The Full Story Behind That Railway From That Football Ground
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- čas přidán 2. 10. 2023
- Čierny Balog is famous for having the only league football ground with a steam railway running through it. But it also has the only steam railway that runs through a league football ground! So what exactly is the story behind this unique piece of track? I took a ride on football's most famous train, and there's a whole lot more to the tale than just a viral video clip...
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MORE INFO
- The railway's official website (please note, SK pages are updated much more regularly than EN ones): www.chz.sk/
- History of the railway on the official site: www.chz.sk/sk/chz/historia-chld/
- More detailled history by engineer Aleš Bilek, who is now director of the railway: www.rail.sk/arp/slovakia/hist...
- News article about the developer who blocked the railway earlier in 2023: zdopravy.cz/ciernohronska-zel...
So this railway line defeated fascism, communism, and capitalism one after the other. Truly the final boss of railways.
What do you get as loot for defeating this railway?
glory to railroadism-footballism, the true socioeconomic way
@@railworksamericaTim Traveller videos - the best loot of all!
@@railworksamerica Probably a complete HS2 in the UK at this rate xD
And it was created by imperialism?
Čierny Balog and the railway that refused to disappear. It's a heartwarming story, and hopefully, after two Tim videos, its fame will spread. Keeping heritage railways alive is a very good thing in my opinion. 😊😊😊❤❤❤😊😊😊
That's ironic that the date was 1st January 1993 too. The date that Czechoslovakia was divided to what is now Czechia and Slovakia. Amazing video Tim.
There's a narrow-gauge railway which - as far as I know - still operates the original steam locs from the late 19th century. It operates a ~20 km long route on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. Might be worth to look into because the island of Rügen is really a beautiful place.
Thanks from me at least :). I added it to my personal list of locations to go to
I think they oldest engine they still operate is from the 1920s, but that's still quite impressive.
Well, I must say, that at least here in Austria, there are many of these very old and amazing narrow-gauge railways that still exist today. Many of which are "Museumsbahnen", which only exist because of much work of volunteers. There are the Bregenzerwaldbahn, the Taurachbahn, the Gurktalbahn, the Feistriztalbahn, the Waldviertelbahnen the Steyrtalbahn and the Ötscherlandexpress and I have probably forgot someone. All of them maintain very old engines and I am pretty sure, that at least the Steyrtalbahn has a working engine from 1888. But there are also several narrow-gauge railways here, that still run at a normal modern schedule, which still offer additional services with old engines like the Zillertalbahn, the Pinzgaubahn, the Murtalbahn and the Mariazellerbahn. The last one for example runs one train every saturday and sunday in the warmer half of the year that is pulled either by an electric engine from 1911 (which had run the regular services on the Mariazeller Bahn up until 2013, which is impressive in itself) or by a steam engine from 1907.
Uh. Have you ever heard of the Harzer Schmalspurbahn? "HSB" in short. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harz_Narrow_Gauge_Railways
@@derauditor5748 yeah
Although their day to day locos are from the 50s, rarely do they have older ones running
Tim and only Tim could make me exclaim "Ah, it was built for logging!" moments before he said it. Never change your music choices, never change.
I completely agree, and really want that cover of timber just to listen to
+1 for the TTD soundtrack
I'm apparently uncultured swine, what's the "logging" music from?
@Ice_Karma it's Tim's rendition (he makes his own music, if you didn't know) of "Timber" by Pitbull.
Damn it, do the other videos also have funny music references??? Now I have to rewatch all of them.
OMG THE TRANSPORT TYCOON THEME!!!!! You've really cheered me up Tim! :D
It's just great how you discovered unique fact about Slovakia which not many Slovaks are aware of. Thanks a million for bringing these positive sides of Slovakia to the youtube world :)
Gotta love people so enthusiastic about railroads that they're willing to rebuild one from scratch. Hope they get those electric commuter trains running!
