The four-wheeled, battery-powered shunting engine (so called akkulok) was built in 1928 by company AEG for sugar factory in Witaszyce. The vehicle bears factory number 4184. It is of a quite simple design: two electric motors coupled via single stage gearboxes with axles, cramped driver cab with modest equipment with two battery boxes on each end. Engine was employed by a shunting works on the factory’s sidings. Over the years the appearance of the engine changed. Due to the many repairs and overhauls before early 1970’s, the engine had covers of the battery boxes replaced with simplified ones, and added electric lights in new casings.

When the engine concluded its service, PARE began efforts to add it to then started railway collection in Skierniewice’s Shed.  In April 1995 the vehicle arrived on the heavy-freight trailer in Skierniewice.

At the turn of 1997/1998 the renovation works began. First of all, the bodywork had to be painstakingly cleaned off of rust and old paint. Next come the coat of anti-corrosive paint. At that point, the vehicle started to look better, but it was still many years before more complex works could be started. In 2006, the engine arrived at the Warsaw’s Tram works – first the undercarriage, than the remaining parts of the body. The greatest attention had to be paid to the electrical equipment – engines and controls required lots of efforts to be brought back to life. A new roof and doors have been fitted to the bodywork. Still, finding a manufacturer willing to rebuild the driving resistors appeared to be a bit tricky.

In January 2014, the bodywork got the finish before the final coat of paint. New lights casings have been fitted. Two months later, the vehicle was painted in the final colors, both inside and outside. However, the electrical equipment was still in parts.

Al last in the beginning of summer, the renovation of the electrical equipment was completed and the engine could be assembled together. On 20^th June, the akkulok made its trial run on borrowed batteries, to check if the old controls work properly.

On 20^th September 2014, the engine was prepared to depart back to Skierniewice. Before loading on the heavy-freight trailer, last photos in front of Warsaw’s Tram works were taken. Due to the small sizes of the vehicle, the transportation to the Shed went effortlessly.

 

Thanks to the support of Warsaw’s Trams, the akkulok is the newest completely renovated  vehicle in PARE’s collection. The first public presentation of the engine took place during the Railwaymen Day, on 22^nd November.