We’re happy to report that editorial staff of “Stalowe Szlaki” quarterly (“Steel Routes”) took the media patronage of the rebuild of beer refrigerator car. The quarterly is one of the oldest and still present on the market hobby magazines devoted entirely to railways. Thank you!
According to the five-year-long tradition, on the third Saturday of May, the Engine Shed Skierniewice could be visited on nighttime during the European Night of Museums. The initiative began modestly in 2010, when for the first time, together with our colleagues from Rogów-Rawa-Biała Narrow Gauge railway we invited residents of Warsaw to visit us at night. On the following year the audience was broaden to include guests from Łódź. Nevertheless, the attendance of occupants of Skierniewice was nominal and the Shed was the only institution in Skierniewice to participate in the country-wide Night of Museums. With time, local population was more interested in the initiative and so did other cultural institutions from the town upon Łupia River. Last year we fully devoted our offer to the citizens of Skierniewice and individual guest and resigned from the special trains from Łódź and Warsaw. It was also thanks to us that the City Council of Skierniewice organized special bus route which connected all points of interest during this special night. Today, nearly all important institutions and clubs from Skierniewice take part in the Night of Museums and the event itself is participated by hundreds, if not thousands, visitors from Skierniewice and nearby towns.
During short four hours of admittance we were visited by 825 guests who could sightsee several illuminated exhibitions.
Thanks to the perfect weather, we could present our rolling stock collection outdoors. On track № 59 stood the battery shunting engine AEG from 1928 coupled together with tank car from 1905 and box car of French origin. Tracks in front of the roundhouse were occupied by a flatcar with narrow gauge engine „Las”, tank engines class TKt48-39 and TKh 2949 „Ferrum”. There was also the inspection motor cart WM5-872, accompanied by a massive, 10-ton-lifting crane, 3rd class coach of type „Steinfurt”, firefighting tank car 12C1 (former tender) and small shunting diesel engine class Ls40-4572 with American flat car. The tank engine class TKp 102 took the honorable place on the turntable. Of course one could also see the engines permanently exhibited outside: Pd5-17, Ol49-4 and both „work horses” of type Ty. It was also the first Night of Museums for the diesel shunter class Ls60-143.
The interactive exhibition of signal box equipment was the main point of interest among younger visitors.
The special bus line was very busy that night. The passengers were awaited at the bus stop in front of the Shed by the guide dressed in historical uniform.
Of course, there were much more historical uniforms to be seen…
We would like to express our gratitude to our guests and partners – the City Council of Skierniewice for taking us into account when preparing the special bus route and railway operators: Przewozy Regionalne and Koleje Mazowieckie, for preparing a special offer of free of charge return ticket for the participants of this event.
The exhibition „Paper Heritage of Warsaw-Vienna Railroad”, prepared by our Association, took place on Friday, 15th May 2015 in Ethnographic Gallery at Radogoszcz Villa in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. The exhibits – copies of old documents and photographs – were carefully selected by our colleague Paweł Mierosławski. The exhibition in Grodzisk will be available for admittance till 7th June on Mondays (8AM till 4PM), Tuesdays – Fridays (10AM till 6PM), Saturdays (4PM till 8PM) and Sundays (12AM till 4PM). From 10th June the exhibition will be moved to the Museum of Technology in Warsaw.
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2015 is the fifth year since we invite our fans to visit the Engine Shed during the Railway Night of Museums. Like in the last year, on the third Saturday of the month (16th May) one can visit the Shed at night, from 8PM to 12PM. It is an unique opportunity to see our rolling stock brought back to life thanks to the stunning illumination. Visitors can also taste the atmosphere of the night shift in the signal box at our exhibition of railway traffic equipment.
Free admittance!
We encourage visitors outside Skierniewice to reach our shed by train. Przewozy Regionalne and Koleje Mazowieckie offered to the participants of the Railway Night of Museums a special deal. Anyone who arrives in Skierniewice by Przewozy Regionalne, can return to their departure point free of charge after receiving a PARE’s stamp on their arrival ticket (the offer is valid only in Łódź Voivodeship and Silesian Voivodeship on the direction to Częstochowa). The details of Koleje Mazowieckie offer are available on KM official site.
NOC MUZEÓW W SKIERNIEWICACH
Many other cultural institutions in Skierniewice are open to visitors on the night of 16th May. The City Council of Skierniewice will launch a special night bus route, which will connect all places of interest on this night.
Grodzisk Mazowiecki was the first city which became the target of excursions with freshly built, first in Congress Poland, railway. Therefore, we would like to invite you together with Villa Radogoszcz to Grodzisk, to the exhibition „Paper heritage of Warsaw-Vienna Railroad”, prepared by our colleague Paweł Mierosławski for the 170th anniversary of WVR. The exhibition will began on Friday, 15th May at 7PM and will be available for admittance till 7th June. Afterwards, the exhibition will be presented in Warsaw and Skierniewice.
