Railway Herald
The idea of preservation and heritage lines does not really exist in Bulgaria but a number of steam locos have been restored to working order by BDZ (Bulgarian State run Railway) but only for the purpose of using them profitably on steam trips. A regular mainline performer on the latter is Sofia-based (Winterthur 3593/1935) Class 2-8-2 No. 01.23 seen here on a morning charter at Radomir on 12th October 2019. This booked stop allowed locals and passengers to admire the locomotive at close quarters and from all sides even it meant standing on the main through lines! The tour from Sofia eventually continued on via Zemen to final destination at Kyustendil, returning to the capital later in the day.
Stephen Ginn
