Wolsztyn Steam Depot

Wolsztyn's locomotive shed, built in 1907, is the last working steam depot in Europe to send locomotives out on ordinary scheduled passenger trains rather than only on excursions - the service to Poznan and Leszno has been hauled by steam continuously, with interruptions and funding crises, into the present. That means it is possible to turn up, buy an ordinary ticket, and travel behind a steam locomotive as normal transport, which exists almost nowhere else. The depot itself is a museum with a roundhouse, turntable, water crane, coaling stage and a collection of locomotives in various states, and it can be visited. Once a year, at the end of April or in May, the Parada Parowozow brings visiting engines from several countries and runs them past crowds of several thousand, which is the biggest steam event in this part of Europe. Timetables and funding are both precarious - check before travelling.

What you actually see

• Steam on scheduled services - ordinary passenger trains, not excursions.
• A 1907 depot - roundhouse, turntable, coaling stage and water crane.
• A locomotive collection - in the shed and yard, in varying condition.
• The spring parade - visiting engines from several countries, once a year.

When to go

All year; late April or May for the parade. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Steam-hauled services have been reduced and suspended before over funding - confirm the timetable before travelling. The parade weekend fills the town. The depot is a working site with restricted areas.

Nearby

Poznan is seventy kilometres north-east; Leszno is south.