Heavy train.You made my day.
It might seem peculiar, but it's preety serious. The year on my map is 1976 and here the PKP "suzler" slowly approaches the PL/CS border sign on it's way back to Poland. Several moments earlier she brought an international freight train to the Polish / Czechoslovak border station of Meziměstí. All cross-border freight trains at that time carried an additional passenger coach exclusively for the customs officers. Since the whole section from Wałbrzych / Mieroszów to Meziměstí was under PKP operation, the passenger coach was also brought out of the PKP fleet. Usually it was a small 2 or 3 axle coach, but sometimes a regular 4 axle pullman could be seen. You can witness such operations on some historic photos, like these for example:
http://www.vrchlabsko.info/zeleznice/pl094.jpg
http://www.vrchlabsko.info/zeleznice/pl011.jpg
The first one shows a Ty2-391 steamer leaving Meziměstí with a freight train towards Wałbrzych / Mieroszów with a 1st class 3A or 4A type coach for the customs officers just behind the loco. On the second one we have a similar situation, but the leading engine would be Ty2-1355. Both pictures were taken in 1984.
Speaking of Ty2's, here's another one at speed on her last few kilometers before reaching the station of Meziměstí, August 1976...
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