JHMD 805.901 - 904 Nautilus
Verfasst: 1. Juli 2019, 17:28
The JHMD (JindřichoHradecké Místní Dráhy) in the south of the country is a 760mm line that runs from Jindřichův Hradec along some dual gauge before splitting to Nová Bystřice and Obrataň. The line was previously state owned by the ČSD but in 1998 it was sold off to privateers.
They run mainly diesel railcars and diesel locomotives but have steam as well, including a couple of U Class and one of their steam locomotives "Resita" was loaned to the Welshpool & Llanfair in UK a few years back.
It is the railcars that caught my eye recently. I thought the Himmelstreppe trams on the Mariazellerbahn were a horrible design but these "Nautilus" railcar / trams will give you nightmares.
In 2005, the line bought four Polish railcars (built in Romania circa 1984) to reduce operating costs (as you do) but only one of them was a runner and two were the wrong gauge. In the event only one railcar (M27.001) ever ran whilst the other three provided spares and were left to decay. In 2012, it was decided to rebuild them all with new bodies on the original frames. As the frames were not substantial enough to be rebuilt as a train, they had to be rebuilt as a tram. M27.004 was the first to be rebuilt by 2014 and renumbered 805.904
Photos show M27.001 in as built condition and one of the rebuilt "Nautilus" (or should that be Nautili ?). A real pity that they didn't keep M27.001 as it was. I quite liked the look of that.
They run mainly diesel railcars and diesel locomotives but have steam as well, including a couple of U Class and one of their steam locomotives "Resita" was loaned to the Welshpool & Llanfair in UK a few years back.
It is the railcars that caught my eye recently. I thought the Himmelstreppe trams on the Mariazellerbahn were a horrible design but these "Nautilus" railcar / trams will give you nightmares.
In 2005, the line bought four Polish railcars (built in Romania circa 1984) to reduce operating costs (as you do) but only one of them was a runner and two were the wrong gauge. In the event only one railcar (M27.001) ever ran whilst the other three provided spares and were left to decay. In 2012, it was decided to rebuild them all with new bodies on the original frames. As the frames were not substantial enough to be rebuilt as a train, they had to be rebuilt as a tram. M27.004 was the first to be rebuilt by 2014 and renumbered 805.904
Photos show M27.001 in as built condition and one of the rebuilt "Nautilus" (or should that be Nautili ?). A real pity that they didn't keep M27.001 as it was. I quite liked the look of that.