A fitter arrives for the day's work at the loco shed in Wolsztyn, Poland

Just back from Poland. Got sweaty, dirty and a bit overheated.

I spent an afternoon driving a steam locomotive from Leszno to Wolsztyn, with a commuter train coupled on the back. Yes, you can do that kind of thing in Poland: the rail and tourism authorities have seen the pulling power of steam and have allowed a private operator to offer “footplate experience” courses which allow anyone who wants to to go and drive and stoke steam engines on the national railway for a week. (STORY HERE)

Fireman Irek Tomiak shakes out the fire and the end of another run

Fitters work on the Wolsztyn shed pet, a classic Pacific-type express locomotive dating from the 1930s

A timeless scene at the 100-year-old locomotive roundhouse at Wolsztyn

A PM36 Pacific named Beautiful Helena sticks its head out of the roundhouse. The next day, the loco was on its way to Warsaw to meet the president

A shunter watches as locomotive No.59 pulls Beautiful Helena down to Wolsztyn station yard

A smile from No.59's fireman. The Wolsztyn Experience saved the enginemen's jobs and put Wolsztyn on the map as a tourist destination

The programme has been running for 14 years. It saved a few dozen jobs, and brought tourist dollars flowing in. It put one town – Wolsztyn – on the map, and brought even more visitors to Poznan, one of Poland’s nicest cities. It proves that there is a market for rail tourism. Transnet could have learned a few things before shutting this country’s rail tourism out in the cold, but that’s another story ….

Want to go and drive a steam locomotive on a proper railway? See the Wolsztyn Experience for details.