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| Diesels at Plovdiv- 07126 departs with a train for Peshtera while 06012 shunts around the station. 21.09.2012 |
Introduction:
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| 75004 on the Septemvri - Dorbrinishte narrow gauge line at Dolene. 22.09.2012 |
Before the days of this blog there were foreign rail trips (though not a huge number). Time to look through the archive to my 2012 trip to Bulgaria with James Hawkes (while I can't pretend to remember all the details I'll give it a good go!) This was certainly further afield than I had been before and would be a great adventure. Bulgaria seemed the place to be in 2012- certainly with the number of trip reports other enthusiasts were posting. There were several attractions; Old diesel and electric locomotives with some unusual passenger workings, a fantastic state-run narrow gauge railway and not forgetting the fairly recently exported UK class 87's working freight for Bulgarian private operator BZK.
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| Freight class 46045 wears the older white/blue livery which was scarcely seen during this trip - Sofia Poduyane 22.09.2012 |
Wednesday 19th September 2012:
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06012 introduces us to Bulgarian Railways as it passes through Plovdiv
with a freight. 19.09.2012 |
Our flight from the UK was to Plovdiv, roughly in the middle of the country. After checking in to our accommodation we made our way to Plovdiv station. The first train we saw was a freight hauled by one of the small sulzer powered 06 class, 06012. I had seen these locomotives before in Poland (class ST43 but never really doing anything at this stage), certainly it impressed making a good smoke and sound show.
Our quickly found enthusiasm for this great country was however quickly quashed. No sooner than the train had passed a member of railway staff was heading up the platform to greet us. Our Bulgarian was certainly far from up to scratch and his English was not much better- it was evident however that we were being marched to his office where our documents were demanded. After passports were produced, a colleague consulted and some phone calls made we were released and told quite certainly that photography on the station was not permitted. Not a great start! Defeated for the day it was more or less time to find sustenance and retire for the day.
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| 43518 and 43310 arrive into Dimitrovgrad with an Intermodal. 20.09.2012 |
Thursday 20th September 2012:
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| 06040 at Dimitrovgrad 20.09.2012 |
The diesel hauled freight we had seen at Polvdiv the day before was not the what we thought would be typical of the area since the mainline here is electrified. To see real diesel hauled freight we would head further east to Dimitrovgrad where trains re-engine from electric to diesel traction to take the line towards Turkey. Loco hauled trains from Plovdiv generally stick to the main route from Sofia to Burgas and we would therefore have to use one of BDZ's modern 'Desiro' trains to reach Dimitrovgrad- these trains have suffered in this country with poor maintenance as well as at the hands of the locals who have broken windows and adorned them with graffiti.
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| 07049 means business as it gets its train moving from Dimitrovgrad. This is the intermodal which arrived behind the pair of Skoda electrics at the beginning of our visit. 20.09.2012 |
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07033 awaits its fate at the top of a line of class 06's; 06053, 06088 with
another unidentified while 06094 looks on. 20.09.2012 |
It wasn't too long to wait until a pair of Skoda
class 43 electrics arrived with a freight from the west with a container train. It was the diesel action we were really here for and we didn't have long to wait until 06 040 arrived with another container train. It was around another hour until the next freight which arrived from the non-electrified lines to the east behind 06096 and 07042. Several more freights entertained us over the next few hours both with the Sulzer 06's and the big Soviet built 'Ludmilla' class 07's. It is fair to say we saw a good number of both classes and satisfied with what had produced on the mainline we wandered into the depot area where were several more of both diesel classes in varying states of repair. Several locomotives looked fairly shabby but were complete making it difficult to tell which were serviceable.
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| 07069 arrives into Kromovo with the international train to Istanbul which it has worked from Plovdiv. 20.09.2012 |
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| Desiros at Dimitrovgrad 20.09.2012 |
Back at the station it was time to take up our evening move, taking a desiro to the station at Kromovo. From here we would wait for the international train booked for haulage by an 07.
