While looking for other things, I found material that lead me to these clips of heritage railroading in Czechoslovakia. It's fascinating how the love of steam and its preservation seems to be universal, at least for those who are rail enthusiasts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq6g3GGWk5A

A variety of types here, including some of the ugliest tank engines I've ever seen, 4-8-4 tank engines, 4-8-2s, and what appear to be a couple of engines, one a Pacific, which apparently are three-cylinder jobs with double valve gear on one side, with a really long eccentric crank running from the No. 3 axle to drive the second set of valve gear. Oh, and a strange-looking valve gear on a tank engine I don't recall seeing before, looks similar to Southern gear but isn't:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pVFpwanqpA

More preserved steam, featuring German-looking 2-10-0s, modern double-deck passenger cars, and semaphore signals. And at about 3:40, watch the springs on the tender trucks working:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Won85NZ ... ature=fvwp

More Czech types, including a 4-6-2T and 4-8-4T:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIS7Cmvmv4

We'll just go on. . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SZuA6XXCa4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbyzKj6NfMw

Steam and diesel action, and a roundhouse (museum), too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKhFcPJtLM

Museum diesel action; these units look like they wear glasses or goggles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnY7fQGMq2I

Existing steam engines in Czechoslovakia:

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/country ... chrepublic

Have fun.

Long time lurker here, climbing down from the rafters. Thanks for this topic and for posting those links. You Tube is a great place for Eastern European Railroad vids. I myself have been watching for years now. Check out Polish Narrow Gauge if your so inclined, I'v spend many hours there myself...

See my post here

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31954

Just wanted to mention that 'Czechoslovakia' has not existed as a country for more than 20 years, when it peacefully separated into the Czech Republic (capital: Prague) and Slovakia (capital: Bratislava, just east of Vienna) on Jan 1, 1993.

Czechoslovakia was formed after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian empire in Oct 1918, at the end of World War 1.