"A six-day tour by special train comprising three carriages visiting all depots in Eastern Hungary. Depots will include not only to those owned and operated by the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) but also several facilities that belong to forestry railways.I am sure that many of you will regard your visit to the Záhony trans‑shipment complex, where the European standard gauge meets the Russian wide gauge, the highlight of the entire trip.The train will be pulled by a variety of interesting diesel and electric locos.The dining car will be open to passengers throughout the journey, offering a standard menu as well as a menu of the day at meal times, and snacks & refreshments throughout the day.Nights will be spent in three- or four-star hotels.
The Tour Programme
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Arrival in Budapest early afternoon. A number of airlines fly from the United Kingdom to Budapest. The ADL tour manager will be taking easyJet’s flight from Gatwick to Budapest Ferihegy 1. A transfer coach will meet this flight to take passengers to the hotel to check in.There will be a “Welcome Dinner” at the Alibi Café in the centre of Budapest, after our arrival and time to freshen up.
Monday, 21 April 2008
After breakfast in the hotel passengers will transfer by coach to Nyugati station, designed by Gustave Eiffel. They will enjoy a glass of champagne in the Royal Waiting Rooms, then board the train and commence their trip eastwards.The first stop is the Hatvan depot, which houses V43 electric engines as well as some older diesel locos.Next we will visit Füzesabony where the local depot is responsible for the repair of the few railcars serving the lines around Eger. After the visit we will travel via Nyékládháza (reversal) to our third stop is Tiszaújváros, an industrial town built in the early 1950s according to a Soviet model, where transportation by rail has played an important role from the very start.
The railway line was built at the same time as the town itself. There is a major industrial railway system here; the local factories are served by a total of 10 diesel engines based at three facilities. We will visit one by coach and the other two on our special train; then we return to the main line and continue our journey towards Miskolc.Miskolc is Hungary’s second largest city. We will first visit the local MÁV depot, then the depot of the forestry railway.Haulage for the day is expected to include an MMV 45 (ex-CFR class 40) and a MÁV V43Accommodation will be at the three-star-plus Hunguest Hotel Palota.
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
After breakfast at the hotel we take a coach to Miskolc railway station where we rejoin our special train to travel to Záhony, via Szerencs.This small town, situated near the Ukrainian border, accommodates one of Europe’s most important inland transhipment facilities where the European standard gauge meets the Russian wide gauge. The engines operating on the 100 km long wide gauge system are MÁV 1,514 mm M62 locos but we may be able to spot Ukrainian engines as they regularly run on the Hungarian network.
After our visit to the local MÁV depot, accommodating both standard and wide gauge engines, we will take a coach trip to other railway locations in the complex to see more engines.We will rejoin our train at Kisvárda railway station.Our next stop will be Nyíregyháza where we visit the local MÁV depot, then continue our journey.The last depot featuring on this day’s programme is situated in Debrecen.Haulage for the day is expected to include a V46, then V43 or V63After our visit we will take a vintage tram from the railway station to the three-star Hotel Nagyerdő situated in the city park.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
After breakfast at the hotel we return to the train by vintage tram and continue our journey to southern Hungary. During a brief stop in Püspökladány to replace our engine we can look around in the disused local depot, then continue our trip on a real branch line to Vésztő where the depot houses mainly Bz series railcars but there are also a few shunting locos.Our next stop will be Békéscsaba where we will visit another major facility.Afterwards we will travel to Szeged, Hungary’s fourth biggest city, to see the local depot and taken by coach to spend the night at the four-star Hotel Novotel, situated in the heart of Szeged.Haulage for the day is expected to include a private M62, then M47 or M44, then M41 or re-engined M47
Thursday, 24 April 2008
After breakfast at the hotel we will transfer to Szeged’s central railway station, which was recently renovated to a very high standard. Our first stop today will be Szentes.Szentes was the birthplace of Hungarian railcar operations; the two-axle railcars built by GANZ were initially introduced here at the end of the 1920s and passenger traffic on the surrounding lines has been served by railcars ever since. Nowadays the local rolling stock mainly comprises 6341 railcars purchased from Russia a few years ago.
After a visit to the railcar shed and the local railway history collection we proceed by train to Szolnok.In Szolnok we will first visit the repair workshop responsible for the reconstruction and overhaul of diesel engines and railcars, then the local MÁV depot.From Szolnok the train will be pulled by an electric engine again all the way to Budapest Nyugati station where a coach will meet passengers to transfer them to the four-star Hotel Mercure Korona.Haulage for the day is expected to include an M41 then A27 (private M40)
Friday, 25 April 2008
After breakfast at the hotel we will be taken by coach to MÁV’s new central depot in Istvántelek, Budapest; when this tour is advertised this facility for diesel engines and electric multiple units will still be under construction.The last stop of the tour is the Railway Heritage Park in Budapest where vintage steam, diesel and electric engines, testimony to the former glory of the Hungarian railways, are on display in a beautifully landscaped environment.
After the visit we will collect our luggage from the hotel’s luggage room and transfer by coach to each terminal of Budapest Ferihegy Airport. What is included? The tour package includes all travel, excursions, and visits as detailed above , five nights accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, in hotels, with twin bedded rooms (single rooms available for supplement, see below), with private facilities in all bedrooms, dinner on one night, and services of experienced tour leaders throughout.What is not included? The tour package does not include journeys, and visits outside the arrangements detailed above, or any meals or refreshments purchased during the tour.
Tour Prices: Grand Hungarian Depot Tour
From Budapest £ 990.00
Single room supplement £ 128.00
To secure your booking, please complete and return the attached booking form to MÁV Nosztalgia Kft, with a minimum deposit of £450.00 per person. All bookings will be acknowledged, together with a statement of the sum outstanding to complete the booking. The final date for bookings is nominally 31st December 2007, although we may have some flexibility in this respect.
Please note that we have seen a lot of advance interest for this tour, and demand may be high. We believe that participant numbers will be firmly 'capped' at 47, and so early booking is advised. Final payments of any outstanding balance will be required in full on, or before, 21st February 2008. I hope that we shall see you in April. If you have any queries please feel free to write to us, or call us on the telephone: 269-5242"
Source: mavnosztalgia.hu
21.02.2008