The wait was around 30 minutes for our first loco hauled train in Bulgaria behind 07069. The load was three ex-German 'N Wagon' coaches with opening windows, allowing the Ludmilla to be enjoyed back to Dimitrovgrad. The Bulgarian examples are certainly smokier and louder than their more familiar German counterparts. The train, bound for Istanbul in Turkey has a pause at Dimitrovgrad and thanks to a friendly crew many more photos were taken and we both got some photos of us 'driving' in the cab. With the international departing all that remained was to take another Desiro back to Plovdiv and end our time on the rails for the day.
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| 06077 tops 43518 away from Dimitrovgrad with a chemical train. 20.09.2012 |
Friday 21st September 2012:
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| 44197 departs from Plovdiv with an express heading East. 21.09.2012 |
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| 61013 shunts stock around Plovdiv. 21.09.2012 |
Today was to be spent centred around Plovdiv itself before later transiting on to our next base of Sofia. One of the core reasons for coming to Bulgaria at this time and to Plovdiv was that due to a shortage of Desiros due to maintenance requirements (and waiting spare parts that BDZ could ill afford) there were several loco hauled 'vice' turns running from Plovdiv. These were running with the big 07 'Ludmilla's' on the branches to Peshtera and Panagyurishte and gave much better opportunities to have a run with these locos which only usually worked passenger trains on the international turns to Istanbul and from Varna into Romania.
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| 45194 heads east from Plovdiv with a chemical train. 21.09.2012 |
Before the targeted passenger turn there was some time to photograph trains on the mainline- the original intention had been to spend some time on the station but since we had effectively been forbidden to photograph on the station since our encounter on day one another location had to be sought. As it turns out our ban from the station really turned out to be somewhat of a blessing- the station canopies were particularly ugly and appeared half de-constructed, and just a short walk to the east of the station was a foot crossing which was far more photogenic. We spent a pleasant few hours here watching the trains catching first the return of 07069 on the 'International' train as well as a loco hauled freight and passenger. We were also able to catch one of the 'steeplecab' class 61's shunting. These locomotives did have a single passenger turn from Plovdiv at the time but it was at a silly hour down to Asenovgrad and we would not be covering it.
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| 07126 after arrival at Peshtera 21.09.2012 |
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| 07126 at Stambolyski. 21.09.2012 |
Back at the station it was time for the morning train to Peshtera. The line leaves Plovdiv heading west and then diverges from the mainline to Sofia to head south into the mountains, climbing as it does. The train was formed of 07126 and two ex-German 'N-Wagon' coaches with opening windows to enjoy the sounds of the 07 climbing up to Peshtera - definitely one of the joys of the trip on such a lovely day. At the end of the line the loco runs around the coaches and then formed the next service back down the line to Plovdiv. This was taken as far as Stambolyski where I disembarked for a photo and then took another train into town having watched 44001 in it's unusual blue/yellow livery passing through with an express.
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| Refurbished 44001 passes Stambolyski heading towards Plovdiv. 21.09.2012 |
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| 43528 heads west from Plovdiv. 21.09.2012 |
I never did get to ride the other loco hauled route, to Panagyurishte; this route was less reliable and the timings did not work so well for a move. As it happens I don't believe the train ran at all, that or it was a DMU- certainly the loco was never seen on this route. Having taken a few photos on the station without issue a new position was again taken up on the lineside to the west of the station - better to move on before we were told to! Here we enjoyed a good number of movements of all the classes of loco we had seen in the area with some very pleasing pictures as a result.
The wonderful weather we had experienced so far on the trip was soon to come to an end and once the cloud which had been edging ever closer finally blocked out the sun we left our spot content with our rewards. Before heading to Sofia there was just time for a peek into the depot at Plovdiv from an overbridge. As well as a large and farly forlorn steam loco there were several BDZ locos also present including 07084.
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| 55054 at Stambolyski with a train to Velingrad, weather conditions having worsened somewhat! 21.09.2012 |
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| 44185 arrives into Stambolyski with our train to Sofia. 21.09.2012 |
Our journey to Sofia would be loco-hauled however to scoop one more class we did not immediately join the express but opted to take a local train (I believe bound for Velingrad) as far as Stambolyski. It was a good thing we left Plovdiv when we did as no sooner had the trains departed the heavens opened and the area got a good soaking. There wasn't really much joy in listening to the loco through the opening window as I would have got drenched in doing so - I also remember this loco being particularly unimpressive both in sound and power, we never got up to much speed on two coaches!
