In the 1920s the newlly formed Hellenic State Railways (SEK-CEH) launched a large program to upgrade the rolling stock, with new locomotives, coaches and freight cars. Some of these new coaches were built by Austrian and German factories, including the luggage car of our video. This old "lady" built in 1926 by Simmering-Wien Works is the last remaining Austrian-built luggage car of the Hellenic State Railways. After decades of service along Greece, the car was transformed into a maintenance workers dormitory. Her original body was refurbished, windows were covered and changes in the interior were made, while her shiny green color was replaced by the orange livery of Rail Maintenance vehicle. Then she was abandoned in Drama station, the largest rail complex in Eastern Macedonia on the line Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis. After almost 3 decades in the shades, the historic vehicle was brought to light by OSE Museum Department and the local Railway Museum's volunteers. Here is a short video of the saving procedure, which took place on August 25th, 2022.
Scenes Filmed and Edited by Alexander Sikalias
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