This 60-year old diesel locomotive gave railway fans a thrilling ride on July 10. (source: Igor Molnár, KHKV)
The Club of Historical Track Engines (KHKV) offered fans of railways a thrilling ride on a 60-year-old passenger train, affectionately called ‘Magda’, from the Haniska engine depot near Košice to the town of Dobšiná on July 10. During the trip passengers were able to learn about several monuments and historical attractions and the whole event had elements of tourism, ethnography and history.
“It was exceptional – especially because we took the route Rožňava to Dobšiná which has not seen a single passenger train in the last seven years as passenger transport has been halted on these local routes,” Ľubomír Lehotský of KHKV told the TASR newswire. He added that the ride was made more attractive because it was in such a historical vehicle. “During the ride to Dobšiná, we first stopped in Gočov where we visited the memorial room of Juraj Hronec, the first rector of the College of Technology as well as the old Evangelical Church from the 18th century,” Lehotský said.
The passenger train later continued to Vlachov where passengers viewed a mansion and an icehouse and could later visit the local lido. In Dobšiná they had a free programme where they could visit monuments and participate in several cultural programmes. Shuttle service from Dobšiná to Betliar enabled passengers to visit the well-preserved local mansion that once belonged to the Andrássy family.
On July 10 Magda, an M.131.1225 diesel locomotive dating back to 1949, made her first two trips on route No. 167 to Betliar and Nižná Slaná and then went on to the terminal station at Dobšiná. The locomotive started the day at 6:45 and returned to its home station after 19:00. The KHKV was founded as a civic association in 2003 and since its beginnings has cooperated with the Museum and Documentation Centre of the Slovak Railways to repair and maintain, as well as operate, historical track vehicles. It regularly organises trips such as this one and participates in meetings and exhibitions of old railway operating equipment and tracks.
