Acknowledgements/More Information

Phil would particularly like to acknowledge the help of Keith Chester whose book East European Narrow Gauge, published in 1994 by Channel View Publications, includes much information about the Bytom system. Keith has also kindly allowed the use of two of his photos of steam-hauled freights from Gniezno. Steam workings from both Gniezno and Sroda in the 1990s are chronicled in contemporary editions of the subscription magazine World Steam. Local authorities succeeded in running heritage trains on several lines and at least four are still running in summer. More information is available on their websites.

Phil adds that in addition to the lines he visited in the 1990s there are many other narrow-gauge lines still operating in Poland. Two examples include a length of the 785mm gauge Upper Silesian Narrow Gauge Railway at Rudy and the 600mm gauge Maltanka Park railway at Poznan. It would be interesting to hear from any NGW readers who have encountered them recently.

Many of the steam locos described have survived into preservation, some as far away from Poland as Sweden and Spain. Further details are given on the www. steamlocomotive.info website. Several UK travel companies such as the Railway Touring Company include visits to Polish working narrow-gauge lines in their European programmes.

Phil would also like to thank Pawel Niemczuk of the Upper Silesian Narrow Gauge Railway for the information he provided and Steve Edge for once again producing a map for the first part of the article published last month. Readers can obtain a digital or printed copy of this issue from https://www.world-ofrailways.co.uk/Store/Back-Issues/narrow-gauge-world