simond
Western Thunderer
Hi all,
Through the kindness of some work colleagues, I was able to spend an hour or so in the cab of a FabLok 800hp Diesel electric BoBo yesterday, as its driver, Mirek, and the two shunters, Marcin & Maciej (?), moved some stock around between the docks and the exchange sidings.
They even let me have a drive, but only light engine. As has been reported elsewhere, going is the easy bit, stopping, particularly where you want to, takes a bit more practice!
It's very obvious that the trust between the shunters and the driver is absolute, and the shunters are the ones taking the risks. The team were very slick. Mirek had over thirty years experience with the PKP, much of it taking heavy coal rains from the south to Gdansk.
A brilliant way to spend a morning "at work"
Hope you enjoy the photos. I have more if anyone is modelling the Polish railways.
Best
Simon
An "Englishman", apparently the Polish name for a double slip/compound - they had lots of them in the exchange yards - I lost count.
Exchange yard box
Another FabLok
"our" loco
A "Gagarin", named after the astronaut. Soviet-era, Diesel Electric, CoCo I believe, reputedly hugely powerful.
"our" loco again
Mirek at the controls
Mirek, me and Marcin.
Ooh, err...
The "steering wheel" - combined throttle and brake - rather sensitive in inexperienced hands. The lever above is the direction contactors.
and the exchange yard Bothy, and the rather considerable hump, I think more due to subsidence than design.
Through the kindness of some work colleagues, I was able to spend an hour or so in the cab of a FabLok 800hp Diesel electric BoBo yesterday, as its driver, Mirek, and the two shunters, Marcin & Maciej (?), moved some stock around between the docks and the exchange sidings.
They even let me have a drive, but only light engine. As has been reported elsewhere, going is the easy bit, stopping, particularly where you want to, takes a bit more practice!
It's very obvious that the trust between the shunters and the driver is absolute, and the shunters are the ones taking the risks. The team were very slick. Mirek had over thirty years experience with the PKP, much of it taking heavy coal rains from the south to Gdansk.
A brilliant way to spend a morning "at work"
Hope you enjoy the photos. I have more if anyone is modelling the Polish railways.
Best
Simon
An "Englishman", apparently the Polish name for a double slip/compound - they had lots of them in the exchange yards - I lost count.
Exchange yard box
Another FabLok
"our" loco
A "Gagarin", named after the astronaut. Soviet-era, Diesel Electric, CoCo I believe, reputedly hugely powerful.
"our" loco again
Mirek at the controls
Mirek, me and Marcin.
Ooh, err...
The "steering wheel" - combined throttle and brake - rather sensitive in inexperienced hands. The lever above is the direction contactors.
and the exchange yard Bothy, and the rather considerable hump, I think more due to subsidence than design.
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