Railway Herald
Voluyak Yard on an unusually dull and about to become a very wet 29th September 2024. The BDZ CARGO red paintwork eventually fades into a variety of different shades of what it should be. Class 43 SKODA No. 43-552 provides a classic example of this aging process when captured uncoupled to a mixed freight consist. Alongside is the sole surviving operational Class 42. Based at Dupnitsa shed, at first glance 42-184 appears to be just like any other Bulgarian SKODA but closer inspection reveals a number of differences. Originally the Class 42 SKODA 64E fleet were built with fibre-glass bodies but a number of unfortunate electrical fires caused catastrophic damage to the body shells. Consequently a number of the locomotives were rebuilt during the 1980's to incorporate the later style cabs with metal bodies. The Dupnitsa loco is normally used on freight trains on 5th and 6th Main lines between Kulata and Sofia and is the oldest operational electric locomotive of the BDZ fleet.
Stephen Ginn
