European Railroad Discussion > Budapest, Hungary: The Children's Railway (for Signal Sunday)

Pretty high on the list of obscure railways is the Children's Railway in the Buda hills outside of Budapest, Hungary. A vestige of Hungary's communist era, the railway exists now more for tourists than for training the youth to be loyal comrades in a communist society. The railway is still manned by students who are both interested in the railway and merit selection based on their school performance. Adults operate the locomotives and do the ticket sales but the conductors and various station agents are students. The railway is operated like it is the 1950s with a variety of signals and manned stations with passing sidings. Running through the Buda hills means it is a forested route with grades and lots of twists and turns. Service is hourly during the day with a train departing from each end of the 7-mile narrow gauge line (760 mm or 2' 6") and meeting in the middle. We made a one-way trip from the north end of the line to the southern terminus which is just blocks away from the end of the unusual cog railway commuter line that I posted previously. The line is considered to be part of the Hungarian State Railway network MÁV, Magyar Államvasutak.

1. Faur-built (Romania) model L45H diesel hydraulic, known in Hungary as an Mk45, #2003 at the Hűvösvölgy station prior to departure.

2. A view from the rear showing the very unusual coupler system.

3. Meeting the northbound train at Szépjuhászné that has a matching set of coaches in tow. Interesting that the red signal aspect is in the center of the three-light signal.

---

---

---

4. A going away shot of the northbound train which appeared to have few passengers (our train was pretty much full). It is difficult to see but there is a uniformed student at the far right saluting the passing train.

5. Climbing and twisting through the Buda hills while a uniformed conductor keeps watch. Not sure what kind of aspect that two-blade semaphore signal is displaying but something does not seem right.

6. A rather pristine motor car was at Virágvölgy while we passed through on the siding. Perhaps a charter? There might have been a camp of some sort at that location.

---

---

---

7. After arrival at Széchenyihegy the adults work on disconnecting the locomotive and running around the train for the next departure.

8. The mosaic mural inside the station gives off a nice communist vibe.

9. One of the cars on our train was definitely children themed and displays the names of all the stations along the line. The slogan on the end of the car declares "Be a young railway passenger too." I also like the sign at the right with four languages, I am going with Hungarian, German, English, and Russian.

---

---

---

I did not quite get enough of the Children's Railway during my morning trip so when I was just a couple of blocks away in the afternoon after riding the cog railway up into the hills, I returned to witness another arrival and departure of the matching train with Mk45 #2002.

10. Semaphore Signal Sunday Part 1: The southbound train arrives at Széchenyihegy protected by two semaphore signals that make sense. A uniformed student has come out of his signal box/yard office to observe the arrival.

11. The best view I have showing the unusual trucks on the locomotive as it runs around its train.

12. Semaphore Signal Sunday Part 2: The departing train now has a presumably permissive signal but I am back to confusion. Shouldn't the hole in the blade align with the green lens, lower quadrant style?

---

---

---