I still appreciate the weird level of attention/detail put into the music and audio
I dont know if it is wishful thinking. But did I hear transport tycoon music when the tracks were expanding?
@@rutgerbOther commenters tell me - yes! 😎
0:05 I did not expect to see the old trains of the Waldenburgerbahn in here. I knew they were sold off amd re-purosed but I didn't know they were re-located there.
They used to drive on a scenic route connecting Waldenburg with Liestal (near Basel) with multiple stops in between, but in 2021 the entire Railway track got a huge overhaul with a wider track profile and completely new trains.
Could be another small 3rd part to this mini-series.
Tim if you would like to make this video, I could get you footage from the modern Waldenburgerbahn.
Grüezi! I was quite happy about that news a few years ago - you know, I live in Baselland last 11 years, but I am from Slovakia, and spent my military service in Brezno, just next to the railway in the video.
yep they run one of the units with a diesel generator now but they want to electrify and expand the railway in the future :)
@@pavolplaysgames3925that sounds so cool, i hope they make it
Scenic? lol... don't be silly.
This was a surprise for me too... I just thought "This WB logo looks strangely familiar"
so glad you got back to this train. And bonus points for the Transport Tycoon music :D
Wow I totally missed that (2:30) even though I played the crap out of Transport Tycoon as a kid in the 90s (and some OpenTTD in the recent years).
Aahaa, thank you! I thought it was, but then no, but maybe..! 😀
Just finished a game this evening - if you can ever consider a game of OpenTTD complete (got to 2050)
That tune is burned into my brain
@@OlliWilkman Yeah Tim often uses them given his content, I tend to recognise most since a lot of them have pretty distinct stinger openings. All the TTD songs are certified bangers tho, I should listen to them more and hopefully not miss another inclusion by Tim.
I love the fact that you included the music from Transport Tycoon during the explanation of the construction of the railway for hauling logs
1:20 Look at that! The more modern trains the line uses are the former trains used by the Waldenburgerbahn near Basel, Switzerland. I was asking myself what they did with them.
Yup! After retirement in Switzerland they are all ready to start a new life here. The railway just needs to, er... electrify the line first
@@TheTimTravellerAh... Minor details, let's not get held up by that xD
Ps: Electrifying the line through the stadium could be problematic though.
It‘s a bit strange to see this old trains of the „Waldenburgerli“ - which I used to ride probably thousands of times - in a video of one of my favourite CZcamsrs.
@@weppwebb2885 i wonder if converting the trains to Battery-Electric could be a solution. I think about 100-300 kWh of Batteries should cover a round trip or two, and a short stop of about 20 minutes for a fast charge session should be enough after each trip to keep them going..
@@unitrader403 they are running one of the units with a diesel generator :)
Great use of “timber” when talking about the logging!
Timber
Transport Tycoon theme
??
Back for Good
@@petereverett1455 "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr. Hitler?" a.k.a. the Dad's Army theme tune.
I think I have identified the genius of your videos. You make us care about what happens in obscure corners of Europe the same as if it were in our own local area.
I was there the first year it was open to tourists, but don't recall the football ground, so possibly that line wasn't open. It is so good to see how much it has grown and I hope it will thrive. As always a really enjoyable watch.
Thank you! And your memory is correct - the branch through the football stadium (re)opened later, around 2012 I think
Thanks for bringing me back to my childhood with Transport Tycoon at 2:30 :-)
Same!
Your rendition of "Back for Good" is such a serious nostalgia bomb. And also one of the many covers I hope you might put up as a separate video for us to enjoy one day ❤
Man, it sent me down memory lane too. He really ought to make a separate channel for his music!
I like how I could tell the train was used for timber a few seconds before you said it thanks to being able to identify the song in the background!
Thank you so much for this wonderful content. After years of watching videos from you, I can finally relate a video to myself. My grandfather was the lead builder behind the Schwarzgranbahn, and he would be very proud to know that volunteers are still keeping it going.
