Weekend in MAV land.

[Birdbrain]

Just a quick trip report of a trip I took for a long weekend in Hungary in search of some locomotive haulage. I wasn't dissapointed!

Friday
After travelling up from Southampton the evening before, I had decided to stay overnight in the Houslow travelodge. This seemed much more competitivly priced compared to the heathrow hotels and was only a short trip on the tube into Heathrow the following morning. We took the tube into Heathrow and were quickly through security and onto the 0855 BA flight to Budapest. It was a beautiful clear morning and we were able to view London, Kent and Essex on the journey before it clouded over on reaching Beglian shores. 15 minutes early we were making our approach to Budapest airport. Disembarkation was smooth and we were soon outside the airport. There were huge queues for the direct 100E bus to the city center, but we skipped past these in favour of taking an old volvo on the 200E as far a Ferihegy railway station. Once on the platform we noticed the next trin was an intercity (not valid without a supplement) so waited for 432200 hauling a suburban push pull set for the short journey into Nyugati station. First one in the book!

We alighted, took some photos and then recieved a text from the owner of the apartment that we had booked saying it was now not available! Cheers then! We had booked it as it was directly opposite Nyugati station, easy for bashing moves. He replied and said he had an alternative property situatied halfway between here and Keleti station. We found the flat and were greeted by the housekeeper who gave us the keys and who we paid a reduced rate of 100 euros for the three nights. This had lost us vital time as we had planned to make our way over to Kobany Kispest for the 1421 hauled service to Kunszentmiklos tass. Instead we cuaght a trollybus back to Nyugati station and attempted to board the 1523ish service to Kobanya Kispest. Time rolled on and no loco appeared to attach to the waiting stock. Realising this wasn't going to happen we took another push pull set hauled by a class 432 round to Kobanya Kispest. Here we viewed some bus arrivals and departures before taking a FLIRT unit to Dunaharitzi Also where we could pick up the hauled diagram on its return journey. Dunaharitzi Also seemed like a bit of a dump! It was common place for people to walk all over the tracks and here we even viewed someone driving their car along the cess! Happily, 431212 soon appeared hauling very old mk1 style BHv coaches for the return journey to Kobanya Kispest.

Pictured above on arrival at Kobanya Kispest

We decided to head back to Nyugati to then go up the line to Vac as we had noticed most of these services were hauled too. 432200 rolled in for the jouney to Nyugati (a dud already!). On arrival, the next depature to Vac was a unit so we waited for the 1815 semi fast hauled by another 432. We alighted at Vac and took some pictures before having a look around the town. It was quite a nice place with a senic part near the river. We ate in a resturant in town before catching a FLIRT unit back to Budapest Nyugati for a tram and a trollybus back to our apartment. More to follow

 

[Birdbrain]

Saturday
We woke very early as we needed to get to Deli station for the 0800 depature. After visting Lidl for drinks and snack supplies for the day ahead we headed down to kodaly korond metro station to take line 1 as far as Deak Feranc Ter to transfer onto line 3 for Budapest Deli. Metro line 1 is the oldest in mainland europe with interesting stock and well preserved platforms. Lots of interesting things going on at Deli with stock being marshalled by shunting locomotives. We boarded the 0800 service to Tapolca which was hauled by 431336 pictured below.

Being a summer saturday we knew it would be busy but even boarding fifiten minutes early there were no spare seats! Not to worry, we took a droplight near the front and viewed all the locomotives as we passed Kelenford and sped towards Szekhesverhevar. On arrival we got off to view the detachment of the electric loco and the attachment of 418324, a diesel hydrolic loco, the class which was to be our focus today. On the opposite platform a orignal engined 418/1 arrived with the Sleeper from Rijeka/Koper making a loud racket. Back on board at our droplight we enjoyed the journey along the north shore of Lake Balaton passing several toursist towns and holiday resorts. We alighted at Balatonakali Dorgicse to leap for the train going the other way.

This appeared being hauled by a 418/2 which was louder than the 418/3 we had just alighted from. The leap point for the service in the opposite direction was Balatonfured but as this is a larger station with barriers stopping you cutting across the balast we decided to leap one stop early at Aszofo. This was a tiny shack seemingly in the middle of no where with no one else to be seen.

