Watch: green Trabant drives on railway tracks – VIDEO

The German “paper Jaguar,” the Trabant, has played many roles around the world, but until now, it had never served as a rail vehicle.

Closed down in 2003, the Palotabozsok station was given a new lease of life a few years ago when the Palotabozsok Railway Museum was established, thanks to Károly Ludvig and his enthusiastic team of helpers.

Line closure

The MÁV line 64 between Pécs and Bátaszék was once an important route, as it connected via Baja to Kiskunfélegyháza and then to Szeged. In the spring of 1997, two derailments led to the temporary closure of a section between Pécsvárad and Palotabozsok. After that, the line slowly became unmanageable, making it less passenger-friendly, which led to its permanent closure. The suburban section in Pécs continued to operate until 2009 when it was finally shut down.

A section of the former MÁV line 64 between Pécs and Bátaszék is being revitalised by civilians who have taken it to heart. Through a great deal of volunteer work, the Palotabozsok station building has been converted into a museum, and the closed section of the track has been renovated. The team is organising a 3-kilometre-long tracking project and has constructed a self-made track trap.

Museum on the Abandoned Railway Line

A museum has been set up at Palotabozsok in Baranya County, featuring a working light barrier with a cover signal, a turnstile with a bowling pin, a voice-over by Pál Szalóczy, a steam locomotive well, beautifully restored switches, an ABmot train, a working rail car in the form of a green Trabant 601 station wagon and a motorised hairpin. We have the complete traffic office and steam locomotive shed. In addition to the uniforms, the building houses communications equipment, telexes, telephones, telegraphs, pictures and other railway-related items.

– András Becsky, who travels 170 kilometres from Dunavarsány to Palotabozsok for the team’s weekend work, told 24.hu.

There are currently 800 metres of track in the direction of Bátaszék and 2.2 kilometres in the direction of Véménd (Pécs), all well-maintained and offering an authentic railway atmosphere. This spring, the team cleared the station’s tracks 1 and 2 of decades of forest and scrub. Replacing the rotten sleepers is a challenge, and currently, travel is limited to 10 km/h.

The long-term goal for the museum and the civilian team is to complete the section to Véménd and run occasional services from Palotabozsok between the two stations, creating a major attraction.

The impressive track Trabant is used by the civilian team for work on the line. Additionally, a seven-seater hairpin, powered by a lawnmower engine, is available to the public.

The next all-day programme at Palotabozsok station will be on 15 June, Railmen’s Day, but you can visit the museum and the maintained line all year round by appointment.

Read also about Trabant:

• Journey of tribute: Zsolt Vadász and the Trabant Expedition’s African adventure, details HERE
• Halfway around the continent with a Trabant, trip starts from Hungary, details HERE