Unfortunately the rain had not cleared after our short run and shelter had to be found while waiting at Stambolyski for 44185 to arrive with our train forward to Sofia. The journey was scenic across the hills but not fast - nor would you want it to be on the Bulgarian infrastructure. I remember stopping at one 'station' where no sign of a station could even be seen- the platform appeared to be a couple of concrete slabs in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere.
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| 44185 stands beneath the brutalist canopy of Sofia main station. 21.09.2012 |
Arrival into Sofia was after dark and we were soon checked into our nearby hotel by a David Walliams lookalike. This same character seemed to carry out all tasks at the hotel but was able to confirm that we could eat there - after a long day we didn't really want to head out at this hour. There were no other guests in the restaurant but we were quickly corrected that choosing the table we wanted was not acceptable 'David' had a specific one set aside!
Saturday 22nd September 2012:
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| 87010 working for BZK isn't going anywhere, but poses for the cameras at Pirdop. 22.12.2012 |
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Bulgarian and UK traction at Pirdop. 22.12.2012
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Today was another Desiro move direct from Sofia to Pirdop, the location of a south east Europe's biggest copper smelting and refining factory. The needs of the factory facilitate a large rail yard which has come to the attention of UK enthusiasts since British class 87 locomotives were exported to Bulgaria from 2008 are nominally based here. Seventeen of the locos are used by BZK (Bulgarian Railway Company) who work a variety of services in the country, including many of those two and from the copper facility at Pirdop.
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| 87004 'Britannia' restored to BR Blue for export to Bulgaria standing at Pirdop between duties. 22.09.2012 |
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| German 204 660 works for DB Schenker at Pirdop. 22.09.2012 |
It did not take long to find a class 87 as almost as soon as we stepped off our train 87004 'Britannia' was visible parked away from the wires in the station area. After 44107 passed with a passenger train we would explore the yard to see what 87's present. As it happened it was not a busy day for BZK at Pirdop and the only other locomotive on site was 87010 in their standard yellow and green livery. As it turns out it was not to be a busy day at Pirdop *at all* and the next mainline movement we would see turned out to be our train home four and a half hours later.
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| 90034 'Kipling' looks little different from its EWS days as it stands in foreign territory in the yard at Pirdop. 22.09.2012 |
A number of ex-British locomotives have been exported to Bulgaria as their requirement for loco power has increased in recent years. Limited funds for new locomotives together with lower line speeds and the same 25kv voltage has made the second hand locos from the UK perfect for operating in the country. As well as a total of 21 class 87's (four also operate for operator Bulmarket) there are 6 class 86's operating in the country for Bulmarket and a number of class 92's had also been moved to the Bulgarian operation of DB, having been shipped from the UK by DB Schenker (as of 2020 5 locomotives are believed to be operating in Bulgaria). As well as the BZK operation DB Schenker also operate out of Pirdop and one of their class 92's, 92034 could be found lurking in their part of the yard amongst the higher number of ex-Dutch EA class electric locos (sixteen of the twenty-two strong fleet having been sold to Bulgaria) which have also found work with DB. DB also operate a number of ex-German diesels within Bulgaria with a class 204 being present on shunting duties during our time.
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Ex Dutch 'EA' class locos wait at Pirdop. 86017 and 86016
are now operated by DB Schenker. 22.09.2012 |
While no class 87's moved under their own power there was a shunting operation and some pleasing pictures of 87010 were achieved with thanks to the crew who put the headlights on (something not too common even on moving trains out here!), and also allowed us a visit to the cab to relieve the boredom caused by the lack of train movements. 87004 did not move but remained well positioned for photos. This loco uniquely retains its BR blue livery and nameplate 'Britannia'- it is understood that BZK learned that the locomotive had once hauled the British Royal Train and wanted to celebrate the fact by repainting the engine in its former livery complete with cast arrows and the traditional nameplate- certainly it was nice to see out in Bulgaria, particularly as it was one of only two of the class I had managed to sample myself in traffic in the UK.
