Portál Pražana
Step Back in Time with a Steam Engine Trip
Do not miss the opportunity to experience what it was like to travel by train in the age of the steam engine. On Saturday, the 6th of April 2019, you can take a steam engine trip on the most scenic rail lines in the Czech capital.
The steam engine was one of the great inventions that changed people's lives and ways of travelling. The first steam engine was built by James Watt. It was enough to put wheels on the steam engine and put it on the rail line to create the first steam locomotive.
Czech Lion
The first train pulled by a steam locomotive that the inhabitants of Prague travelled on was the ‘Czech Lion’. The first journey took place in May 1841, when it rode a short circular railway at Žofín. The first train travelled on the newly built ‘Severní státní dráha’ (Northern State Line) from Prague to Olomouc in 1845. The stations were decorated with celebratory gates, and in each one, crowds gathered and waved at the passing train.
Two routes
If you come to Praha Smíchov railway stationon the 6th of April, you will have two options. You can either take a historic train from Praha Smíchov to Hostivice, or to take a circular trip that starts and finishes in Praha Smíchov station. From the Smíchov station, a steam train will first head towards ‘Prokopské údolí ‘, a valley whose canyon reaches depths up to 70 meters and was created by erosion over the past million years. All the way to Rudná u Prahy, the train will follow the line, which is nicknamed Hrbatá.
From Hostivice to Praha-Smíchov station, the train runs along the line called ‘Buštěhradská dráha’, on which the train gradually reaches an excess of 150 metres in altitude. For its character, the surrounding natural scenery, and two historic viaducts, the line has earned itself a nickname derived from the famous Austrian mountain railway - the ‘Prague Semmering’.
Save the best for last
At the end of the journey, you can admire the mythical Vyšehrad rock, the Pankrác plain with modern buildings and, from the railway bridge across the river Vltava, a panorama of historic Prague with the majestic Prague Castle. Certainly, it will be a unique experience and it will certainly be worth it for the wonderful views of the capital.
INFORMATION ABOUT THEEVENT
06/04/2019 from 10:25AM to 2:16PM
Round trip
Adults CZK 250
Children 6 to 18 years and seniors over 65 years CZK 150
One way from Praha Smíchov to Hostivice, or from Hostivice to Praha Smíchov
Adults CZK 140
Children 6 to 18 years and seniors over 65 years CZK 80
Children up to 6 years of age travel free of charge, without their own seat
More information including the timetable, in Czech, on the Czech Railways website