Main Line Steam is Back!

In the Czech Republic main line steam returned this past weekend at the country's railway museum in Luzna, west of Prague.

The state railway company CD operated two round-trip steam specials on the 9 km long line from Luzna to Rakovnik on both Saturday and Sunday with the two big tank engines 525.101 (built in 1956) and 354.195 (built in 1925) hauling the train consisting of four 4-wheeled carriages. The two tank engines worked the train both double-headed and in top-and-tail formation.

This had to be one of the very first public steam specials in Central Europe on the main line, following the easing of lockdown restrictions and more or less a "return to something of a normal state" in the Czech Republic, where Covid case numbers have been comparatively low. Still, face masks where required on the steam train although the drivers and firemen on the steam locos were not required to wear them!

Some pictures from the weekend are here:

https://www.classicandcurrent.net/steam
https://www.classicandcurrent.net/railreports

And there is also a short film here showing all the action, with all the sounds and scenes:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPDq6doV66x5luXKMGmwvmw/