Century-old steam locomotive returns to Czech tourist rails

A 101-year-old steam locomotive has returned to tourist rail lines in the Czech Republic, rejoining a nationwide wave of heritage operations that are turning historic rolling stock into a major draw for summer visitors.

A century-old engine back in motion

The veteran locomotive, built in 1925 and now classed as 310.0134 and nicknamed “Kafemlejnek,” has been restored for seasonal tourist service in northern Bohemia. Publicly available information shows that the locomotive is scheduled to haul nostalgic services in 2026 on regional routes around Turnov and the Pojizeří area, including popular summer excursions marketed to hikers and day-trippers.

The 101-year-old engine is being deployed on selected summer Saturdays, working short tourist trains that connect small towns with trailheads, lookout points and historic town centers. Timetables indicate that these trains supplement regular regional services rather than replace them, effectively creating a parallel heritage offering designed for leisure travel.

According to published coverage by regional tourism bodies, the locomotive’s return follows a multi-year program of repairs and testing that brought the historic steam engine back into operational condition under current safety rules. The reactivation of such an old machine in regular tourist use is being highlighted as a distinctive feature of the country’s 2026 nostalgic rail calendar.

For visitors, the reappearance of a steam locomotive from the 1920s in everyday countryside settings provides a sharply different experience from standard electric and diesel services. Travel agencies already featuring the route in English-language materials are presenting the engine as a moving museum piece that can still keep to a modern timetable.

A growing rail nostalgia network

The locomotive’s comeback coincides with a wider expansion of nostalgic and heritage train operations across the Czech Republic in 2026. Schedules published by Czech and regional transport authorities outline multiple thematic services, including steam weekends in the Krkonoše mountains, historic narrow-gauge operations in industrial museums, and special trains to spa towns and castle districts.

In northern Bohemia, the 101-year-old locomotive’s trains are integrated into a broader “nostalgic rides” program promoted by the regional integrated transport system. These services link Turnov with Lomnice nad Popelkou and the nearby Mount Tábor area, where passengers can combine train travel with marked hiking trails and local cultural events.

Elsewhere in the country, other historic steam classes maintained by the National Technical Museum and Czech Railways are operating seasonal trains to destinations such as Brandýs nad Labem, Žatec and Lednice. Public timetables and museum announcements indicate that these trains, often headed by locomotives from the 1930s and 1940s, are used both for one-off festival days and for repeated summer weekends.

Transport company reports suggest that interest in nostalgic services has remained strong in recent years, with special trains regularly featured in sustainability and tourism documentation as a way to encourage car-free leisure travel. The return of a 101-year-old locomotive to service appears to fit this strategy by providing a high-profile attraction within an already established heritage network.

Tourism, timetables and ticketing

Regional tourism publications describe the nostalgic trains hauled by the 101-year-old locomotive as fully integrated into public transport ticketing, allowing passengers to combine standard fares and day passes with heritage rides wherever possible. In some cases, special supplements or event tickets apply, but the overall structure resembles regular regional services.

The trains typically operate at modest speeds over relatively short distances, stopping at small stations that retain traditional signaling, period architecture or museum-style exhibits. This allows the historic locomotive and its train to function as both transportation and open-air exhibit, with travelers able to disembark for local walks, lookouts and village visits before returning on a later service.

Travel planners emphasize that journey times are comparable to modern regional trains on the same routes, despite the age of the locomotive. Operating patterns are shaped around day-trip demand, with morning departures from regional hubs, midday layovers at scenic destinations and return services in the late afternoon or early evening.

Information released by regional transport coordinators also points to efforts to synchronize nostalgic train schedules with buses and other rail services, so that visitors can reach the heritage route without needing a car. This connectivity is particularly important in protected landscape areas where authorities promote public transport as the preferred way to access trails and viewpoints.

Balancing preservation and modern standards

Bringing a 101-year-old steam locomotive back into tourist service in 2026 has required a balance between historical authenticity and current technical standards. Museum and railway documentation indicates that overhauls of similar locomotives in the country typically include extensive boiler inspections, replacement of worn running gear and updates to braking systems and auxiliary equipment.

While the locomotive’s external appearance and core mechanical design remain faithful to the original 1920s construction, the restoration process is understood to incorporate modern materials and maintenance practices. This allows the locomotive to operate safely within a contemporary signaling and operating environment, sharing tracks with modern multiple units and freight trains.

Energy and environmental considerations also influence how often and where the locomotive runs. Public-facing materials from heritage operators note that steam operations are generally limited to specific days and promotional events, reflecting the higher cost of coal, water and specialist maintenance staff. Concentrating runs into well-publicized weekends helps ensure sufficient passenger numbers to justify the additional expense.

The locomotive’s role is therefore targeted rather than continuous, presenting steam operation as a special occasion rather than a routine commuting option. For enthusiasts and casual visitors alike, this limited but regular schedule creates an incentive to plan trips around heritage dates, which can in turn benefit accommodation providers, restaurants and local attractions along the route.

Positioning Czechia as a rail-heritage destination

The return of a 101-year-old steam locomotive to tourist service adds another asset to the Czech Republic’s reputation as a rail-heritage destination. International tour operators already sell itineraries that combine Prague city sightseeing with visits to regional rail museums, steam festivals and cross-border heritage lines.

Brochures for 2026 rail holidays highlight multi-day tours that include time on Czech steam services, suggesting that historical rail operations are now considered a core component of the country’s tourism offer. The inclusion of a century-old locomotive operating on public tourist trains reinforces this image and provides tour planners with new material to promote.

Domestic tourism campaigns increasingly reference nostalgic train rides alongside hiking, cycling and UNESCO-listed town centers. By placing the restored locomotive on routes that offer straightforward connections from major cities, operators are making it easier for both local residents and international visitors to incorporate a steam-hauled journey into a weekend break or longer itinerary.

As the 2026 summer season progresses, the performance of the 101-year-old locomotive on its scheduled tourist services is likely to be watched closely by heritage operators across Central Europe. Its successful integration into regional transport networks may encourage similar projects, ensuring that steam-era engineering remains a living part of the continent’s travel landscape rather than a purely static museum display.