European Railroad Discussion > Hungary Part 8 — train to Zahony

Zahony is the last city in Hungary before the Ukrainian border at the Tisza Ri we.  

1) leaving town 

2) abandoned narrow gauge line 

3) detraining in Zahony 

https://en.mapy.cz/zakladni?x=22.1695226&y=48.4054041&z=14
https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=48.40196995626556&lon=22.1889066696167&zoom=16
https://opentopomap.org/#map=17/48.40245/-337.81651
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4019585,22.18369,714m/data=!3m1!1e3

Very entertaining to look at the "Track Gauge" layer along the Ukrainian border.  
https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=gauge&lat=48.39627133337422&lon=22.19907760620117&zoom=13
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/22 16:10 by gobbl3gook.

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4), 5) I always take photos of the train schedule boards.  I planned to be returning on this line in a week.  

6) There were lots of modernist stations in Hungary.  Unlike Poland and the Czech Republic, which all retained their craftsman/Victorian style stations through the communist era.  

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Bonus photos -- Tisza River Ferry 

Bicycles weren't allowed on the Tisza River bridge between Zahony, Hungary and Chop, Ukraine. 

A taxi driver tried to give me a ride at the station, but I declined.  I do have my policy of not riding in taxis, buses, minibuses or cars.  Partly because I don't like them, and partly because it forces a different route on my plans than I might see if I always went the easiest way.  Also, I didn't necessarily trust the taxi driver not to take me over the border and then request 50 Euro or something.

I bicycled up to the bridge, and saw it was indeed quite narrow.  (Another time I had entered Ukraine at a "pedestrians prohibited" border crossing from Poland.  I'm not sure what the issue there was with pedestrians, but they took a bicycle).  

Consuting my GPS, I saw another border crossing about 20 km SE.  Where the international border was offset from the Tisza, and I would cross the Tisza on a ferry.  Ferries are always good rides for a bicyclist -- you get to enjoy the river scenery, you don't need to listen to loud trucks cruising by.   So an hour or so later I was on the ferry.  

I went north on about Oct 20, south again on about Oct 31.  These photos are from the southbound trip.  (Northbound wasn't as photogenic).  

http://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=48.31725121304273&lon=22.25119829177856&zoom=16
https://en.mapy.cz/zakladni?x=22.2492271&y=48.3176946&z=16
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.3155433,22.2457372,2406m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://goo.gl/maps/ioxqAtQxNcDFMN419
https://opentopomap.org/#map=16/48.31708/-337.75173

Questions, comments, observations?  

Oct 2019 

Ted in OR



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/22 00:20 by gobbl3gook.

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I enjoy your European travels which seem quite adventurous. What was the fare for the ferry and in what currency?

Amazing the ferry looks exactly like a similar one in Transnistria that crosses the Dniester River at Tiraspol. 

Fun! How are you navigating the language? Thanks for sharing!

gobbl3gook Wrote:
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> 6) There were lots of modernist stations in
> Hungary.  Unlike Poland and the Czech Republic,
> which all retained their craftsman/Victorian style
> stations through the communist era.  

Out of necessity, Hungary was flattened by the retreating Wehrmacht and the advancing Red Army.

Thanks for the comments, questions, and further information.  

* NMlurker -- The ferry fare -- was pretty small.  If I recall I didn't have any Hungarian currency, or just a tiny bit.  I was only in the country for one night, and hadn't found an ATM.  Or maybe just didn't want to get currency.  The ferry guy motioned for a fare, and I think I gave him something like 5 cents.  And he gave me a dirty look and moved on to the next person.  Coming back I think I paid better.  Though I also wouldn't have had any Hungarian currency then, either.  Maybe I made a nice payment in Euros.  

* GettingShort -- interesting.  I think it's probably a common design (flat top, double ended barge, tiny cabin, pulled on a cable).  Seems unlikely that they were mass produced somewhere and shipped around, though, doesn't it?  They're too big to move by train or road, so would need to be assembled on site.  Maybe there was a common pattern in the USSR and the other eastern european countries.  

* Language -- I speak pantomime pretty well.  And also International English.  If you have ever hear two ESL speakers talk to each other, there is a subset of the whole English vocabulary that they tend to use.  And some words are quite common in International English, while a different synonym is common in American English.  I have lived in Hong Kong, lived in Vancouver BC, and spent a lot of time with foreign graduate students while in university.  So I found that I am naturally able to use these particular words and phrases while traveling.  And speak slowly.  (I'll try to think of some of the words, but none come to mind at the moment).  

* Hungarian stations -- interesting and sad.  Traveling in so many places in Europe I am surprised to see so many things that *haven't* been leveled, even though they've been through a couple wars.  Train stations, bridges, ancient commercial buildings.  Unfortunate that Hungary did get hit so hard.  

gobbl3gook Wrote:
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>
> * Hungarian stations -- interesting and sad. 
> Traveling in so many places in Europe I am
> surprised to see so many things that *haven't*
> been leveled, even though they've been through a
> couple wars.  Train stations, bridges, ancient
> commercial buildings.  Unfortunate that Hungary
> did get hit so hard.  

Hungary was an ally of Nazi Germany, albeit an unwilling ally by 1944, but they had pinned their colours to Hitler's mast, sending underprepared soldiers to fight in Russia, so the invading Soviets were in no mood to show clemency. The Hungarians tried to extricate themselves but the allies; USA, UK and USSR weren't playing ball. Their dalliance with Germany was a result of their obsession over the Treaty of Trianon, which ended WW1 but also reduced Hungary's land area to 28% of that of the pre-war Kingdom of Hungary. For example Batiovo, which you posted some pictures from, was until 1918 the Hungarian town of Bátyú.

Hitler promised to reverse some of the provisions of the Treaty of Trianon (the Vienna Protocols) and that was enough to snare the Hungarian government.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/22 14:03 by 86235.