Nova Bystrice Railway

The narrow-gauge system at Jindrichuv Hradec was built in 1897 on 760 mm gauge to serve the poor country south and north of the town, and both branches still run - the southern one thirty-three kilometres to Nova Bystrice through Ceska Kanada, the granite and pond country against the Austrian border, and a northern branch to Obratan. It is one of the last narrow-gauge networks in the country in regular operation, run privately since the 1990s after the state railway wanted to close it. Trains are slow, the carriages are old and the line runs through forest, past ponds and through villages emptied after 1945, which is the point. Steam services run on set dates in season with preserved locomotives, and there is a depot with rolling stock at Jindrichuv Hradec. Bicycles are carried, which is how many people use it.

What you actually see

• 760 mm gauge since 1897 - one of the last working narrow-gauge networks here.
• Thirty-three kilometres to Nova Bystrice - through forest, ponds and empty villages.
• Steam on set dates - preserved locomotives running in season.
• Bicycles carried - the line used as a one-way lift for cycling back.

When to go

May to September. A day.

Honest expectations

The timetable is limited and seasonal, with few services a day - plan the return. Steam runs only on advertised dates and books up. Carriages are unheated and basic. Journeys are slow by design.

Nearby

Ceska Kanada surrounds the line; Slavonice is west.