3 October 2026 – The Komarek Steam Car Returns to the Road

The M 124.001 “Komarek” steam railcar from 1903, which has undergone extensive restoration, has returned to the tracks. On Friday, 18 September, it made a private journey along the picturesque railway line known as the Posázavský Pacific. On Saturday, 3 October 2026, the Komarek will be presented at the Podorlická Steam Saturday 2026 event in Letohrad.

Following an extensive restoration, including the construction of a new boiler, the National Technical Museum is returning the M 124.001 “Komarek” steam railcar from 1903 to its operational exhibits.

The next opportunity to see the Komarek in operation will be on Saturday, 3 October 2026. The Komarek will be presented at the Podorlická Steam Saturday 2026 event in Letohrad, where it will make several journeys on the surrounding railway lines throughout the day. From Letohrad, it will travel, for example, to Jablonné nad Orlicí, Žamberk and Litice nad Orlicí. The detailed programme and timetables for the individual journeys, including ticket purchase options, are available on the organiser’s website.

The railcar had to be withdrawn from service in autumn 2021 due to a serious boiler defect. Its most recent extensive restoration took place between 2024 and 2026 and included the construction of a completely new boiler with parameters identical to those of the original. The restoration cost CZK 4.7 million. Thanks to the restoration, the Komarek is once again one of the major attractions for historic railway enthusiasts on Czech tracks.

Of the approximately one hundred steam railcars that once operated on the railway lines of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, only the M 124.001 has survived to the present day. It is therefore one of the rarest exhibits in the NTM railway collection, with significance extending beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.