Published: 24.11.2022
A stoker assisted by an interpreter. What may be unique in the world is the daily bread and butter for Ladislav Crha, a graduate of the Faculty of Transport Engineering, who operates a locomotive boiler at a narrow-gauge railway in Zittau. He is overcoming the language barrier fast.
Do you usually travel by train, other than at work?
I do. It was only last year that I bought my first car. I have been working as an engine driver for 15 years, and I have always used a train to commute to work. In the past, I used to work in freight transport and it was not such a big deal when I did not wake up on time and was late for work. I could take the next train. In passenger transport, passengers are waiting for their train so it must run on time. Once I overslept and had to take a taxi to the railway station to catch my train. At that time, I realised that I should buy a car to be on the safe side (laughter).
What are the roots of your passion for railways?
My father, who is also an engine driver, introduced me to the world of railways. When I was a young boy, he used to take me to work. When I was 5 years old, I wanted him to let me start a diesel train. I was absolutely excited about trains and fell in love with them. Even today I enjoy driving a train and the view of the tracks in front of the engine.
What was your journey to becoming an engine driver?
In fact, it was not an easy journey. When I was in the fifth grade, I was diagnosed with short-sightedness. At that moment, everything collapsed for me and my biggest dream disappeared. According to the rules existing in 1989, engine drivers were not allowed to wear glasses, and were supposed to belong to the so-called Sensory Function Category No. 1. Unlike train dispatchers, who could wear glasses, and could belong to Sensory Function Category No. 2. I thought that I would not be able to become an engine driver, so I started studying to become a train dispatcher.
But in the end, you are an engine driver.
Thanks to medical development. Towards the end of my studies at the University of Pardubice, where I studied the Transport Means programme, I found out that I could undergo laser surgery to have my eye issue remedied. So again I hoped to become an engine driver one day.
What was it that you had to do to become an engine driver?
After finishing school, I started working at the Railway Authority where I learned what was involved. I was also a member of a Local Railway Club in Kamenický Šenov, which was licensed for training, so I could start my training there. I had to pass statutory exams and do a practical board train driving exam. In 2007, I met all the requirements and started working for České dráhy, the national railway company.
You are also licensed to drive a steam locomotive. Did you need any other licenses to do that?
Yes, I was licensed for diesel traction only, so I could only drive diesel engines. When I worked in freight transport, an engine driver from Turnov Railway Club joined our team. We used to meet in the cloakroom in Liberec and he suggested that I go and drive the 310 steam locomotive around Turnov.
And so you did.
At the beginning, I only worked there part-time and received training as a stoker. After completing a certain number of hours, I sat for more exams and became certified to operate locomotive boilers. That was the beginning of a new phase. At that moment, I could go to the right side of the driver’s compartment, which is reserved exclusively for the engine drivers. Once again, I had to learn to operate a steam locomotive and pass exams to become a steam locomotive driver.
In Germany, you started working as a stoker. It may be seen as a move backwards, or not?
It may seem like this, and understandably so. The situation is different to car driving regulations, where the Czech driving license is also valid in Germany. Different railway regulations are in place abroad, and they are written in German; the signal system and the practices are also slightly different. They checked all my certificates and licenses, which were sufficient to work as a stoker. But even so, they wanted to make sure that I could actually do it. When you let someone operate a train, you must be sure that they are competent.
How did you get the job? Does Germany suffer from a lack of steam locomotive drivers?
I was told about it by a colleague from a German association who knew that many people would be retiring. Maybe some consider it a badly paid job for Germans, because it is a dirty job. Your hands are dirty with oil all the time. Others may be interested, but shy away from the responsibility. Driving a locomotive or a train involves great responsibility, and very few people are willing to assume such a responsibility.
So they rather employed a Czech driver even though they had to find an interpreter. Is this customary practice?
Absolutely not. In fact, they said that it was unique. To play it safe, I was assisted by two interpreters during the first month. They took turns to make sure I get proper training. I speak some German, but I do not understand everything, so they translated my communication with the engine driver.
Do you plan to learn German?
Definitely, I have already started. It is not only about everyday communication, but I must learn some technical terminology. I understand that I must go and oil the engine, but I still have a lot of gaps. In the first place, I must learn everything related to engines. Only then can I learn some extras to be able to talk about female beauty, for example (laughter).
