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Richard Turkington (responsible for the photos) & Keith Strickland report
from an April 2012 visit: I have since appended a short
report from John Athersuch of a March 2012 visit (19th May 2012).
Introduction
This short trip, organised by Dragan Jovanovich starting from Belgrade airport, and was planned to visit the remaining sites of active steam in Bosnia, an accessible but neglected location. We can recommend Dragan if you’re interested in an accompanied trip, Dragan opened the doors for us and arranged all the ‘special’ trains. He can be contacted at:
drjovan@sbb.rs.
In total we saw 7 locos in action on both narrow and standard gauges, a number of which were specially steamed, and a further 6 under maintenance or repair. On the day we left England, we were able to see a class 33 ‘Kriegslok’ hauling loaded and empty coal trains. Go while you can as further decline is inevitable.
Locos seen in service were:
In action
Narrow gauge
Standard gauge
- 19 12 (specially steamed)
- 33 248
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33 503
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33 504
- 62 363 (specially steamed)
- 62 633
Under maintenance/repair
Narrow gauge
Standard gauge
The following general information was obtained concerning current and former centres of active steam:
Kakanj: all locos stored out of use under the shelter
Kreka: it is still planned to purchase a second-hand ‘400 type’ diesel for use between Dubrave colliery and Ljubace
Zenica, Mittal steel: 2 class 62s sold to unknown buyers, the remainder scrapped
Our programme was as follows
22nd April,
Weather - overcast
Kreka system
18.50-19.15: Kriegslok 33 503 arrived at Lukavac exchange sidings with a loaded train from Dubrave mine and departed with empty wagons.
23rd April,
Weather – sunny with light cloud
Banovici narrow gauge
08.30: 83 158 in steam but rear of tender badly damaged after a collision the previous day
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83 159 in the workshop awaiting overhaul
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55 99 out of use in the yard for repair
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25 30 out of use in the yard for repair
Stored
Banovici standard gauge
10.30-14.00: Skoda 19 12 specially steamed for shunting and run pasts
Stored
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62 677 at rear of shed
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62 125 in the shed
Banovici narrow gauge
15.00-16.00: 83 158 with 83 159’s tender shunting and run past then working at Oskova washery
24th April,
Weather - a.m. sunny/p.m. overcast
Zenica coal mine
08.20-11.30: 62 633 tripped loaded wagons to the state railway exchange sidings then returned three times with 7, 6 and 6 empty wagons, all weighed, then shunted into sidings. Magnificent clag.
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62 650 under repair in workshop
Stored
Breza coal mine
13.30-16.00: 62 363 specially steamed for shunting and run pasts
25th April, Weather - a.m. rain/p.m. clear
Kreka system - Bukinje workshops
08.20-10.40: 33 504 in steam, spare locomotive outside workshop
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33 064 in workshop undergoing 3 yearly overhaul
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33 236 in workshop undergoing monthly maintenance
Stored at side of workshop
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33 216 with boiler of 33 504
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62 123
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62 368
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62 376
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62 368
11.30: 33 504 runs light engine to Sikulje mine
12.50-13.15: 33 503 and 504 in 4 double headed run pasts from Lukavac to Sikulje mine, made possible by the monthly change over between locomotives under maintenance. Magnificent steam effects
15.00. 33 248 arrives at Ljubace with loaded wagons from Dubrave mine then returns with empties
26th April,
Weather - blue sky, 27 degrees C. Too hot for steam effects!
Kreka system
No production at Sikulje mine due to flooding and technical problems – 108 empty wagons waiting to be loaded!
08.30-10.40: 33 503 in steam, spare locomotive outside workshop
13.30-14.15. 33 248 leaves with loaded wagons from Dubrave mine and returns from Ljubace with empties
14.45-15.00: 33 248 with 10 empty wagons makes 3 run pasts over the level crossing and bridge outside Dubrave mine in the direction of Ljubace
Banovici narrow gauge
15.15: 83 158 goes down to the washery light engine after a crew change, draws wagons through the washery
16.15 p.m. pushes them through for a diesel to take over. Returns light engine and immediately takes another loaded train down to the washery
27th April
Return home
John Athersuch was in Bosnia during the last week of March 2012
which revealed four classes of steam locomotive still in regular service at five
different locations.
At Dubrave 33-503 was busy shunting in the yard and hauling coal to the exchange sidings at Ljubace while 33-236 was engaged in similar
operations between Sikulje and Lukavac.
this shows 33.503 at work between Dubrave and Ljubace:
This shows 33-236 at Lukavac:
At Zenica mine 62-633 was in steam and active while 62-650 was found OOU in a shed and 62-003 and 62-648 were derelict in the yard. A
flying visit to Breza mine witnessed 62-363 in steam.
At the Bukinje depot 33-064, 33-248 and 33-504 were in for repair. The boiler, frames and wheels of another class 33 was in the
yard. Four class 62s (62-123, 62-368, 62-376 and 62-637) were OOU in the yard. A permit was obtained for the ArcelorMittal Steel works in
Zenica; 62-363 was plinthed at the factory entrance, 62-322, 62-380, 62-382, 62-383 and 62-520 were OOU in the yard while another class 62
said to have been cosmetically restored was locked in a shed nearby. At Kakanj depot 62-020 and 62-366 were OOU under a
canopy. 62-677 was OOU outside a shed on the lower level at Oskova while
Fives-Lille 144R 03 sat rusting away in the undergrowth nearby. At Vares 62-370 was plinthed in a yard, possibly the iron
works, adjacent to the main thoroughfare.
On the narrow gauge line at Oskova 83-158 was hard at work hauling loaded wagons the short distance to the washery. It was replaced
later in the week by 25-30 which had been seen previously at Banovici
works along with 25-29, 25-32, 25-33 (all derelict), 55-99, 83-159 (OOU) and 83-181 (derelict and cannibalised). Plinthed locomotives
were 25-31 near Banovici works, 25-26 in Tuzla town centre and Orenstein & Koppel 71-022 near the Rajlovac depot in Sarajevo.
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