Frýdlant v Čechách - Heřmanice

The railway line, situated in northern Bohemia near the frontier with Poland and Germany, was built by the

TU 47.010 in Frýdlan v Čechách (archiv Václav Cempírek).

Frýdlant district railways company (FOD) and it was opened for the passenger transport 25th August 1900. In Heřmanice was connected with the net of narrow-gauge lines round Zittau (the rail lead through the territory of today's Poland over market-town Bogatynia) and that is why it was the only one narrow-gauge line on our territory with the gauge 750 mm. In Frýdlant the railway line was connected with normal-gauge line to Černousy and Jindřichovice pod Smrkem.

The rail reached for length 10,781 km, vertex point in km 5,23 , maximum gradient is 35‰, minimum radius of curve is 50 m and maximum speed 40 km/h. The rail was from two sections - first was from Frýdlant v Čechách over Frýdlant trainstop, Kunratice u Frýdlantu into Dětřichov, whereupon tied together second section from Dětřichov into Heřmanice trainstop and Heřmanice. In 1924 the new proprietor of Heřmanice railway line become The Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD).

The service (passenger transport also good transport) was ensured by locomotives U37.007-009 (Krauss and Co. Linz 4183-85/1899) until year 1938. From 1927 on the rail began also transport of normal-gauge wagons on undercarriages. In the period of the second world's war there were in Frýdlant also German five couple of locomotives 99.6-7 and from time to time also motor railcar of DRG series VT 137. But in the whole history of this track the direct train Frýdlant - Zittau was only a dream and in Heřmanice passengers had to change. After the war only loco U37.007 stayed on German territory (during war transport stagnation it become superfluous and was send into Prignitz).

U 37.008 (archiv Václav Cempírek).

In our republic stayed 99.702, renumbered as U58.001, and T36.001 ensured a shift (sold 11th January 1954 to Koněprusi track - KBK ). The service started again on 4th October 1945 and in a brief after stood from 1st April 1946 to 9th September 1948. Soon followed the second stop of the service from 1st May 1951 to 14 th July 1957 and from 1st March 1954 the track had been used for the North-Czech Industry of Stone Co., who had in Heřmanice stone pit. Siding trains was led by U37.009 and U37.008. This second loco was lend on track Ružomberok - Korytnica. Instead came into Frýdlant locomotive U37.002 (5th March 1955), which retired into Ružomberok 24th November 1955 too.

Soon after restoration of passenger transport the era of steam loco ended. Into Frýdlant arrived on July 1958 motor locomotive T47.007-010 and in sixtieth wagon Balm/ú came. T47.009 retired on September 1960 to Jindřichova Hradce, U 58.001 to Osoblaha and U37.009 is unmade in 1963 in Frýdlant. T47.007 retired into Ružomberok in 1963 too. Last steam locomotive U37.008, which was lend from 1st July 1961 into December 1961 to KBK (return to ČSD on March 1962, last ride 1964), was unmade in July 1966.

Ještě v roce 1980 stály ve Frýdlantu odstavené stroje TU 47.008 a TU 47.020 (foto Ondřej Řepka 7. 9. 1980, sbírka Tomáš Potůček).

The museum of Nymburk acquired it and they placed it before chief station. Before several times U37.008 get from Nymburk into Jindřichův Hradec and at present is in repair. In Jindřichův Hradec is also wagon D/ú 600 like part of historical railcar set, which was the part of original train of Heřmanička. T47.019 was here too during three months in 1965 then left for J.Hradec. On November 1975 then even came into Frýdlant from Ružomberok renumbered as T47.020, which here worked with T47.008 (retired in the end of this year into J. Hradec). T47.010, then already out of order, is in 1979 unmade.

After apparent decrease of travellers was railway in 1972 designed to nullification and from 13th January 1976 there was from security reason the service stopped. From this closing to the end of 1984 ČSAD established a substitute bus transport and their expenses were covered ČSD, but the proprietor of the line was ČSAD. The falling rail was step by step destroyed, as far as in autumn 1996 The Management of transport roads Liberec decided about her disassembly and scrapping. Liquidation was done by Liberec salvage. At present the permanent way already doesn't exist, some bridges were cut, the store in Dětřichov was demolished and the station building sold to any private proprietor. The fate of further narrow gauge railway in Bohemia was sealed ...