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| 87028 in an adaptation of the livery it wore while operating for GBRf in the UK is pictured on the BZK depot in Sofia. Modifications to the class 87's included high level headlights and re-mounting the air horns. 22.09.2012 |
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| A very derilict 44-152 is pictured on the BDZ depot in Sofia. 22.09.2012 |
At around 15:00 the opportunity came to escape from Pirdop and was taken, although 87010 was due to depart with its freight at some point in the evening it would mean a lengthy wait for the next passenger service back to Sofia, and there was still no guarantee of when the freight would leave.
Back in Sofia we left the train at Poduyane and went for an explore of the depot here. The BDZ facility can best be described as run-down and access was no problem except for negotiating a couple of dogs which soon lost interest. Here were a number of locomotives in various states of repair, including an accident-damaged 44-152 which had been stripped to little more than a bodyshell. Much more heavily guarded was the BZK facility which is a small area within the depot complex.
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| 45-178 arrives into Poduyane with a service for Sofia. 22.09.2012 |
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| Class 31 'Riga' EMU at Sofia Central. 22.09.2012 |
While we couldn't get into the area itself another three class 87's were noted and photographed as best as we could through the fence, these being 87003, 87014 and 87028. With the fun of the depot over we caught another train back to the main station hauled by 45-178 and took some more photos (including one of the rattly old Riga built class 31 EMU's and the rather brutalist station building. After this there was time for a bit of sightseeing in the city.
Sunday 23rd September 2012:
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| 75006 departs from Dolene with its train from Septemvri to Dobrinishte. 23.09.2012 |
Our last full day was set aside for a trip on the state run Septemvri - Dobrinishte 760mm narrow gauge railway. First we retraced our path down the mainline towards Plovdiv behind Romanian built Electroputre class 46-235. The narrow-gauge station is not immediately obvious as you step across the train, a parked freight train blocking the view from the main station to the narrow gauge are which is located to the south and accessible by underpass.
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| 75006 drops onto the coaching stock at Septemvri. 23.09.2012 |
There are only a handful of departures each day to Dobrinishte, a journey of over five hours to cover the complete route. Unfortunately we did not have time to ride the whole journey so took a trip to Dolene, just over an hours into the journey. Due to the small number of daily trips we had to plan our moves carefully and also wanted to get some scenic photos on the line- thankfully the weather was good which would certainly help. Our train departed with Henschel built 75006 and five of the small bogie coaches. Initially the journey is flat as the train turns 90 degrees from the mainline and heads towards the hills, once it reaches them the views improve dramatically as the railway hugs the river valley heading uphill. The windows in the coaches did not open which was a disappointment however it was discovered before too long that opening the doors at the carriage ends was possible to enjoy both the locomotive and the scenery.
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| 75006 pauses at Varvara as it heads into the Rodolphe Mountains. 23.09.2012 |
I will admit that I had my scepticism at this time about narrow-gauge railways- my exposure had been to small tourist railways as a child and my view of them therefore resembled something of 'toy' railways. The Septemvri - Dobrinishte line was to change all this. Here was a 'proper' working railway run by the national operator with miniature locomotvies and coaches and excellent scenery. More importantly it really served a purpose- the passengers were locals going about their daily lives. This was nothing like the tourist railways of North Wales and it was great!
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| 81002 at Septemvri shunting stock. 23.09.2012 |
About 3 hours in we arrived at Dolene on a particularly scenic section of the line. Prior to the trip a lot of research had gone into photographic locations and I had worked out that it should be possible to get some decent pictures here of trains arriving and departing, but also it would be possible to get a scenic picture of the next southbound train passing over the bridge a short walk from the station. Pictures of our train were pleasing enough and there was plenty of time to explore the are before setting up our shot of the passing train. Sitting on a rock by the edge of a babbling river eating our lunches on a lovely sunny day was a good way to wait for a train! On que one of the slightly newer Romanian built locos, 77002 passed with its train and all the research had paid off. The picture is still one of my favourites.
