Motor unit Mbxd1-168 draws up at Krosniewice station in December 2006. Photo BTWT.
(Click image to enlarge.)
Motor unit Mbxd1-168 (formerly Bxhpi 1719) rebuilt from a passenger coach at the Krosniewice Railway workshops in 1966, has been delivered to Milicz where a small outdoor railway museum has been established. The railway museum commemorates the former Milicz District Railway which in 1945 was extended to link up to the Wroclaw Narrow Gauge Railway.
For the last few years there were rumours that a section of this 750 mm gauge railway was going to be restored as an EU-assisted project, but the local authorities who own the line have now decided that most of the railway is going to be converted into a cycle path. It seems that those who supported the rebuilding of the railway are to be fobbed off with a ‘skansen’ with perhaps a short demonstration line.
Mbxd1-168 was bought by SKPL from the PKP property department in 2002 and for many years ran the lion’s share of the regular passenger workings which SKPL operated on the Krosniewice Railway. It also took part in many ‘specials’ and is seen in the picture above entering Krosniewice Station from Krosniewice yard, ready to operate a special train to Ozorkow on 2 December 2006
The motor unit was cosmetically restored by SKPL staff on the Pleszew Railway and delivered to Milicz on 22 January 2011.
Mbxd1-168 leaves Pleszew, 22.01.2011. Photo SKKW.
Behind The Water Tower 
Monday, 24 January 2011 at 16:33 |
The 600mm Milicz District Railway is totallly new to me: no mention of anything like this, found in any sources available to me. I’d understood that the whole Wroclaw — Przedkowice — Milicz — Sulmierzyce, with branch to Zmigrod, narrow-gauge system, was 750mm gauge throughout its lifetime (approx. 1894 — 1992).
Was the Milicz District Railway a non-passenger-carrying outfit? Would be very interested to learn more.
Monday, 24 January 2011 at 19:03 |
In your second paragraph you mention the gauge of the railway as being 600 mm. I thought that the original railway was constructed to 750 gauge and remained like that until closure. In 1992 a great deal of the track was still present and was of 750 gauge. A Px49 that had worked on the line remained at Milicz station. Mbxd1-168 is a 750 mm gauge machine so I assume that any track that is being laid as part of the museum will be of 750 mm gauge rather than 600mm.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011 at 01:37 |
Oops sorry, I got the gauge wrong! There’s a story attached to this which I’ll share in a future post.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011 at 12:22 |
I had a dream to ride on this car on KrKD. Now it’s all over.
And open air preservation is only good for rust, not for a railway fan.