Steam Locomotives - Poland: Books - History and Types

The Magic of Steam: Steam locomotives in Poland 1987-1991

Poland, Europe's last stronghold of steam. Coal dirt, sooty oily sheds, cinders and ash, water towers and coal bunkers nestling beside branch lines overgrown with grass. The last steam express train in Europe and the still-living remains of a former vast net of narrow gauge lines. The end of the steam era in Poland.

Step inside and enjoy the atmosphere of the old railway world. Maybe get some inspiration for your model railway? The book contains a ?ne selection of the author's railway photos from Poland.
Petter Nyborg has been a steam locomotive driver and ?reman for more than 35 years, driving veteran trains in Norway. Himself a model railway enthusiast, Petter organized several railway tours in Poland between 1987 and 1991.

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Parowozy normalnotorowe produkcji polskiej

Bogdan Pokropiński, a well-known author of many publications on the history of railways, this time presents the readers the history and construction of all series and types of Polish standard-gauge steam locomotives, as well as export broad-gauge steam locomotives, manufactured by:
- First Lokomotive Factory in Poland S.A. in Chrzanów
- Warszawska Spółka Akcyjna Budowy Parawozów in Warsaw
- Zakłady Mechaniczne Hipolita Cegielskiego in Poznań
- and Zakłady Konstrukcze Taboru Kolejowego in Wrocław.

The steam locomotives are both of native construction and manufactured on the basis of foreign licenses. Therefore, there are steam locomotives for PKP (fast, passenger, cargo), industrial locomotives, steam locomotives manufactured exclusively for export (also broad-gauge) and unrealized steam locomotive designs. The description of each type is supplemented by a drawing and photographs.

Text in Polish.

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Pomnik parowóz - die polnischen Denkmaldampflokomotiven

A travel guide to the history, stories and present of all standard gauge museum and memorial steam locomotives in Poland.

Many railway enthusiasts immediately associate Poland with Wolsztyn. Pure scheduled steam, loved by some, derisively referred to by others as the British playground because of the previous financial support from the kingdom.
But Poland offers much more for railway and technology enthusiasts. There are 319 standard gauge steam locomotives to marvel at in the country; many with Prussian or German roots. Be it as a monument, as a wreck in the hope of better times or as a museum piece lovingly cared for by the country's countless railway enthusiasts.
That is only half of the locomotives preserved in Germany. But in addition to the representatives of the successful Polish series, there are numerous exhibits from the first half of the 20th century that are unique worldwide.

An enormous historical treasure that is well worth a visit! But where can you find the locomotives? Most people know Wolsztyn, of course, and they have heard that there are museums in Chabówka and Warsaw, but after that the information becomes much thinner. Until now!

This book is intended to serve as a travel guide for you even without prior knowledge. It will show you the locations of the locomotives, document their current condition and tell the history and stories of the vehicles.
It is deliberately not a compilation of tables and data on the history of railways, but a story from everyday use. 700 photos from yesterday and today - over 200 of them in color - allow you to immerse yourself in the world of Polish-Prussian railway history.

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Parowozy wąskotorowe produkcji polskiej

In Poland, in the twenties of the last century, two factories started the production of narrow-gauge steam locomotives: "The First Locomotive Factory in Poland S.A." (Fablok) in Chrzanów and the "Warszawska Spółka Akcyjna Budowy Parowozów" (WSABP) in Warsaw.
The last narrow-gauge steam locomotive of the Warsaw factory, renamed in 1935 as "Wytwórnia Parowozów Zakładów Ostrowieckich", was produced in 1938.
In the Chrzanów factory, production continued during the Second World War for the needs of the German occupier and in the post-war period, until 1959.

In total, 2226 narrow-gauge steam locomotives were manufactured by Polish factories, of which 2178 were produced by Fablok and 48 by WSABP. Of these, almost 1,000 were exported. There were also many steam locomotive projects which were not implemented for various reasons.

The book presents all types and series of narrow-gauge steam locomotives manufactured in Polish factories for the Polish State Railways (PKP), for industry, construction, forestry, agriculture and for foreign customers. Most were the work of local designers, but some were manufactured under foreign license.

Text in Polish.

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