Chabówka 2023-08-08
Passenger car type Bhxz No. 05423. 1896.
Wagon type Bhxz No. 05423 is a passenger car built for fast trains. The wagons were built by the F. Ringhoffer Smichov factory at the end of the 19th century.
The F. Ringhoffer Smichov factory (Ringhoffer-Werke A.G. in German) was founded in the middle of the 19th century in Prague. Smichov is a district of Prague. At that time, Prague was in the Austro-Hungarian state. The plant began to manufacture passenger and freight railway cars. In 1875, a horse tram was launched in Prague. That is why the plant decided to build motorless tram cars as well. The wagons were of wooden construction, but of the closed type. These wagons traveled in many cities of Austria-Hungary, as well as in Szczecin and Poznań, from 1924. The last wagon was built in 1948.
In 1927, the plant changed its name to ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben Daněk). The new company was formed from the merger of two smaller companies, Českomoravská-Kolben and Breitfeld-Daněk. ČKD consisted of two factories: the Locomotive Production Plant in Vysočany and the Tram Production Factory in the Smíchov district of Prague (formerly F. Ringhoffer's tram factory). During World War II, the plant was renamed Böhmisch Mährische Maschinenfabrik and produced PzKpfw 38(t) tanks and Hetzer tank destroyers. For the Germans, of course.
After the end of the Second World War, the plant was nationalized and switched exclusively to the production of trams and locomotives. Thanks to obtaining a license for the production of electrical equipment for PCC trams, the production of the Tatra T1 and T2 models, and then the T3 series, began. From 1954, the company was the only Czechoslovak manufacturer of trams, but not the only locomotive. The plant initially built steam locomotives, then diesel (e.g. S200) and electric locomotives. In the 90s of the twentieth century, the plant was liquidated. Part of the assets and production rights were taken over by Siemens.
Wagon type Bhxz No. 05423.
At the end of the 19th century, the F. Ringhoffer Smichov factory began to build passenger cars for express trains. One of the constructions was a four-axle Bhxz wagon. No type name was used at the factory, only serial numbers were assigned. The carriage in the open-air museum in Chabówka was built in 1896 and is the oldest passenger carriage in Poland. The wagon was built on the order of C.K. Austrian State Railways (kkStB). It was used, among others, on the Kraków-Vienna route. Originally, the car had an interior divided into Class 1 compartments, with soft sofas, and Class 2. In PKP, the car was operated until the end of the 50s. Then he stood on the slope for many years. In 1994, the wagon was renovated by ZNTK in Ostrów Wielkopolski and transferred to the Chabówka Skansen. Currently (2023) it is the oldest passenger car in Poland and the only preserved example of this series.
The frame of the wagon is metal, and the rest of the structure is wooden. At both ends, the car has vestibules with entrance doors and doors for passage to the next car. The front door has non-opening windows. At the front door there are three wooden steps and metal handrails. There are 14 windows on each side of the wagon. In addition, there are double-leaf wide doors on each side of the side for bringing trunks into the luggage compartment. There are two steps under this door. The passage to the next car is over a metal footbridge. The passage is covered with a canvas tunnel. Ladders are installed at the fronts of the train. A skylight and ventilation system were installed on the roof. The roof is covered with sheet metal. During the renovation, the wagon was painted green. Due to the weather conditions, the current color is light brown.
T-T data of the wagon type Bhxz No. 05423:
Overall length 17.90 m. Center pivot spacing 12.00 m. Curb weight 32,945 kg. Gross weight 36,000 kg. Number of seats 60. Top speed 80 km/h. Electrical installation. Steam heating.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman