Prologue

On the 3rd of February 2001 TSP gained ownership of steam locomotive 230.048 in Romania. We took advantage of probably the last opportunity to acquire a loco identical to many of the Belgian 64's which were characteristic for our railnetwork.

We reserved an amount of 30.000, this comprised restoration, acquiring a second loco for spare parts and regular visits on-site in Romania where the work was being done. To account for these expenses we took a five-year-loan and attracted enthousiasts who could buy 'shares' in the loco for 250 Euros each.

Locomotive 230.084 is a German P8, built by Henschel in 1921. She was located in Bacau, in a state that made a complete overhaul unavoidable. General condition was as follows; frame and wheels in excellent condition, 1936-Resita boiler in a satisfying and usable condition. Many vital parts were missing; injectors, valves, steam whistles, drive-shaft gaskets and the complete interior of the driver cabin.

After much negotiating it was decided to have the overhaul done in two seperate locations; the central workshop 'Remarul' and the Gibaü-workshop, both near the city of Cluj-Napoca.

During mid-March 2002 a TSP-delegation went on-site to check the progress of the work. The loco had been taken apart in three pieces: under-carriage/frame, wheels and boiler. Each part was loaded on a seperate flat-bed rail car. Transport to the Remarul workshop was done the following month. Dismantling the boiler would give a clearer image about the work that had to be done.

Flame tubes were dismounted and the boiler was completely sand-blasted. After this another TSP-group went to Romania, accompanied by certified technicians who confirmed through ultrasonic the soundness of the boiler.

The accomanying tender however was in poor condition due to an accident of which the circumstances are long-forgotten. When this became apparent we decided to exchange it with that of the other loco (230.021). This however was an oil-burning machine so the 'new' tender had to be modified for coal-burning.

Other missing parts on 230.084 were also rescued from the spares-machine whose remains will be sold for scrap afterwards.

In April of the following year, Pierre Herbiet, co-founder of TSP and one of the pillars of our organisation went on-site again, taking again with him certified technicians to research the wheels ultrasonically. It was revealed one of the axes was in bad shape and it was immediately replaced by one of the donor-machine. Thanks to this an expensive lifting of the machine in Belgium was avoided. A representative of AIB-Vinçotte, the Belgian organism which does control of boilers was also present and did the necessary tests to declare the boiler fit for service.

Around the same time the driver cabin was also rebuilt to Belgian standards, together with the boiler frame. The only thing missing now were the flame tubes.

Due to these smooth proceedings a first prediction was made in our bi-monthly magazine 'Op de Baan 56' of August 2003 about the date when the machine was to be expected back in Belgium; Spring of 2004...

October 2003 saw Pierre's return to Cluj to participate in steam testing. The boiler was now tested under full pressure and at operating temperature, again under the watchful eye of AIB-Vinçotte. Apart from a few insignificant leaks the boiler was found to be satisfactory and for the first time the steam whistle was heard again.

April 2004...work was slowly but surely progressing and the first steps were taken to plan the loco's voyage back to Belgium.

In May 2004 the boiler was temporarily put on the undercarriage to verify wether all elements would fit as they were supposed to. After this the assembly was taken apart again to facilitate working on the air pressure pipes.

When this work was finished a milestone in the restoration process was reached: AIB-Vinçotte fully approved the boiler for operational service.

August 2004. The driver house was mounted on the frame, together with all its new equipment. In the mean time all exterior plating had also been refitted to the boiler. The machine was ready for a new paint job and a first test drive was scheduled for September. Due to work falling a little behind and an early Winter in Eastern Europe it had to be rescheduled to October.

Things did not go as hoped and we had to wait until the end of March the following year before the complete machine could be stoked up to full pressure. This brought to light a small leak in the airpump and a malfunction of the mechanical lubricator. On April first everything was repaired and retested, this time successfully.

May 11 2005 was another great milestone, the first test drive, albeit without tender, which was very satisfactory and a treat for the ears and the eyes. The end of the restoration process was in full view and on September 7th, 64.169 made its debut on the main line.

The company in charge of expedition had waited for the completion of the whole restoration process before actually starting the administrative work surrounding the loco. No less than six different railway companies had to investigate and approve this exceptional transport. Date of departure was set somewhere in December 2005, but due to recurring problems with local administrators who would not let the machine go the permit for passage through 5 countries (Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Tsjech Republic and Germany) expired as it was only valid until December 31 2005. The whole 'cutting of red tape' had to start all over again...

Without wanting to raise doubt about the goodwill of the various administrative services involved, it was clear that November 2006 had appeared on the calendar, and work on 64.169 had finished well over a year ago. We were wondering how things could be advanced more quickly, so another PFT-TSP delegation went to Romania from November 12-19 2006. All involved were assembled so we could have a clear view about the remaining hurdles.

To make the transport some elements are indispensable:

• the loco has to be supplied of water so the flame pipes won’t break during the transport. When temperatures are freezing the water has to be mixed with an anti-freeze substance;
• a large enough amount of lubricating oil has to be aboard so that the machine can receive lubrication every 100 kms;
  
• during transport the loco has to be manned at all times so maintenance can be carried out, copper thieves are scared off and the people accompanying the transport by car can be notified of its exact whereabouts;
• transport permission has to be obtained from all railnetworks involved;
• every network has to provide a locomotive and timetable;
• the loco has to have her technical UIC-ID card on which all of the data is available in the language of the countries it travels through;
• it has to be released by its country of origin, Romania;
• a whole collection of other documents has to be completed, it’s this that has postponed de departure for sooooo long;
  

Before the train can really leave, a route to Belgium has to be chosen. This had already been done and approved by all the rail networks in 2005, but at the end of 2006 there was still a big empty space in the hall at Schaarbeek and in the hearts of many train enthusiasts...

But...the TSP put her best forces and best people together in Belgium and Romania to solve step by step the remaining problems and to write the last pages of this odyssey.

It has cost lots of money, sweat, tears, and an unexpected amount of time but finally we reached the point of departure!

In a couple of days a group of PFT technicians will go back to Cluj, Roumania. They will receive and check the last documents. Then after 5 years the locomotive will leave the place were she was reborn and rebuilt. First she will go to the CFR depot of Cluj where she will receive a complete check up. Thousands of kilometres are ahead of her on the long journey home...


The special transport starts at Cluj - Napoca in the direction of the Hongarian border at Episcopia through Oradea.



By taking this route we’ll quickly arrive in Hungary where MAV will take over the locomotive from MARFA at Biharjeresztes. Passing Püspökladány, Kapcag, Kisújszállás, Szajol, Szolnok, Újszász, Rákos, Rákosrendezó, Rákosplta, Úp, Dunakeszi, Vác the 64.169 will reach the Slovakian border at Szob.



From Sturovo, Urmiza railway company will take our locomotive further along a long line of stations which sound like a fairy tale or a forgotten dream...Nové Zamky, Galanta, Bratislava Vychod, Bratislava Odb, Vinohrady, Bratislava Hl.St til Kuty. To continue through Lanzhot, Breclav, Brno Malomerice, Havlickuv Brod, Kolin, Nymburk, Melnik and Devin Vychod.



When we arrive in Devin, the Belgian border is only one more country away, Germany. One country but still a long line of stations: Bad Schandau, Dresden, Altstadt, Freiberg, Chemnitz, Glauchan, GöBnitz, Gera, Göschwitz, Weimar, Erfurt, Eisenach, Bebra, Fulda, Alsfeld, Gießen, Dillenburg, Siegen, Betzdorf, Au, Troisdorf, Gremberg, Köln, Ehrenfeld, Düren, Aachen West... and then...the last borderline at Montzen.

We are now home again and steam locomotive 64.169 will make her first kilometers in the land where she will stay and live out the rest of her life among a group of enthusiastic people which will work weekly or even daily for the maintenance of the PFT collection.

The next few days and weeks you can read the latest information on this site and follow the evolution of the transport. In this way you can share the experiences of the team that accompanies 64.169 to her new home.

Dreams come true if you really pursue them. The PFT/TSP continues to pursure its goals and goes for it a 100%! Thanks again to all the people that support the organisation and the P8 project!

A special thank you to Pierre Herbiet!