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| My favourite picture from the trip as 77002 crosses the river bridge at Dolene working down to Septemvri. 23.09.2012 |
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| 45-178 pauses at Poduyane on its way in to Sofia. 23.09.2012 |
There was just under 3 hours of time to pass for the next train back to Septemvri which arrived with another Henschel, 75004. Back at the end of the line some shots were taken with the shunter 81002. It had been a great first 'proper' narrow gauge trip and certainly I would like to come back to do the full thing. At the time the line was considered threatened with just three return trips per day and with the road alongside being substantially improved it was easy to see that the railways days could be numbered. Passenger journeys were few while Freight traffic had ceased in 2003 and the branch to the mainline at Pazardzhik had closed a year earlier. I am pleased to say that as of 2020 the line is still operating and now sees four return trips each day. While it's future could not be called secure it would seem that there is not an immediate risk of closure.
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| Shunting locomotive 52053 brings a train of hoppers through Poduyane. 23.09.2012 |
Skoda 45-178 was our loco back to Sofia and we jumped off at Poduyane again to watch some trains in the evening light and to spin another loco into the main station, 44-151.
Monday 23rd September 2012:
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| A class 87 moving! 87003 moves arounds Sofia light engine. 23.09.2012 |
With our flight home scheduled for early afternoon there wasn't a lot on the agenda for today. We made our way to the station in the morning and were lucky to finally see a class 87 moving, with passing through the station, admittedly light engine. James and I parted ways at this point, I wanted to sample some of the cities interesting trams while he elected to remain on the railway to see what else might turn up. Sofia has an interesting tram network made up of both narrow and standard gauge lines with a variety of different stock.
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| Staff chat as 46211 perpares to depart from Sofia. 23.09.2012 |
What I discovered was not clear, at my cost, was how to purchase a ticket. I tried to find a machine at the tram station and after concluding there was not one board the tram as it looked as though there was a conductor on board with a ticket machine. I was soon to discover that the conductor on board was both very unpleasant and also a revenue inspector who would not sell me a ticket, only a fine for not having one! Despite several helpful passengers trying to aid my explanation that I simply hadn't realised I could not buy a ticket from him I was left no optinon but to pay the fine - I had alighted at the next stop and been followed by the revenue inspector who was now threatening to call the police! With a flight in just a few hours I didn't really want to try my luck with them. Maybe it was all a fuss over nothing (well, 10lev I believe) but I objected to being fined for a genuine misunderstanding. Unfortunately this left a somewhat sour feeling to finish off the trip.
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| Standard gauge tram 4234 in the streets of Sofia. 23.09.2012 |
Conclusions and looking back:
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| 06077 and 44518 accompany ex-German shunter 212057 at Dimitrovgrad. 20.09.2012 |
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07042 and 06096 head to depot after arriving into Dimitrovgrad with a freight
20.09.2012 |
I came back from Bulgaria very pleased with what we had achieved. Unlike so many countries I had come back having achieved pretty much all of my objectives. We hadn't seen an 87 hauling a freight train of one of the handful of class 86's at the time working for Bulmarket, but truth be told these weren't really what I had come to Bulgaria to see. I had come to see the Bulgarian trains and we had actually done very well for those, the weather playing it's helping part as well. Except for the narrow-gauge line there was really nothing I felt I needed to come back for. Between the tram incident in Sofia, the dreadful state of the main station and the general unpleasantness of the Bulgarians I can't say I had enjoyed Bulgaria as a country and contend with the photo haul had no real intention of coming back.
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| 07069 pauses at Dimitrovgrad before continuing towards Istanbul and Turkey with the international train. 20.09.2012 |
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| 81002 shunts on the narrow-gauge line at Septemvri 22.09.2012 |
Indeed 8 years later I have not again set foot in Bulgaria, but while the railway landscape has changed considerably in that time the country seems to have largely stood still. This is one of the last countries in Europe to use regular steam heating (on a small number of trains still hauled by class 55's and on the narrow-gauge line), has some good scenery and smart looking trains. The 07 diesels no longer work local trains around Plovdiv but do still maintain a couple of turns around Varna mostly on international trains. While shabby and still difficult to spot, the UK's AC electrics are still hard at work in Bulgaria also- maybe the time has come for a return visit?
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| 06096 and 07053 share the fuelling point at Dimitrovgrad. 20.09.2012 |
