Kosovo steam locomotive KEK 62-676, former Yugoslav Railways loco of the same number, stored in serviceable condition at Kastriot (Obilic), Kosovo, July 10, 2009
Photograph (C) copyright 2009 Ivan Safyan Abrams. All rights reserved.
This Class 62 locomotive of the former Yugoslav Railways (JZ) was built in what is now Croatia by Duro Dakovic in 1955 to a United States Department of War design, It was sold, along with three other Class 62 locos, to the Kosovo Electric Cooperative (now known as KEK) for service at its KEK A and KEK B lignite-fired power generation plants in the village of Obilic, recently renamed Kastriot, near Pristina.
One of the 4 locomotives, 62-670, is active. That one was out and about when I visited the loco depot on July 10, 2009, shunting wagons being loaded with lignite from the open-cast (strip) mine that feeds the power plants. A moderate quality of this low-BTU sub-bituminous coal is sold to other users, particularly in Macedonia. The active locomotive comes back to the depot at irregular intervals, for fuel (lignite, of course) and water.
The security guard at the loco depot, a very pleasant fellow, said that this loco, 62-676, is now under repair, and is capable of operation. There appear to be a few parts, such as the sand lines from the front dome, missing, but it could be that the loco has operated without front sanders for years. The top cover of the steam dome is sitting on the rear sand dome, so that would need to be affixed, as well.
From the condition of the running gear, which is intact and well-lubed, I'd say that there is at least a reasonable possibility that 62-676 might steam again. Locomotive 62-636 is in the background, and it's not serviceable, and won't operate again.
The 4th loco, 62-671, is marooned in Serbia. It was sent to the Zrenjanin Works for repair in 1999, and the subsequent war followed by political uncertainty has resulted in the repaired locomotive being stranded. Whether it will ever return to Kosovo--if it still exists--is uncertain. According to reports from Serbia, the owners have Zrenjanin Works have now closed the facility.
Why is KEK still using half-century-old steam locos in 2009? Because they own them, and they're cheap to operate, relatively easy to repair (though most parts need to be home-made) and they're capable of performing the not-very-demanding work. Diesels would be more efficient, and cleaner, but given the vast amount of emissions that spew forth from KEK A and KEK B, the exhaust from one small 0-6-0T steam locomotive gets lost in the mix of pollutants.
Finding operable, or nearly-so, steam locomotives in regular, commercial service anywhere in the world in the 21st Century is remarkable. Encountering them in Europe barely 15km from my apartment is astonishing, and very welcome to this rail enthusiast.
It was relatively easy to obtain permission to photograph the locos. The guard gave my friend, who is Kosovar and thus speaks Albanian, the language of this new nation, a phone number at the KEK A office; that individual then called another person, who in turn spoke to the guard so that we could be admitted. Could I have done this without my friend, Nevzad Jerliu? I don't know, but I'm grateful as always for his help and companionship,
The light was lousy, high sidelight from the west (left of photo), but the picture is OK if not a masterpiece. A better time to visit, because of the light, is the morning, when the early light should illuminate the front of the locomotive in addition to its left side.
The next challenge: to catch up with the operating steam loco!
Kosovo steam locomotive KEK 62-676, former Yugoslav Railways loco of the same number, stored in serviceable condition at Kastriot (Obilic), Kosovo, July 10, 2009
Photograph (C) copyright 2009 Ivan Safyan Abrams. All rights reserved.
This Class 62 locomotive of the former Yugoslav Railways (JZ) was built in what is now Croatia by Duro Dakovic in 1955 to a United States Department of War design, It was sold, along with three other Class 62 locos, to the Kosovo Electric Cooperative (now known as KEK) for service at its KEK A and KEK B lignite-fired power generation plants in the village of Obilic, recently renamed Kastriot, near Pristina.
One of the 4 locomotives, 62-670, is active. That one was out and about when I visited the loco depot on July 10, 2009, shunting wagons being loaded with lignite from the open-cast (strip) mine that feeds the power plants. A moderate quality of this low-BTU sub-bituminous coal is sold to other users, particularly in Macedonia. The active locomotive comes back to the depot at irregular intervals, for fuel (lignite, of course) and water.
The security guard at the loco depot, a very pleasant fellow, said that this loco, 62-676, is now under repair, and is capable of operation. There appear to be a few parts, such as the sand lines from the front dome, missing, but it could be that the loco has operated without front sanders for years. The top cover of the steam dome is sitting on the rear sand dome, so that would need to be affixed, as well.
From the condition of the running gear, which is intact and well-lubed, I'd say that there is at least a reasonable possibility that 62-676 might steam again. Locomotive 62-636 is in the background, and it's not serviceable, and won't operate again.
The 4th loco, 62-671, is marooned in Serbia. It was sent to the Zrenjanin Works for repair in 1999, and the subsequent war followed by political uncertainty has resulted in the repaired locomotive being stranded. Whether it will ever return to Kosovo--if it still exists--is uncertain. According to reports from Serbia, the owners have Zrenjanin Works have now closed the facility.
Why is KEK still using half-century-old steam locos in 2009? Because they own them, and they're cheap to operate, relatively easy to repair (though most parts need to be home-made) and they're capable of performing the not-very-demanding work. Diesels would be more efficient, and cleaner, but given the vast amount of emissions that spew forth from KEK A and KEK B, the exhaust from one small 0-6-0T steam locomotive gets lost in the mix of pollutants.
Finding operable, or nearly-so, steam locomotives in regular, commercial service anywhere in the world in the 21st Century is remarkable. Encountering them in Europe barely 15km from my apartment is astonishing, and very welcome to this rail enthusiast.
It was relatively easy to obtain permission to photograph the locos. The guard gave my friend, who is Kosovar and thus speaks Albanian, the language of this new nation, a phone number at the KEK A office; that individual then called another person, who in turn spoke to the guard so that we could be admitted. Could I have done this without my friend, Nevzad Jerliu? I don't know, but I'm grateful as always for his help and companionship,
The light was lousy, high sidelight from the west (left of photo), but the picture is OK if not a masterpiece. A better time to visit, because of the light, is the morning, when the early light should illuminate the front of the locomotive in addition to its left side.
The next challenge: to catch up with the operating steam loco!