leading from Wałbrzych. The stop is kept in a beautiful, old, Prussian style. The wooden shed and two old brick buildings give this place a very unique climate.
Next two shots were made on a huge railway viafuct, just near the Głuszyca Górna passenger stop. From afar, the start of "Tekatka" can be heard and seen, aswell as the ride on one of the many viaducts on this railway line.
Next shot is on the entrance to Ścinawka Średni station. Back in the day, it used to be a multi-way knot station. Two of these lines were used as "Kleinbahn" - local railways. For the railway line to Nowa Ruda-Słupiec, a separate part of the railway station was used, which means that the freight trains headed to the quarry located there have to shunt around in the station to leave.
Last shot on the film is the beautiful climb of "Plecak" with the train to Nowa Ruda on a long S curve on the side of a mountain. Sadly, wind was too strong to hear the train from afar, but the visual experiences are very nice.
21 окт 2020