Say hi to your grandfather for me!
@@ralphhowes he passed away in 2007
@@KrebsHDYour grandfather leaves behind a proud legacy. 👏
The "almost out of the woods" quote is yet another example of your masterful wordsmanship!
Seriously, half the reason I watch these videos is for the music. It's so good! I especially loved the Transport Tycoon music in this one. 👏
"Like a bear with unfinished business, its not quite out of the woods yet." 🤣😊
Did anyone else notice how young the crew around the trains are? Not just the engineer, but the attendants and station crew as well? You'd assume that after decade + of volunteering, this would comprise of seniors & retirees.
Young people are just as likely to be foamers as older people.
They are not the same volunteers that rebuilt it, the elder ones leave and young volunteers join.
@@mickys8705 good thing you pointed it out, for a moment I was under the impression we've confirmed the existence of vampires D:
@@JustAGamerABut young people are less likely to volunteer. Actually, Chris Eden-Green has a good video about why that is. It's partly that the older, entrenched volunteers can be jealous of their position and drive the new ones off.
@@qwertyTRiG So... boomers? lol
If I think about it, I went on this railway 18 years ago when it was slightly more ropey than it is now. Wonderful to see it doing better
We have a similar narrow gauge train in Poland (Cisna, south-east, Bieszczady mountains). It used to carry wood, now is a great tourist attraction. From Cisna it goes one way to Przysłop (almost flat), the other way to Balnica (mild slope). The route to Balnica is especially interesting, it terminates next to a beaver dam and Polish-Slovak border. I recommend it wholeheartedly!
2:26 I love it, the OpenTTD / Transport Tycoon Deluxe song remind me of my childhood :)
The Horehronie Region of Slovakia is what we, Slovaks, call the railway heaven. Well, at least we used to, because up until last year, even the mainline was dominated by beautiful, old trains composed of a classic Czechoslovak diesel locomotive and 3-4 Waggonbau Bautzen coaches, with half-slid windows. This meant the line was absolutely fanstastic for both travelling through a beautiful countryside, as well as photographing, it was, in a way a symbol of this region. With this timetable though, the national carrier ZSSK started operating ,,modern" and very dull Class 861 DMUs on this line, since then the mainline, despite being probably the best scenic railway in all of former Czechoslovakia, has pretty much nothing to offer. What's even worse is the fact that ZSSK had scrapped all the original Bauzten coaches, meaning there's no chance of half-slid windows returning to this line, ever.
🎶 … you’re living in a trainspotters paradise … 🎵
8:29
"The nazis, the communists, and the property developers"
The final horseman of the apocalypse is of course the homeowners association
nahhh not the homeowners association
What's that?
So the video is quite good. But it’s on the second viewing, when you realize what the music is and how appropriate it is, that you realize the genius of the video.
I expect that the property developers where the most ruthless, heartless and evil of all the opponents the railway faced !!
I was thinking exactly the same!
The musical production for this one was on another level.
I hope your awesome videos help this "little railway that could" get even more tourists. I would definitely like to visit one day. Slovakia looks stunningly beautiful
Thanks for using Take That's "Back for good" in the background 🙂
The long awaited sequel!
“Like a bear with unfinished business, the railway is still not out of the woods yet.” I died. 😂😂😂😂😂
I appreciate the background music from Transport Tycoon.
The song from 'Casablanca' in the background was a nice touch. As Time Goes By.....🎹
Nice video! I love the little detective work in this. I'd have stopped at the first video and just took whatever info was given but you noticed the stuff that didn't make sense and made another video. I thought this was just gonna be about riding the train but it's cool to know it's history. I hope the train survives more stuff in the future and stays cause it's a pretty interesting piece of history in that area.
(Just to be pedantic) ... it's NOT history (as you said), which would not be cool. It is obviously still running.