What does the job of a stoker involve?
To take care of the boiler and produce steam for the steam engine to run. In short, to make sure that there is always enough steam available for the locomotive to run. To produce steam in the boiler, there must be water inside and you must stoke it with black coal. In the driver’s compartment, there are usually two water gauges which allow you to monitor the level of water in the boiler. The most important thing is to monitor that the water level does not decrease below the threshold. A stoker may stoke insufficiently and the pressure drops; however, that is not such an issue as the lack of water. That would qualify for revoking the license because the engine may even explode.
Is it your ambition to qualify as a driver of that locomotive?
It is. But I have worked there only since May, so there is still time. I will let it take its natural course. To do some engine driving, I sometimes work as an engine driver in the Czech Republic. It also helps me refresh my knowledge of Czech regulations and stay in good train driving shape.
At the moment you work at the Zittau Narrow-Gauge Railway. Can you tell us something about it?
It is a narrow-gauge railway in Germany, close to the Czech border. In the Saxony region, such railways started to be built after 1880, especially in less developed regions and in the mountains. As early as 1884, they built a narrow-gauge railway to Raichenau (today’s Bogatynia in Poland) and Markersdorf (today’s Markosice in Poland), near the Czech village of Heřmanice. That was connected to a narrow-gauge railway from Frýdlant to Heřmanice, so you could travel from Frýdlant all the way to Zittau. A turnout to Oybin was built in 1890. The part from Zittau to Oybin and Jonsdorf, spa towns, exists even today.
Do the locomotives operate there on a daily basis?
Yes, every day. Back in the times of Eastern Germany, there was a shortage of petrol and diesel, so steam locomotives were in operation. After 1990, the railway was no longer convenient for daily commuters, so it is used for tourism and historical trains. But some children use it to commute to school. Don’t think, however, that you can arrive at the station at 4.30 in the morning and then a steam locomotive arrives; that is no longer the case.
What attracts the tourists?
For example, roofless cars are used so you can enjoy the views of the countryside. Tourists enjoy that. They may inhale the smoke from the steam engines and enjoy the authentic atmosphere (laughter), but also listen to the sound of the engine. The railway to the spa towns goes uphill, so the engine makes itself heard.
In addition to this unique position, you are also a member of the Frýdlant Railway Club. What is the mission of the club?
All my life, I have been living in Frýdlant and there used to be a narrow-gauge railway between Frýdlant and Heřmanice. After the war, the area between Zittau and Heřmanice became part of Poland, and international transport was stopped. Until 1976, the trains operated only within Czechoslovakia. When I was a young boy, the tracks could still be seen. Over time, birches and other self-sown trees started to grow on the railway line. In the 1990s, the tracks disappeared completely. What is left is only the embankment and many photos that we collected. However, I have been excited about it since my childhood. I knew that there used to be a narrow-gauge railway in my region. The club was founded in 2004 with the ambition to renew the operations on the track. The current priority is installing the track from the station to the depot, which houses a museum. We would like to restore the Frýdlant-Heřmanice railway line as much as possible. We have already done a bit.
What are your memories of your studies at the University of Pardubice?
When I enrolled in the first year in 1997, I knew I would have to study all the time. But I enjoyed student life as well. In the evenings, we used to meet people from the whole university, which I like thinking back to. Then I moved to Česká Třebová, where the Department of Transport Means was based. There were only seven students in the programme, so the atmosphere was very family-like. We could stay at the university even overnight, to use the computers. It was all about railways.
What lessons did you take from the university for life?
The ability to use books and textbooks to learn. At secondary school, I was given books that I found hard to understand. On the contrary, at university I learned to go to the library, take five books and extract all I needed from them. Most importantly, I understood the content thanks to my university studies. In fact, I finally understood what I had been taught at secondary school and what the long formulas meant. I still take advantage of that. I understood the technical aspects and I keep coming back to what I learned at university.
Do you have a railway-related dream? Any particular track or engine?
I go to work to play with trains and get paid to do that. That is a dream come true. I went to Zittau to experience regular steam engine operation, which I do now. The only dream left is becoming a steam engine driver at the narrow-gauge railway. I could do that until my retirement. I do not dream about operating super-fast trains; I enjoy railways more on local and regional tracks, which is a marginal area in terms of transport these days.
