At the mid-day break (see below) I was able, for less than $2, to briefly take the controls, for maybe 2 minutes, of a Romanian-build Lxd2 class diesel engine on this meter gauge railroad, now running a tourist operation. Brake is on the right, throttle on the left; I got it up to notch 6 (of 8 notches)!
This train has a unique operation in that the train runs to Tarczyn Ruda, runs the power around to the other end, and pulls part of the way back to a spot, Runow, where there is a sizable open area by the tracks. Families pile out of the train, spread their blankets, and picnic for a few hours, eating, playing with the kids, eating freshly grilled kielbasa, and so forth. For a couple of dollars (5 zloty) you can run the engine, sans railcars, down the line for about a minute or so, getting up to notch 6. This railroad is now known as the Piaseczynska Kolej Waskotorowa; its previous name was Grojecki Kolej Waskotorowa or Grojecka Kolja Dojazdowa but as the operation is based in Piaseczno and the line past Tarczyn is not used for the regular trip, the name was changed in 2004. The line is meter gauge and the engine is rated at 450 hp; unfortunately the line shipped away its 0-8-0 steam engine in December 2012.
