Osoblaha Railway

The narrow-gauge line from Trebom to Osoblaha opened in 1898 on 760 mm gauge to serve the Osoblaha salient, a tongue of Czech territory pushing north into what is now Poland, and it survives as one of only two such lines in regular passenger operation in the country. It runs about twenty kilometres across flat farmland with tight curves - one of the sharpest curve radii on any Czech railway, at seventy-five metres - through villages that emptied after 1945 and never refilled. Osoblaha at the end is a small town that lost most of its population and buildings; it has an old Jewish cemetery with several hundred stones, among the older in Silesia. Regular services are small diesel units; steam and historic sets run on advertised dates. Bicycles are carried and the line is used as a lift for cycling routes.

What you actually see

• 760 mm gauge since 1898 - one of two such lines still in regular passenger use.
• Very tight curves - a seventy-five metre radius, among the sharpest in the country.
• The Osoblaha salient - farmland and villages emptied after 1945.
• An old Jewish cemetery - several hundred stones at the far end of the line.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Few services a day and a sparse timetable - plan the return carefully. Steam runs only on advertised dates. The landscape is flat farmland, quiet rather than scenic. Services are minimal at both ends.

Nearby

Krnov is south; the Polish border runs round the salient.