Polish Tank engine TkH2944 at Cheddleton

 

A closer view of TkH2944. Built by Fablok, a Polish manufacturer of locomotives, based in Chrzanów. Until 1947 the official name was The First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd. (Polish: Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce Sp. Akc.), Fablok being a widely used syllabic abbreviation of Fabryka Lokomotyw. It is now named "BUMAR - FABLOK S.A. (corporation)". Fablok is located in the town of Chrzanów in Lesser Poland. Fablok was established in 1919. A year later a contract was signed with the Polish government to supply 1,200 steam locomotives within ten years to the Polish State Railways (PKP). The first locomotive was delivered on 7 April 1924. During World War II Fablok was a part of the Association of German Locomotives Companies (German: Deutsche Lokomotivbau-Vereinigung). Fablok was incorporated into Henschel & Son under the name Erste Lokomotivfabrik in Polen A.G. Chrzanow (1939–1941) and from 1941 as Oberschlesische Lokomotivwerke Krenau. Klemens Stefan Sielecki together with his colleagues from the technical bureau started hiding the technical documentation for steam, industrial diesel and electrical locomotives and moved them completely out of the plant in January 1945, since the Nazis wanted them destroyed. After Poland was liberated, this documentation proved vital for the re-construction efforts of the national railway industry, especially the diesel and electrical locomotives. This allowed Fablok to restart the production of these types.

 

 

The company was nationalized in 1947, and the official name changed to Fablok. Sielecki was technical director in the post-war years until 1964. After that, he was technical advisor to the board until his retirement on March 31, 1971. Under his leadership, the production was re-established for multiple types of locomotives, 12 of that type were destined for export.
Export markets for its standard-gauge passenger, fast, freight, and industrial steam locomotives were Albania, China, Hungary, India, Korea, Romania, and Vietnam. Narrow-gauge units were exported to Albania, Bulgaria, China, Romania, Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. The last steam locomotive was produced in 1963. Fablok never produced boilers for its steam locomotives, these were supplied by Fabryka Budowy Kotłów (Boiler Construction Works) of Sosnowiec known as Fitzner and Gamper before 1945; later also by other producers.

 

 

 

 

 

Motive power shortages after WWII called for rapid production of virtually all kinds of locomotives, from heavy freighters to small switchers. The latter were necessary primarily for major industrial establishments; factories which had their own sidings needed simple and reliable engines designed for hard everyday service rather than for brilliant performance. Between 1927 and 1929, Fablok built six light tank locomotives with factory designation T1A. These machines, which showed considerable influence of Austrian designs, were later developed into T2A, known also as ‘Ferrum 29’ – after the name of steelworks that first ordered this type. As technical documentation of the latter type fortunately survived the war, it was quickly decided to build it afterwards with certain changes. In particular, new machines ran on saturated steam, were slightly lower, lighter by 1200 kg and their power was lower; diameter of drivers was also slightly reduced. But their tractive effort was enough to haul heavy drafts (even 1500 tonnes and more), they were simple, undemanding and reliable, and axle load was only 14.8 tonnes. So a  new machine, with factory designation T3A (commonly known as ‘Ferrum 47’), went into series production in 1947 and, until 1961, 477 examples were built by Fablok.  Despite obsolescence of the basic design, they remained in service for quite a long time, just like many other steam locomotives used by industrial establishments. At least three were still used by a foundry in Ozimek in mid-1990s; it was intended to keep them in operation until boiler certificate has expired – for one of them it meant 2000.

 

 

Withdrawal of T3As from active service was comparatively late and coincided with rapidly growing nostalgia for steam all over Europe. It is thus perhaps not surprising that several machines were sold abroad. According to the above-mentioned Internet source, seven went to various British railways: Spa Valley Railway (2944/1952 and 3135/1953, named ‘Hotspur’ and ‘Spartan’, respectively, were kept operational and 2871/1951 has been cannibalized), Northampton & Lamport Railway, (5374/1959 ‘Vanguard’ and 5387/1959 ‘Northamptonshire’, both operational), Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society, Scunthorpe (3138/1953, operational) and Avon Valley Railway (4015/1954 ‘Karel’ – reported operational in late 2010). Preserved Locomotives of British Railways by Peter Fox and Peter Hall (Platform 5, 2002) give slightly different details: according to this source, as many as nine T3As were sold to British Railways; 4015/1954 is listed as belonging to North Norfolk Railway, ‘Northamptonshire’s serial number is given as 3112/1952 and 2871/1951 is listed as belonging to Bridgend Valleys Railway. Two more are listed, 5380/1960 and 5697/1959, for which no data are available. In early 2013 two engines owned by Spa Valley Railway (2944/1952, withdrawn after boiler ticket expiry, and what remained of 2871/1951), which faced a prospect of scrapping, were sold to a group of volunteers from the Churnet Valley Railway at Cheddleton, Staffordshire, for restoration (many thanks to Ian Calderwood for information).

 

 

I am most grateful to Wikipedia, Tomisław Czarnecki, Attila Kirchner and lastly  Ian Calderwood.