Ty42-149 Steam Locomotive Restoration Advances in Jarocin, Poland

The Society of Greater Poland Railways (Towarzystwo Kolei Wielkopolskiej) and the Jarocin Steam Locomotive Museum (Muzeum Parowozownia Jarocin) have begun the first phase of restoring the historic Ty42-149 steam locomotive. Workers and volunteers have cleaned the locomotive from the front to the cab, removed floor remnants, and cleared the interior of the chimney. The work is financed through proceeds from brick sales at the museum’s railway festival and subsidies from the Jarocin municipality and county under the "Historią koleją się toczy" programme.

Ty42-149 was built in Chrzanów after World War II, based on German Ty2 designs, and served in depots such as Katowice, Bielsko‑Biała, Kluczbork and Bydgoszcz before becoming a static exhibit in Jarocin. While the locomotive could technically be returned to operation, full mechanical restoration would require multi‑million‑zloty investment that the museum currently lacks. A related project is also restoring the first Ty42‑1 locomotive at the Jaworzynia Śląska Railway Museum, funded by the EU Interreg Czech‑Poland programme.