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The railway traffic in Piła increased
which forced the modernization of railway station
and railway infrastructure in the neighboring area
the building of technical backup was necessary.
Speaks Roman Chwaliszewski Regional Office for the Protection of Historical
Monuments in Poznań, Head of Delegation in Pila
As the suitable classes of railway station
and departure lounge were needed to build for passengers, so the steam locomotives
were in need of technical service and servicing equipment.
The proper technical backup was necessary to be prepared.
The steam engine house was such an object.
The steam engine house is round building created during 1870-1874 period.
It was basic model solution for steam engine houses for the whole
Eastern Prussian Railway "ostbahn" Two objects were built:
the first one in Berlin-Pankow which already does not exist
and the second one in Piła
Besides of the round hall built on the plane of hexagon,
there were water tower with water outlet
and coal depot as well as boiler room
and dosshouse for rail teams.
The workshop and office building
with water tank were also situated there.
Taking technical conditions into consideration,
all mentioned buildings were located
between lines towards Bydgoszcz and Chojnice
Its initial dimensions are 25 meters
and precisely 41 centimeters in section,
9 meters nave was added later which widened its range.
There were 3 entry gates in the building of engine house
- initially wooden with glassing -
- now made of steel.
The servicing of 13 locomotives
and the managing of 3 locomotives were possible at the same time.
The dome of the nave was supported by 16 cast-iron poles.
The roof construction constituted the framework assembled from steel riveted elements
and the plating of engine house was made from boards covered with asphalt roofing.
The fan formed as chimney was build at every stop
position of locomotive which enabled the steam
and the smoke to be directed outward.
Speaks Roman Chwaliszewski Regional Office for the Protection of Historical
Monuments in Poznań, Head of Delegation in Pila
The essence of this engine house is rotational device which made
possible to rotate entering locomotives at 360 angles.
It was truly a great achievement to accomplish such rotations
with the use of initially mechanical solutions.
At the beginning the rotational device had
11 meters of width which
was extended later to 15 meters.
Under every stop position was auditing channel
so the locomotives plying from
far northeast of Europe
to the center of Berlin
had technical inspection and technical repair here.
The engine house was a bit modernized
later by application of mechanical engines,
but it has not been changed
in its main shape until now.
Over 110 years the engine house was bustling with activity
but when the era of steam locomotives ended,
the significance of the engine house in Piła decreased.
At the break of 80s and 90s of the XX century the engine house served
as a place of positioning of inactive steam locomotives and tenders.
It was a workshop for training future mechanics.
It is remembered in that way by Mieczysław Zalewski
- former helper of engine driver who drives
locomotives of electrical traction and diesel engines nowadays.
Speaks Mieczysław Zalewski driver, used to led steam engines
I joined engine house team in the autumn in 1980.
Okraglak served as an economic department so it was the place
for bricklayers and glaziers, painters and later electricians.
Nothing happened in Okraglak during my membership
The steam locomotives were serviced in Okraglak
only when the newer rotational device had a technical audit,
then it was lifted and so on
… this yearly audit lasted for about one month
the locomotives were sluiced out.
The work was done in two channels.
In the engine house the point of control existed there
A board "Control point of steam locomotives no. 1" was here.
The locomotive arrived from the route and stopped here for example at 4 o'clock
and from that moment the worker was given 90 minutes to service the locomotive
some of them needed more time for it even 2 hours…it depends.
The locomotive was set here
the sluicing out was conducted here at the sluicing channel.
The man responsible for it came and poured the water
into ashes of locomotive, another man fought with hoe up
and so on and the locomotive was sluiced out
There was a coal bunker here.
The coal was taken from there.
It was taken with the lift or the crane during
my stay in the engine house.
Half way from one faucet to another one,
there was an old Russian coal wagon, and narrow tracks, carriages.
The man drawn the carriage up, put the coal on,
unscrewed the flap by the crank,
the coal was poured here and then the man pushed
the carriage and dumped the coal into the tender.
It was not plastered then. First of all the problem was with a roof…,
people were in the engine house and worked there. Now it is written here that it
"poses a threat to people" but it was not here before and the engine house
was full with traffic during the night and the day.
The 1st class engine house was closed down in 1991 in Piła.
The usage of the engine house was ended in the half of 1997
with the closure of repair division of diesel locomotives.
It was connected to crisis in the rail industry in Poland.
As a consequence, the gradual decrease
in the importance of junction in Piła on the map of Poland followed.
Speaks Mieczysław Zalewski driver, used to led steam engines
The railways contributed to a social advancement.
In that way, Pila was promoted, too. There were 7 departure directions
from Piła…. My dears... border town, customs station.
It is sad because there was non-stop traffic in the railway station - night and day.
Today when you come to Szczecinek or to Poznan
and even to…non-stop traffic is at hand.
The day and the night are full of people coming in
and out, sounds at the workshop; the rotational device is in use…
and in Pila... dead silence. It's a shame... There are no railwaymen!
And in the past Piła were notable for them.
Over the time of 3 years of the last century, the engine house hall
functioned as a warehouse and a garage for trolleys.
Later considering technical condition of roof, it went
completely out of use. It is so now. The deserted building lapsed into ruin
over the course of time and it was not redecorated and preserved.
The engine house survived but its condition is dismal.
Speaks Marek Fijałkowski historian, the Regional Museum in Pila
Unfortunately, we are experiencing now
the decline of the railways in Pila and the engine house in Piła
which is burdensome for many people. As a historian, I think that engine house
ought to be maintained if it is rare object and the example of industrial
and rail architecture; it should be preserved in every possible way.
However it is wearing down and we can see that with each passing year
it is becoming worse and worse, the devastation is creeping
in and its technical condition is deteriorating.