Not exactly in Bosnia or Balkans, but Jindřichohradecká úzkokolejka shares the so called “Bosnian gauge” of 760mm. It consists of two branches: the southern one is 33 km long and opened in 1897, the northern one to Obrataň took longer to approve and finally saw trains running along its 46 km of length in 1906. The southern branch ending in Nová Bystřice near Austrian border is more popular due to beautiful nature of the area called Czech Canada. The connection to Litschau, only 15 km far from end station in Nová Bystřice, has never come to fruition. Maybe one day..?
Newly painted Czechoslovak made TU 47.0 locomotive with retro colors. Pretty!
End station in Nová Bystřice, direct path to Austria would have to deal with the apartment building in the back. Or take a different path.
Train making its way through Czech countryside
The railway was privatized after the fall of the communist regime and was doing okayish for some years. However, eventually the company ran into some problems due to mismanagement. There were issues with licenses for running the railway, disputes among shareholders and disputes over ownership of some vehicles. The company was in a loss for several years. Eventually the company filed for bankruptcy. Last trains ran in 2022. The whole railway (tracks, land under them, train station buildings, locomotives, rolling stock and workshop for repairs) was offered for sale and the highest bidder won in 2025. The company Gepard Express, the new owner, is a child of adventurer, railway enthusiast and transport businessman Albert Fikáček. He was working with many volunteers on the railway already most of 2025 to make some short heritage train journey possible in 2025. The renewed traffic started in Easter 2026.
Locals welcoming trains in Bystřice. The railroad is vital for them and is symbol of the region. Locals genuinely love it and care for it.
Ava was very excited, shouting “vláček” (train) all the time.
Jindřichův Hradec. Train on the left goes north, on the right south.
In the midst of 2000s the management decided it was time for some new trains and chose to buy older Romanian-made Polish trains that they subsequently remodeled. The authors of the design are Mjolk, a respectable and successful Czech architectural firm, which I personally find great and love their realizations. But those trains..? Yikes. Who thought that this looks good? If it was at least practical, but this mistake on wheels was gazzling fuel, breaking down, stuffy inside, bad visibility from those windows and overall, hideous. It got several nicknames such as “Ponorka” (submarine) and “hašišbedna” (hashbox). Not popular among anyone, today they are parked on a side, awaiting their destiny which will not be connected with this specific railroad anymore.
Hašišbednas (4 pieces) awaiting its future in Jindřichův Hradec station
This loco is nicknamed “Prasátko” (piggie). The workshop and loco depot is behind.
We decided to hop on the train in Blažejov, ride all the way to Bystřice and then back to Kaproun, funny station in the middle of the woods. The rest we hiked. New timetable is on the wall.
My little train fan waiting for our ride.
Here we go!
Guess who was lucky and made it to the cabin?
The maximum speed in the southern branch is 20 km/h due to the state of the railroad. It needs some care. The norther branch is in a better shape, trains can go up to 50 km/h.
The engine of the locomotive TU 47.0. These locos were made in 50s in Czechoslovakia.
Arriving to Kunžak.
Loco turns in Nová Bystřice to go back.
Rolling stock used is historical and in a good shape. Buffet wagon serves beer, snacks and mulled wine :)
As this is railway of public relevance ordered by the regional government, the fare is very low. We paid 3 EUR for 2 persons for 1 hour ride. Where else can you ride historical heritage railway so cheaply? In Serbia we paid 12 EUR per person.
Old, classy interior from the beginning of 20th century.
Kaproun station where we got off. This is where Jára Cimrman, Czech satire personality, was kicked out of a train. Was a nice ride!
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