Mecseki narrow gauge railway, railway line in Hungary
The Mecseki narrow gauge railway is a small train line in Pécs with a track width of 760 millimeters and a length of about 570 meters. The route connects the zoo area to Dömörkapu station and is operated by a single diesel locomotive that travels gently through wooded terrain.
The railway was built in 1962 by volunteer community labour, modelled on the pioneer railways already running in several Hungarian cities, to educate and entertain young people in the park forest owned by the city of Pécs. It opened on 20 August 1962, a date still marked as its railway day. The track and locomotives were renovated in 2009.
The railway's day is celebrated on 20 August, the anniversary of its handover in 1962, as is customary for Hungarian narrow-gauge lines. It was built by volunteer community work modelled on the pioneer railways already running in other Hungarian cities, with the stated aim of educating and culturally entertaining young people.
The ride between the zoo in the Mecseki Kultúrpark and Dömörkapu takes 15 minutes on the 570 m single-track line, with no intermediate stop. The line is reached by buses 34, 35 and 35A. Dömörkapu is the starting point of marked hiking trails, and the 1972 TV tower stands nearby.
The C50 diesel locomotive, numbered 4509, arrived in Pécs from Balatonfenyves on 1 August 1962, the same year the line opened. It pulls three open passenger coaches fitted with roofs. The railway is owned by the Pécs municipality and run by the Pécsi Kulturális Központ, with operation entrusted to the A Mecseki Kisvasútért Alapítvány.
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