CD Muzeum, Luzna u Rakovnika, CZ

This is another unit that I can't get info on right now. It's M designation would indicate a DMU, a gas-electric doodlebug, or something similar, but it's actually a "steam motor car" or "steam carriage," built in 1903 by Ringhoffer, which would make it of Austrian kkStB heritage, originally carrying the number 1001. Since kkStB's Czech stock was transferred to CSD eventually, that's how it got its CSD number. In actuality, it was one of two such steam motor cars intended for use on the Czech Northern Railway, which proved to be too steep for them, and kkStB ended up with them after they were rejected. Both were originally called "Komarek" steam motor cars, and in contrast to the originally rural setting that they were supposed to operate in, they ended up in suburban services out of Prague. They were phased out of this service before the end of steam on CSD, though, with #M124.001 ending up in the Narodni Technicky Muzeum as early as 1949. As far as I know, #M124.001 is the only surviving unit now, and the CD Muzeum claim that it is the oldest operating steam vehicle in their collection.

Here's the numberplate for M124.001.

#524.159 is a Class 524.1 2-10-2T which, surprisingly, would have been used in mixed traffic, particularly on mountainous routes. As with the 434, there was more than one specification that qualified as a 524.1 Class, so I don't know the exact specs of this one (although the museum has some of them, which sound like round figures). It would have, however, a top speed between 55 and 60Km/h, and would have a power rating of either 935kW (1254 horsepower) or 1030kW (1381 horsepower). The museum claims 935kW or 1250 horsepower and 55Km/h for #524.159. These locomotives had a very long production run, like the 434.2 Class, so that may explain why the 524.1 Class also has more than one accepted specification. The 162 locomotives of the 524.1 Class were produced from 1918 until 1943 by CKD and Skoda, and weren't pulled from service until 1980, making them some of the last mainline steam locomotives in Czechoslovakia. Supposedly #524.159 was built by CKD in 1929, but the museum doesn't give a date of retirement.

Here's a closeup of 524.159's numberplate.

T466.0286 is the same class as 735175-2, although it's still carrying it's pre-1988 number and is also in much better condition. To review the facts, it would have been produced between 1971 and 1979 by TS Martin, one of a class of 299 units, it has a power rating of 800kW (1073 horsepower), and a top speed of 90Km/h. It could have served as late as 2002, but after that time the last units of the class were withdrawn.

This is an old open-platform wooden coach, which appears to be in pretty good shape, good enough to be serviceable. It's possible to see coaches like this on excursion trains in the Czech Republic, and my understanding is that they were used quite late in mainline and branchline service, too. Some were in fact built as late as the 1940's, in spite of being 50 years out of date by that point.

M131.1238 is an M131 Class railbus, later reclassified a Class 801 under the 1988 renumbering scheme. These units were produced from 1948 until 1956 by Tatra, eventually totalling 549 for the fleet, a very large number when you consider that none remain in service today, as all were withdrawn by 1984, a service lifespan of only 36 years, with some serving less than 30. Their small size may have had something to do with this, as they could only seat 48 people to a modern 810 Class's 55, plus 40 standees, along with their maximum speed of 60Km/h compared with 80Km/h for an 810. Other antiquated features would have been their mechanical transmissions (compared to the 810's hydraulic transmission), and their antiquated Tatra T 301 engines, which were based on the old Tatra T111 from Tatra's World War II-era trucks, that in spite of having 14.8 liters displacement from 12 cylinders, only produced about 155-160 horsepower.

The title pretty much says it all. This is a beer van, or boxcar, that doesn't appear to be refrigerated. In reality, beer doesn't need to be refrigerated until maybe the time of serving, so that makes sense. I don't know for certain, but I assume that crew shelter is for a security guard rather than a brakeman, as beer theft seems a likely possibility in Czechoslovakia. Does anybody know for certain?

There weren't many dining cars at the museum when I was there, but this one was being used as the museum cafe. It looked to be in very good condition, at least in appearance. I don't know very much about its mechanical state, but nothing seemed clearly missing (I didn't look too carefully).

This is actually not a Czech locomotive or a Soviet locomotive, but a German Kriegslok from World War II (built by Wiener Lokomotivfabrik, Floridsdorf in 1943) that's been disguised as a Soviet locomotive, as it would have later served on RZD in the Soviet Union after being claimed as reparations. These locomotives became the RZD TE Class, and #555.0301 was one of 100 purchased from RZD in 1962-1963 for heavy freight service. With 1178kW ( 1580 horsepower) they had more power than the typical Czech locomotive, and they were also very fast for a Czech freight locomotive, being capable of 80Km/h in service. Of course, they weren't Czech. During their RZD service, they were converted to run on Russian 1524mm broad-gauge track, but obviously CSD converted them back to 1435mm standard-gauge. After serving into the 1970's, the Kriegsloks on CSD were put back into military use, although this time as reserve locomotives. Many European governments stashed steam locomotives away in the 1950's-1990's, expecting an oil shortage should a total war break out, but the Czech government gave up this policy in 1993, at least for the Kriegsloks, thus freeing up this locomotive for historic preservation. Unfortunately, it doesn't still run, in spite of having been kept for service so late.

Here's another shot taken of the Kriegslok's cab, which appears to be a heavy-duty winter cab, which makes sense given that it served in the Soviet Union. The number "T3-3644" must have been the number for Soviet service, unless they had to make one up for display (I don't know if they have the records).

I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure that this is a camp car for MOW service, given the configuration of the windows, and the small baggage door. It could also be a combine or a brake van, but a combine would have a bigger door, I think. Again, more research might uncover something interesting.

This is a second shot of the same car. I note that the destination board appears to be from a very recent excursion.

I don't know anything about these scrapped cylinders other than that they're a bank of three, which is somewhat unusual, and that some parts appear to be bent, suggesting a wreck rather than scrapping. I could have just been a sloppy scrapping job, too, but for some reason these cylinders were saved, and ended up in this museum. The most interesting question to ask might be simply why?

Here's a rear view of the cylinders.

This is the fully-active coal bunker used at the CD Muzeum for supplying operable steam locomotives. The narrow-gauge mining track into it is an interesting touch, I think.

Here's the Albatros being watered for its return trip to Praha Branik. This water spout is the one located within the museum grounds, next to the coal bunker. In the lower left corner of this photo you can also see an ashpit, which might double as an inspection pit. It's cramped, though, so probably they would be better off using one in the shops.

Here's a fairly-modern 2nd Class smooth side streamline coach, of what vintage I don't know. Streamline equipment generally didn't come into use on CSD until the 1960's, so it's probably from sometime around then. Again, a spotter's guide for passenger cars would be good to have.