After a ten minute wait we were off in the opposite direction on a stopping service hauled by another 418/3 which we took as far as Revulop. Another old looking station, we exited in search of the local co-op where more snacks, drinks and ice lollys were purchased. Once back at the station we took another 418/3 as far as Zanka Koveskal. The next depature was a Saturdays Only service to Tapolca which was not part of the usual diagram for the loco's on this line so we were hopeful something interesting would produce. It did. 418143, an orignal engined loco painted in the heritage colour scheme. It was hauling a rake of very old compartment stock which we enjoyed all the way to the end of the line at Tapolca. There was lots to see here, an engine shed, lots of class 418 locos and some BzMot units. We had an hours break until 418143 was booked to return so we headed into town and found a bakerey to get some lunch. On arrival back at the station 418143 had dissapered and 418334 had been taken off shed to work the next service back. Another winner, we took this as far as Revfulop where we alighted and had worked out that the next service in the opposite direction was booked to be a loco we had not yet seen. We were thrilled when another original 418/1 appeared! Nice loud sounds on depature, we took this service as far as Abrahamhegy where we leaped for another 418/3 back as far as Balatonfured. It was now 1700 and with 8 winning diesel locos in the book we decided to head to a burger resturant for some dinner. On a summer saturday there is one diagram that heads from Tapolca to Balatonfured early in the morning then sits there as a rescue loco all day and then works one trip back at 1815. Luckily we were in a position to cover this and it was formed of the older Mk1 style coaches and another winning 418/3.

(Stock for the 1815 Balatonfured to Tapolca)

It felt as though you were back in the 70's 80's on this train, travelling in this stock behind a deisel in normal sevice. We alighted at Zanka Koveskal so we were in position for the last train back to Budapest. Unsure of what the loco would be, as the diagrams stated it would be something off Tapolca shed we were delighed when 418143 could be heard in the distance. Although not a winner, we had still managed 9 deisel locos and could now have the loud engine for the milage back to szekhesferhavr. The driver was obviously deligheted too as he applied full throttle out of every station and then approached the next platform at high speed, slamming on the breaks and then hoping that the rake had fitted onto the platform! Travelling along Balton in an old compartment with the window fully down listening to the loco as the sun was setting over the lake - bliss! At Szekhesfehevar, the 418 was taken off and a 480 was attached for the sprint under the wires back to Budapest. We returned via the subway to our apartment after a fantastic day.

(418143 being ripped at Szekhesferhevar)

 

[Birdbrain]

Sunday
Sunday we had always planned to be a more relaxing day with the main aim to be covering the children's railway and some bus/tram/trolly moves. We headed via metro 1/3 to Szell Kalaman Ter where we boarded tram 59 to the bottom of the cogwheel railway. This took us up the hill to the start of the children's railway at Széchenyi-hegy. I had visited the children's railway before as part of my Interrail across Europe from Amseterdam to Sofia in 2015 but only had the chance to cover one of the 6 diesels on offer here. Full trip report https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/interrail-trip-report-–-brading-to-bulgaria.128564/ We watched the children arrive on the first arrival to take up their roles before boarding the first depature as far as Viravolgy. This was an execptionally loud loco as we noticed there was some kind of modifiction to the exhaust. We chose to visit today as there were 4 loco diagrams to cover but the next journey back in the oppoisite direction turned out to be the 1929 railbus which we boarded for the novelty factor and alighted at Normafa halt. From here we picked up the next loco diagram as far as Szepjuhaszne before leaping again to Janoshegy and then the final loco down the hill to Huvosvolgy. Here we had a look in the museum and once again just thought how impressive the whole operation is, teaching children about the railway. We headed to the local lidl to stock up on supplies before doing two more round trips from Huvolsvolgy to Janoshegy so that we could enjoy the trash on the uphill sections.