@@ingemarolson3240 Isn't the word history also used when talking about events that happened for a particular person/thing? Like a person could still be alive but when talking about their life people could refer to it as a person's history? The place featured in the video has a lot of things happen that made it the way it is and I think that could be said is part of it's history.
I'm not a native english speaker and I'm basing this on how I've seen people use the word before in different contexts so I might be wrong.
@@sanashi27 Sorry, sanashi. My 'pedantic' comment was about the word "it's", not "history". And while you may not be a native English speaker (which I am not either), you write just as well as any native speaker. And, alas, use "it's" incorrectly (just like too many natives).
In short (grammar lesson coming): "it's" is ALWAYS a contraction of "it" and "is" (no exceptions). So you had written "so it is cool to know it is history". Hence my snarky comment about it is NOT history, it is in fact still running.
The word you wanted is "its", the third person singular genitive/possessive. Think: I, you, he/she/it, we, you, they and the corresponding possessive forms: my, your, his/her/its, our, your, their. As in "my hat", "your hat", etc. (Hope that made sense.)
Have a nice day!
Tim's videos are the only ones I immediately rewatch. First for the story and then for the music.
I love the bit where the music starts and you recognise it then play the "how's tim gonna work in this tedious connection" game. I bloody love the whole video but I have my own little game I play as well
The music in these videos is always delightful. Never change Tim.
There is no other CZcams channel who is making videos on this important subject😅
Loving the reprise of the theme from transport tycoon deluxe
Love the transport tycoon deluxe type music on the background 😊👍😎
Thanks for the sequel, Tim. Usually sequels aren’t as good as the original but this one is. 😊
Transport Tycoon music!!! Extra thumbs up! 👍👍
Love the Transport Tycoon music in the background. Brings back some memories.
That piano cover of Timber is bopping
Gotta love the unlikely combination of As Time Goes By and Take That in the soundtrack :) very on cue, very much appreciated
Is that Timber by Pitbull and Kesha playing in the background, or is it just me?
The Transport Tycoon music was pure gold, thanks for that :D
I absolutely LOVE when you use TTD music in your videos!
This is a great video and super interesting.
Also great to hear the "Wish You Were Here" music returning for the outtro. I've missed that.
I'll have to ask my Slovak colleagues if they know about this.
I wasn’t expecting a fun instrumental version of “Timber” in a video about a train in a football pitch, but I’m not mad about it!
You think you're so clever with your choices of background music...
Well, I mean you ARE... but, well, I forgot the point I was trying to make here.
Anyway, another wonderful video, keep up the great work! 🤓👍🏻
In the late 80's, there was another group of enthusiasts in my home town (Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA) that restored a somewhat famous steam engine that had sat on display for years. Then they leased it to a company that wanted to run train tours. That company crashed it, and now it's gone forever. So glad this train endeavor turned out slightly better!
It's up in Duluth and needs boiler certification and roller bearings to run again
@@jeffheins6624 Really? We're talking about "The 400" steam engine, right? There are a few references to it online, but no mentions of it's rebuild and what happened since. I remember being told it was wrecked, but I was a kid back then. I can't find any documentation about it now.
@fredygump5578 2719 is the locomotive that was in the park, rebuilt in the 90s, its boiler cert ran out a couple of years ago. After UP didn't renew the lease on Altoona C&NW roundhouse, it was homeless, but the museum in Duluth needed a steam locomotive for its dinner excursions, and they leased it for Museum use. Since the boiler cert ran out, it's in storage up there
"Once again, this channel asks the important questions." Absolutely. Thanks Tim!
I appreciate the Transport Tycoon soundtrack being included in your video!
Nice "Unsolved Mysteries" theme at the top.
I love the music in these videos, especially the cheeky Transport Tycoon theme, slipped in there, a great game from my childhood.
Keep up the great work.
It still exists in Open Transport Tycoon.
Looks like YT ate my comment with a link, so one more time without a link (you can Google it): yes, there were many narrow gauge logging railways in Slovakia. Only some of them survived to this day, mostly as museums. One of these surviving is Orava Forest Railway, where, when it was still operational, my great grandfather was an engine driver.
