Steam and Rail in Slovakia

by Paul Catchpole

Price £9.95

72 pages 215 x 270mm, full colour laminated card cover, 79 b&w photos, 15 maps, 18 diagrams.

ISBN 1-900340-08-9

For a small country tucked away in the mountains of central Europe, Slovakia has a surprising wealth of railway history and variety of motive power on both standard and narrow gauges. The nature of the country has determined the types of railway, from forestry lines and country branches to main lines still heaving with freight traffic and international expresses today. Rack lines, zig-zags, a main-line spiral, and horse-shoe curves can all be found .....if you know where to look.

The development and motive power of the main lines, state narrow-gauge lines and main forestry railways are described - including CSD lines in the area of Sub-Carpathian Russia that was once part of Czechoslovakia. The earlier railways were built under Austro-Hungarian rule and reflect the mother countries' railway history, but the CSD also engaged in railway building and the ZSR continues up to the present day. The private Kosice - Bohumin Railway (Kaschau - Oderberger Bahn), has a chapter to itself, covering the line and its locomotives from construction through to electrification. Illustrations throughout cover all eras from horse traction onwards, and though the accent is on steam, today's locomotives also feature where appropriate.

Author Paul Catchpole researched the railways both in the field (literally!) and official ZSR archives, translating much information from Slovak and Czech sources. The story of the armoured trains built by the Slovak National Partisan movement is told and illustrated, as is the conversion of the Banska Stiavnice line from metre gauge to standard by voluntary Communist youth labour.

Many of the accounts of narrow gauge lines, with maps, photos and loco drawings, have been provided by Slovak expert D. James Horsford, and we feature photos of steam locos on the standard gauge from the well-known 'Dusty' Durrant - including some rare specimens indeed. Juraj Kubacek, head of the ZSR Museum Documentation Centre, has contributed personally from his family's collection, as well as permitting access to the ZSR's historic photographs specially for this publication.

The book opens with Alena Forest's introduction to Slovakia and a map of the system, and is rounded off by a photo-feature showing the railways at work from the railwayman's perspective.