Almost all of the former Eastern Bloc countries have taken steps to preserve their steam heritage and in this programme we look at the Ukraine, Romania, Czech Republic and Poland.

In the Ukraine (September 2005, 20 minutes coverage) we travel on the Dzherelo luxury train which was worked by a variety of locos from the preserved fleet.  There is also an outing on the narrow gauge behind a GR 0-8-0.

Romania (September 2005, 20 minutes coverage) has a small, but generally well-maintained preserved fleet, and we view a number of mainline specials.  We also visit the narrow-gauge lines at Covansa, Viseu de Sus and Campani to see steam specials featuring Romanian- and German-built tank engines.

In the Czech Republic (September 2004, 5 minutes coverage) we initially visit the steam museum at Luzna u Rakovnica before arriving at Chomutov to view Class 475 number 111.  The Skoda-built locomotive was working a special train to Žatec, as part of the town’s 1000th anniversary celebrations. 

Our tour ends in Poland (April 2006, 20 minutes coverage), where we initially visit the world-famous preservation centre at Wolsztyn and see striking views of an OL working on the Poznan line.  We witness the Mayday steam parade, and then follow two OL 2-6-2s on a special train that took in much of the south-west of the country.  At Tarnowskie Gory, the OLs undertook shunting, and we see one of them move a 3000 tonne cement train.  At the Gliwice steelworks, a locally-preserved  TKp 0-8-0 tank engine undertook shunting, including transporting spoil to the slag tip.  We see specials being worked by the recently-overhauled PM36 Pacific, and for good measure visit preserved narrow-gauge centres at Gniezno and Znin, including the narrow-gauge museum at Wenencja.

If you are interested in preserved steam in eastern Europe, this is the programme for you! The production is indexed by menu and runs for 65 minutes.