15th May 2019 · ‘Czech it out!’

Presenter: John Godfrey

To close the season Chairman John Godfrey spoke on the Czech Republic. The Czech Railways came into being in 1993 and John made his first visit four years later. Since then the railways have seen significant change. As the photographs showed liveries have multiplied. In early days drab green was common, with or without embellishments added by individual drivers. Private operators add colour with their own liveries. Cross border trains bring locos from Poland and Slovakia into the country. Whilst in his early visits John found these locos regularly came off their trains at border stations to be replaced by Czech locos, they now work further into the country. For passenger trains loco haulage was the subject of most photographs. On some services the diesel loco was hauling two or three 4-wheeled trailer coaches from a DMU unit. On some rural lines single car diesel units sufficed.

With John planning another visit shortly we will have the story brought up to date before long.