Legendary East German “Dolphin” train returns to Czechia
The legendary East German train known as “Dolphin” due to its distinctive “dolphin’s snout” undertook a closely-watched trip to Czechia at the weekend. The veteran train, which served the Berlin - Prague – Vienna route, was restored by railway enthusiasts in the German city of Görlitz.
Undertaking its original route Berlin-Prague-Vienna, the red and white veteran drew many admirers in Prague where it made a longer stop to allow people to inspect it close up and take photos.
The train’s design is unique, with a driver’s cab positioned high up giving the front its distinctive shape resembling a dolphin. There is a powered car at each end, with passenger carriages in between, including a restaurant car as well as first-and second-class coaches.
In the second half of the 20th century the diesel train was driven through Czechoslovakia by an East German driver, assisted by a Czech colleague. One of the railway men who served those shifts was Oldřich Červinka.
“It’s amazing, the driver’s cabin up there. It resembled an aircraft cockpit. Even the angle of the tiny little windows on the side. Cold air was blowing down your back. From Děčín to Gmünd, I checked traffic safety, the signals and so on. And my German colleague operated everything,” Červinka recalls.
The Dolphin returned to Czechia more than 23 years after it made its final journey in service.
This was possible thanks to the fact that a group of railway enthusiasts in Görlitz, led by Mario Lieb, spent many years restoring it to its former glory.
“Altogether, we needed seven years to complete the work. I think we underestimated how much work needed to be done and how much time it would take. The electrics and brakes were a major problem because they are components from the 1960s, and at the end we also had two engine failures,” Lieb says.
Lieb and his team are delighted that they managed to bring the project to completion.
“We travelled from Dresden through Karlovy Vary to Prague. That was a wonderful experience. We were very pleased with the footage and videos that came out of it. And above all, with the enthusiasm of people who came to see it,” he says.
The train was fully booked for weeks in advance. One of the passengers lucky enough to board the Dolphin for a sightseeing trip was Pavel.
“I had to take advantage of the opportunity because I worked as a train driver all my life. So you can’t miss something like this. It’s an enormous rarity, a veteran on the rails. It is truly unique,” he says.
The Dolphin returned to Germany via Prague on Sunday, giving railway enthusiasts one last chance to admire it.