Back at Huvolsvolgy we didn't have any set plans for the rest of the day so just did some blind leaps around Budapest. First we took the tram back to Szell Kalaman and then took the very small buses on route 16A up to the castle district. After spending 5 minutes here with lots of tourists admiring the view, we decided that was enough and headed back down on bus 16A and tram 4 to the parliment building on the other side of the river. From here we took tram 19? along the bank of the river all the way to the transport interchange at Boraros Ter. He we viewed some older Ikarus buses on service but decided to take the HEV suburban railway to Cspel. These are operated by older EMUs. Cspel is not a tourist destination but does give you a feel of what the city is like to live in for some people. After consulting the map we noticed that we could take a bus across the river to Pesterzsebet to pick up the other HEV line back into the city. We did this and then took at tram to Keleti to view the marshalling for the sleeper depatures.

At keleti there was plenty of activity, 448 shunters were marshalling stock as well as various electric classes. As the sun was fading we decided to do some trollybus moves and managed to score some older Ikarus 280T buses on the lines surrounding Keleti station. After another quick burger for dinner we headed across to Nyugati to see what was working the evening suburban depatures. To our suprise the 2143 stopping service to Cegled was formed of a 431 and a rake of compo stock - on a Sunday night! madness. We took this as far as Kobanya Kispest before returning to the city on the metro 3 to tick off the track.

 

[Birdbrain]

Monday
Last day in Hungary before heading home but as we still had a day validity on our interrail we wanted to make the most of it. We started by taking a trollybus to Keleti station for a quick McD breakfast before heading on driverless metro line 4 out to Kelenfold station. A very bizare feeling standing at the front of the driverless tube. At kelenfold we had a quick look at the frieght yards, keen to see an ex BR 87 or a NOHAB but there wasn't much doing so we took a FLIRT unit across to Kobany Kispest and decided that today we would head east. At Kobanya Kispest we took a 432 hauled train out to Cegled. En route we did spot a Flloyd ex BR 87 but couldn't photo as we were moving at speed and not stood at a droplight. At Cegled we had a quick look around before taking the next service to Szolnok which dispite being booked a 431 turned up at a FLIRT unit - cheers! Szolnok is a ralway town it would seem and we had a look at the marshalling yards and spent a while looking and photographing around the whole station. As we wanted to be close to budapest ready for our flight we decided to take the next hauled depature on the other line to Budapest via Sulysap which was formed of a 432 and a push pull set. Another interesting route with the train becoming busier as we reached the capital once more. At Keleti station we took a bus on line 7 as far a Zuglo to pick up one last 431 and compo stock on a service back to the airport station at Ferihegy.

Overall a fantastic weekend in the land where loco hauled trains are still in great numbers. Managed lots of electric haulage around Budapest and the Deisels around lake balaton.

Costs for those planning something similar:
Tickets - 3 Day Hungary Interrail - £48
- 7 Day Budapest Travelcard - £13apx
Accomodation - Apartment £100 for 3 nights
Flights - BA £180 return

 

[87electric]

Nice report there. It has given me some ideas so thanks for all the info. I like the look of the 431 locos.

 

[Birdbrain]

Thanks, they look the business but weren’t too loud

 

[Please Explain]

An enjoyable read there Birdbrain, many thanks. Unfortunately I can't view your pics. Issue might just be at my end though as viewing on my mobile. I'll have a look again on the computer later.
I've hardly done justice to Magyarország myself, only passed through in transit to Romania. It's somewhere I've always wanted to come back to and do properly as you point out, its so cheap and got plenty of old school LH action!

I also very much enjoyed your '15 trip to Bulgaria, I did something similar myself in December of that year, went like this: London>Dover>Calais>Dunkerque>De Panne>Brugge>Brussel>Basel>Zürich>Lindau>München>Nürnberg>Göttingen>Berlin>Budepest>București>Kishinev>Tiraspol>Kyiv>Minsk>Vilnius>Glasgow>Ayr>Cairnryan>Belfast>Dublin>Rosslare>Fishguard>Cardiff>London, all by rail/bus/boat overland/sea with the exception of the flight from Vilnius to Glasgow, took about a month and was a lot of fun.
I've been meaning to write up a proper blog post about it all ever since but just not found the time, though I did write up a short post about my one day in Belarus which you can read at: le-vauban.blogspot.com if you like.

Thanks again for some most enjoyable reading and keep them coming.

Cheers,
Kris.