Austrian Railway Group

Széchenyi

Just over the current border in Hungary is a most unusual railway, owned by a last survivor of the Austo-Hungarian Empire, split up in 1918. GySEV operates a tourist railway southwards from the small wayside station at Fertöboz, on the Sopron - Györ line. In 1971 the company re-gauged a standard-gauge industrial branch line which ran from alongside the company's halt to a former sugar beet processing factory at the village of Nagycenk.

The line was opened in 1972, having been rebuilt to the "Austrian" gauge of 760 mm and runs south-east for approximately 400 m before turning south, then south-west to a terminus, Bartátság. This was the original terminus of the line, but in 1972, the route was extended, turning Bartátság into a junction station. Here the train now reverses, curving right through Hst. Nadtelep, and over a track, before describing an uneven wide 180-degree turn, crossing a canal beside the Széchenyi lock and ending alongside the castle at Széchenyi in the station Kastéy (lock). This section was opened on 8 July 1972. The original line, 1.2 km long, was thus extended to 3.6 km in total. There is a restaurant at the station.

The loco shed and carriage sidings are on the site of the industrial sidings near the main line station. Also here is a small museum with seven narrow gauge locomotives on display. Three of the display locos were built in Budapest by Sigl Lokomotiv Fabrik, MAVAG Lokomotive und Maschinenwerke and Maschinenfabrik der MAV, whilst a fourth was constructed by Orenstein und Koppel. The three remaining plinthed locos were built by Krauss, two at Linz: "21", built 4428/1900 for the Borsoder Mining Company, an 0-8-0 ST (D-n2t), and metre-gauge; "V", built 6124/1916 for the Kaposvár sugar factory, an 0-6-0 ST (C-n2t) built to 760 mm gauge. The third was built by Krauss at their München site -"Triglav", constructed in 1901 for Count Ceconi at Freistritz, an 0-6-0 ST (C-2t) of 600 mm gauge.

The three locos in use on the line are all Budapest-built steam locos, one being an 0-8-0 ST (built 1924) and the other two being 0-6-0 ST (built 1924 ad 1949). The line has eight passenger coaches and two luggage vans (for cycles), and can run three trains at once. The line, like several others in Hungary, is run by children, with adult supervision. The 3.6km-long line operates at weekends, and on Hungarian public holidays, between the first weekend in April and the last in September, although the line can be made available for pre-booked trips during the week within the season. A train can also be booked for "driver experience". There are four full-line services, with other short workings between Bartátság and Kastéy in the timetable, with other trains running according to demand. In 2004 the adult return fare was 292 HUF - approximately Ł0.90, or EUR 1,20, whilst childrens' fare was half-price. The line is served by an irregular and infrequent standard-gauge service, and there is no road access to Hst. Fertöboz. As compensation, however, the narrow gauge and standard gauge trains share the station and connect with most trains, giving good photo opportunities.

Further information and pre-booking for driver experience or weekday trains are made via: GYSEV Corp.Commercial Dep. : H-9400 Sopron, Mátyás kir. u. 19
Tel./Fax: 0036 99 517-384 : E-mail: ehackl@gysev.hu

Pictures of Austrain Built stock at : Http://www.railfaneurope.net/

text Stephen Ford
updated 3rd December 2004
Sources : Http://www.gysev.hu/ : /www.sabor.co.at/vef/Museumsbahn/Museumsbahn.htm Pictures of Austrain Built stock at : Http://www.railfaneurope.net/
Design and © 2004 R Ferguson yewtreefm@aol.com