Fot. Sylwester Cichal – Foto Art Galeria EKSPOZYCJA 34
A photo plein-air organized by art gallery EKSPOZYCJA 34 from Łowicz, took place on Saturday, 9th May in our Shed. More than 20 participants could take photos of the Shed’s facilities. Not only could the visitors immortalize with their cameras the interiors and exteriors of the main roundhouse, but were also allowed inside the main workshop, the smithy and the railway safety devices exhibition.
Participants can send the photographs taken during the event to the Organizer till 29th May. Chosen works will be shown during the exhibition in EV34.
Fot. Sylwester Cichal – Foto Art Galeria EKSPOZYCJA 34
Photography gallery EKSPOZYCJA 34 from Łowicz invites all photo-hobbyist to take part in a common plein-air. The event will take place on Saturday, 9th May 2015 from 11AM in our Shed (Skierniewice, Łowicka Street 1). The event will last for two hours. Please remember to check out special regulations (in Polish).
Those interested in participation should contact the organizer via email: ev34@wp.pl. Photos, taken during the events and submitted afterwards to the organizer, will be presented during the special exhibition in EV34 gallery.
On 2nd May we have inaugurated the 11th touristic season in Engine Shed. Thanks to the sunny weather, during the 4 hours of admittance we were visited by 476 guests. Traditionally, one could visit our regular exhibitions ex. the exhibition of railway safety devices and signal box equipment. We have also prepared the lengthened route inside the roundhouse, where guests could see the rolling stock on the last 5 tracks of the Shed. For those, who could not visit us on this day, we publish a couple of photos here and a time-lapse of this event on our YouTube channel.
We would also like to encourage you to visit the Shed during the upcoming Night of Museums on 16th/17th May, from 8PM to 12PM.
The conference “Yesterday, today, tomorrow of Warsaw-Vienna Railroad”, co-organized by PARE and the Association of Transportation Engineers of Poland (SITK RP), took place on 28th April, in Warsaw’s NOT House of Engineers. The president of PARE, Judyta Kurowska-Ciechańska, was the member of program council, and our colleagues – Marek Moczulski and Paweł Mierosławski – joined the organization council. The conference was organized under the auspices of Maria Wasiak – the Minister of Infrastructure and Development, Krzysztof Dyla (the President of Departament of Railway Transport) and Jakub Karnowski (CEO of PKP SA).
Conference was divided into two parts. The first one, titled “The yesterday of Warsaw-Vienna Railroad” was presided over by Prof. Adam Wielądek, the honorary president of UIC. Presented papers regarded the history of WVR, most of them were prepared by our colleagues:
Other papers were: “Aleksander Wasiutyński’s contribution to the development of reailways” by Aleksander Drzewiecki from UTK and “The figure of Józef Nowkuński” by prof. Adam Wielądek.
After the break, a second part, titled “Today and tomorrow of WVR”, took place. This part was chaired by vice-president of SITK RP, Dorota Przybyła. The main topic of this part was the modernisation of the line Warsaw – Łódź, implementation of ERMTS system, improvement of quality of transportation services by development of lines № 1, 133, 160 and 186 on the route Zawiercie – Dąbrowa Górnicza Ząbkowice – Jaworzno Szczakowa, the renovation of the stations along the line № 1 and transportation improvements on line Warszawa – Grodzisk Mazowiecki.
While completing the iconography for the upcoming exhibition regarding the Warsaw-Vienna Railway history, our colleague Paweł Mierosławski has found a very interesting photo.
The picture was taken exactly 100 years ago – on 28th April 1915 – in front of still undamaged side of the Warsaw-Vienna Railawy wagon works in Skierniewice (part of this site was blown up in 1914 from the east side). In front of the building, the troops from 49th Reserve Battalion are unloading from the train the requisitioned living stock. A typical sight somewhere behind the front line.
Yet, the typical supply trains were not the only guests at stations in Skierniewice and Łowicz. Transports full of special gas munition arrived soon from Germany (this ordnance was utilized in January and February 1915 at the front line near Bolimów, Humin and Mogiły). Several days after this photo was taken, the 36th Engineering Regiment reached Skierniewice, togeteher with a payload of 12 thousand cylinders containing 264 tonnes of compressed chlorine. Cylinders were placed on the stabilized sections of the front line, between Tartak Bolimowski and Białynin.
The gas attack took place in the early morning, 31st May 1915. According to different sources, between 9 and 11 thousand Russian soldiers and unknown number of civilians succumbed to the gas. The choking stench of chlorine was spread for tens of kilometers by a westward wind.
The nearby towns, especially Żyrardów, turned into hell. There was no help for the gas victims.
Subsequent attacks took place on 12th June and at night, from 6th to 7th July 1915. The June’s attack results were so shocking for the Prussian troops, that they attempted to rescue the victims from the opposing army.
Those, who would like to learn more about those attacks that surpassed the use of chemical weapons in the battle of Ypres, can read more in the article by Paweł Rożdżestwieński “The Battle of Rawka and Bzura” (Polish only).
