For the New Year holidays, Bulgarian railway workers have launched special trains featuring vintage carriages pulled by steam locomotives. These retro trains run from Sofia to several regions of Bulgaria.
To create a festive atmosphere, the compartments are decorated with Christmas tree ornaments. Passengers are greeted by Father Frost and the Snow Maiden throughout the journey. The fairy-tale characters give toys and sweets to young travelers and entertain adults with musical greetings from bygone eras.
Trains run on a special schedule to small but picturesque towns in the country. The routes include long stops, allowing travelers to admire the small towns in their festive attire, as well as visit Christmas markets and savor local cuisine.
During stops, everyone can take a selfie with Father Frost and explore the vintage train carriages.
The Bulgarian State Railways has several iconic 46.03 "Baba Metza" steam locomotives, built in the 1930s. This series of locomotives had the most powerful steam engines. They were specially ordered for freight transportation in mountainous terrain. For better stability on sharp turns, the middle coupled axles of the locomotive were made without ribs. With a full load, the train weighed up to 155 tons.
The nickname "Baba Metza" was given to the trains due to their compact design and great tractive effort. "Baba Metza" made regular runs for over 40 years until they were replaced by diesel locomotives. Several years ago, Bulgarian railway workers restored the vintage trains so that fans of this mode of transport could take a New Year's journey on them.
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