Ah, CZcams's spam filter tends to do that, sorry. Luckily, as the supreme overlord of this channel, I can post the link on your behalf: www.oravskemuzeum.sk/en/exhibition/orava-forest-railway/
That music around 3:00 sounded familiar ... it's from Transport Tycoon!
I'm a steam nut from England and love hearing about the successes of other steam nuts. Keep up the great work and I hope you inspire others throughout Europe (and maybe elsewhere).
Excellent music choice as always (and as I learned last time Tim actually plays the Piano himself)
Timber - Pittbull
? (Must be something from the 30s)
As time goes by - Sinatra
Back for good - TT
Transport Tycoon theme music and then Dad's Army theme song.
The Swiss train line where the 2nd hand electric train originates from, the “Waldenburgerbahn” may be worth a video from you too. The trains were sold because the line got re-gauged from750mm to 1m tracks…
Transport Tycoon Deluxe music made me yelp with joy.
Oh that sweet sweet Transport Tycoon music never fails to bring back wonderful gaming memories.
2:30 awesome music choice! i see you are a man of great culture and taste
As ever, thank you Tim for doing such great videos that help promote both heritage railways and my own country. Bonus points for that rendition of 'Timber' while talking about the logging industry.
I live about 150 meter from the tracks of Swedens longest museum railway. It's 3 feet wide and 33 km long from Uppsala to Faringe. We call it Lennakatten but it's name is SRJ-Stockholm Roslagens Järnvägar.
Sweet! I hope Tim’s got it on his list …
That Transport Tycoon soundtrack
Brilliant Tim. And nice subtle Take That score at the end 👌
Always love the dramatic mystery music.
I always enjoy your videos. Not only are they interesting, well researched and well put together but your music always includes some interesting twists and turns if you're listening carefully ;)
I always love listening out for what songs you do a piano cover of in your videos.
I love the music in this one, Tim
What a great story of determined enthusiasts, preserving a heritage for us all
If we had more of these local railroads in operation today, we would have fewer trucks on the road.
You certainly got the old cogs in my brain going at 8:36 trying to figure out what the song was! A piano version of Take That - very nice!
Love the transport tycoon music during the explanation
The tenacity of the locals and the scenery remind me of stories of Welsh narrow gauge preservation.
I almost skipped this thinking it was the previous video showing up in my feed again...
Mayhaps next time title it as 'Part Two' or 'More To The Story' or somesuch.
Tim’s music just gets better and better
Welp I can't see the future, but I do think this little video might have helped to make the future of the Cierny Balog railroad a bit brighter.
Good to see a property developer getting told where to go.
Big like for the Transport Tycoon song in the background :)
Nice use of "Back for Good" as background music while you explained the railroad.
Wow Tim, that was a really beautiful piece. Your music, as always, is fabulous. SO GOOD!
This story has got to be peak Tim Traveler. Lovely
Thank you for detailing the story behind this. The open passenger cars look quite similar to those of the Cass Scenic RR in West Virginia USA down to the colour. That line is standard gauge but also operated commercially hauling logs
Tim's videos are always a pleasure! I like the way he tells stories!
Your videos are good, no doubt in that, but your choice in music is always on the point !
Lol the timber music got me.
The jaunty cover of Pitbull's Timber is tremendous.
Thanks, Tim,. visiting Europe again, chasing your finds. Keep them coming. Visit upstate NY and you'll find slivers off disused then reperposed canals and railways.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it …
Sorry, I had to replay part of the video because it took me so long to recognize Kesha's/Pitbull's "Timber" that I didn't hear a word you said...
Never knew that a railway line passed inside a football stadium. That’s incredible to see a steam train passing through when there is a football game happening.
love these videos so glad you got to ride the train
As always, identifying the music and its meaning makes the vid so much better.