Once the nerve centre of operations, former Kujawy Railways HQ at Krosniewice on 5 October 2010. Note sign indicating that the station was once called Krosniewice Miasto. Photo BTWT.
(Click image to enlarge.)
On Sunday I received a report of a fire at Krosniewice station, so on Monday I set out to check the damage.
Fire damaged woodwork at former Kujawy Railway offices.
Photo BTWT.
Luckily the fire had been quickly contained. The damage was confined to part of the the building that, in SKPL days, had housed the General Manager’s office.
The level crossing to the South of the station has been partly asphalted over. The main line provides a convenient parking spot. Photo BTWT.
The state of the railway as a whole is a cause for great concern. Level crossings have had their flangeways asphalted over and the undergrowth is reclaiming the railway track.
(Click image to enlarge.)
The Mayor of Krosniewice’s sole contribution to the development of the Krosniewice Railway – a flower arrangement utilising a former platelayers’ truck. Photo BTWT.
(Click image to enlarge.)
In November this year, the Mayor of Krosniewice, Mrs Barbara Hermann, will be terminating her Council’s licence to manage the Krosniewice Railway. After PKP closed all its surviving narrow gauge railways in 2001, the Krosniewice section of the former Kujawy Railways was taken over by the Town Council and operated by SKPL till March 2008.
Transporter wagons wait for the scrapman’s torch in a siding. Photo BTWT.
In SKPL days, the Krosniewice Railway carried as much as 100,000 tonnes of freight each year. A contract for the railway to carry roadstone for the building of the A1 motorway was just being negotiated when Mrs Hermann terminated SKPL’s licence to operate the railway.
Krosniewice yard. Photo BTWT.
Property development plans were the reason for the withdrawal of SKPL’s licence. Mrs Hermann asked SKPL to radically reduce the footprint of their opeartions at Krosniewice, and in particular, to relinquish the repair shop and machine shop. When SKPL refused, Mrs Hermann’s terminatied their operating agreement.
Passenger rolling stock outside the repair shop in Krosniewice. Photo BTWT.
After SKPL’s licence was terminated the Mayor of Krosniewice allowed just a couple of special trains to run. Local volunteers repainted the rolling stock and cleared some undergrowth. There have been no operations during 2010.
Behind The Water Tower 
Wednesday, 6 October 2010 at 10:11 |
What gauge is it?
If this was the UK the clamour to reopen this would be unstoppable. Such a tragedy that it faces closure.
Thursday, 7 October 2010 at 07:02 |
750 mm.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010 at 18:40 |
It’s good to hear that the fire did not do major damage to the station but it is a concern that the station building appears to be deteriorating quite badly. Whilst grass cutting and vegetation trimming is taking place (carried out by the Council, I assume) the whole of the station area is starting to look more like a former railway rather than one than has any chance of being operational in the near future. After seeing the trains that were run by SKOKW between Krosniewice, Leczyca and Ozorkow in September 2008 it is very disappointing to note the absence of any significant activity this year. It will be ironic if the new level crossing constructed to take the railway over the bypass is never actually used by any trains.
Thursday, 7 October 2010 at 06:14 |
So, she is just a mayor. Believing she is some kind of demigod because she has a big hat and therefore unassailable is a problem.