About the Shed
The role of PKP CARGO S.A. in maintaining the Steam Traction Heritage Parks
In 2003 PKP S.A. Join-Stock Company took charge of Wolsztyn's Steam Locomotive Depot and the steam traction heritage parks in Chabówka and Kościerzyna. Altogether with adopted buildings where the heritage parks were placed, the company took over historical railway rolling stock and other exhibits. Since then several major and inspection repairs of the steam locomotives have been made. Moreover, the historical carriages have been reconstructed and a lot of machinery, device units and other railway stock have been restored. Constant steam locos repairs enable, especially in Wolsztyn, to place the steam engines in regularly sheduled passenger services, and also to run Retro services. PKP CARGO constantly broadens its offer. Among other things, it organizes for Polish, European,Japanese and US tourists interested in railway technology, the events in the steam depot and in steam traction heritage parks and it organizes special services operated by historical carriages.
Soon after taking over the railway heritage parks, The Steam Traction Heritage Parks Committe has been appointed. In 2004 the Committe co-ordinted all actions concerning the organization and functioning of the heritage parks. In paricular, the actions consisted in defining a detailed list of exhibits taking into consideration historical backgrounds, the steam locomotives and the historical carriages origins in a certain region. It also consisted in defining and marking out the nature of actions and the organization of the steam traction heritage parks.
In May, 2005 from the initiative of PKP CARGO S.A. the Foundation Era Parowozów (Steam Locomotives' Era) was established. It aims at preserving historical vintage rolling stock in Chabówka, Kościerzyna and Wolsztyn. The Foundation co-operates in developing tourist activities of the above mentioned railway technology heritage parks. The foundation has the initial capital. Owing to that, it runs a commercial activity and tries to collect sums for the rolling stock renovations from different sources , i.e. from local autorities and from the EU. Thanks to that, a new quality and new opportunities of saving historical exhibits came into being. After all, historical places and exibits are a splendid element of PKP CARGO S.A. promotion. All above actions enabled to run ordered touristic vintage services, and also Retro services present in daily passenger services PKP, operated by steam locomotives from Wolsztyn, Chabówka i Kościerzyna. They are services to different directions operated by The Rolling Stock Companies in Poznań, Kraków and Gdynia. Ticket prices for open services are calculated in the way that everybody may use the service and enjoy the atmosphere of historical trains. With the co-operation of Era Parowozów Foundation commercial tourist services operate in special routes and by ordered rolling stock. The opening of scheduled passenger 'retro' services took place in April, 2004 with a great interest of media, the public and local authorities, visuailizing a huge opportunity to develop tourism and to attract tourists from Poland and from abroad. These actions are still expanded in co-operation with various institutions, in particular in Wolsztyn's Steam Depot. PKP CARGO S.A. achieved the Polish Tourist Organisation Certificate for the Best Tourist Product of the Year 2006. The project TOURISM - THE COMMON ISSUE, realised in 2007 from European funds, selected six (6) best network tourist products in Poland. Among sixteen awarded products was a product, which main element is Wolsztyn's Steam Shed.
A wide range of contacts with the local authorities was established. The authorities declare a constant wish to co-operate and to support all activities of the railway heritage parks on their territoties. Well known common events are The Locomotive Parade, Parowozjada (meeting of locomotives) or the Costerina train. The co-operation was realised in joint organisation of 100th Anniversary of Wolsztyn's Steam Locomotive Depot in 2007. In its frameworks there were many meetings, art and photo contests organised and the greatest so far The XIV Steam Locomotives Parade with the presence of Polish and foreign steam engines. For the first time we could welcome the fastest working steam engine in the world -18 201, originating from Germany, the British steam engine GWR 5521comingwhich came from England by ferry. Hungarians presented the steam loco MAV 109.109 dated from the year 1917, and the Czechs showed a huge steam engine 475.111 and a tender engine 423.0145. The event gathered 20 000 people. For the first time the incredible show "Light, sound and steam" took place, during which the steam engines presented themselves in an unusual scenery. In the same year the oldest steam engine of Polish construction - Ok22-31 went to Budapest to present PKP CARGO S.A. during The VII Steam Locomotives Grand Prix.
The Short Characteristics of The Steam Locomotive Depot and The Steam Traction Heritage Park in Wolsztyn.
Working steam engines:
Ok1-359 from 1917 - the oldest working steam loco in Poland operating scheduled passenger services, Pm36-2 from 1937 called Beautiful Helena - the fastest PKP steam engine from the first Polish Steam Locomotives Factory in Chrzanów, Ok22-31- the first Polish passenger steam engine from 1929, Tr5-65 originating from Germany from 1921, Pt47 - two steam locomotives of that post WW2 construction for express services and steam engines Ol49 series operating scheduled passenger services.
Most Interesting Exhibits
More than 20 various exhibits, including freight steam locomotives of German construction of series: Ty1, Ty2,Ty3,Ty42,Ty43,Ty5 and the heaviest steam engine built for PKP - Ty51-223 from 1957 from Cegielski Factory in Poznań. The whole range of steam locos is supplemented by twelve two- and three-axle historical vintage passenger carriages from the years 1909-1930 and a various special rolling stock - a snowplough from 1883, a freless locomotive from 1912 and a workshop hand operated crane from 1913.
Infrastructure
Eight-stand historical roundhouse with a storage base and a turntable from 1908, the water tower from 1907, coal entanglement with working cranes and the water crane, machinery and other devices which have been used for more than 50 years, the museum - the Wolsztyn's depot and the railway junction history. The exhibition is completed by the technical lifesaving equippment collected in a freight carriage from 1911.
Railway routes
There are several railway routes in five different directions crossing Wolsztyn. They go to Zbąszynek, Leszno, Poznań and also there are suspended serviced to Konotop (Nowa Sól) and Kargowa (Sulechów). All of them are of historical value. There can be admire an old Prussian architecture of old railway stations mainitained in its original 100 years old state. Also there are other objects, like brigdes, viaducts, semaphores and signal towers, which are aged, many-years-old machinery.