Poland

Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew

Are there any fans of trains, locomotives and mock-ups on board? If so, we invite you to Sochaczew, to the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum! Here you will see antique depots, view exhibitions and can even take a ride on a vintage train.

We arrived in Sochaczew to see the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum – a place recommended to us by many people when we wrote, among others. about the Narrow Gauge Railway in Rogów, the Steam Locomotive Works in Skierniewice or the Locomotive Open-Air Museum in Karsznice. Sochaczew always appeared as one of the recommendations, so one Sunday we decided to go to this area, combining a visit to the museum with a few hours in Frajdalandia.

And right at the outset we must point out that we did not ride the narrow gauge this time – there will be time for that yet, and we will certainly update this post then. Now we will focus only on the museum itself.

The museum consists of two parts: an exterior with wagons, locomotives and other vehicles, and an interior with museum exhibits and mock-ups. Both parts are visited with one ticket.

Table of contents

External part of the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew.

Let’s start with what awaits outside :) What immediately captivated us about this museum is that the entire space is very neat and tidy – the grass is trimmed, there are flowers planted, it is clean, and the exhibits are very well cared for. It may be a detail, but it is immediately more pleasant to walk around.

Walking outside, we can see all sorts of wagons and locomotives, and their number is really impressive – currently there are more than 160 units of narrow-gauge rolling stock here, and behind the fence you can peek at dozens more. Here we can see steam locomotives, wagons, draisine but also unusual vehicles like Warsaw on the tracks!

Some of the exhibits here are open to the public and can be boarded.

And one thing we regret most is the lack of information boards and descriptions next to each exhibit. We found a rapturous number of them next to some steam locomotives. We know that by purchasing a Retro train ride we would also have a guided tour of the museum grounds included in the price, but still at least modest information is missing for people who just came to the museum.

There are also several educational boards for children in the outdoor section, but we had the impression that they are here by force, because they are hung too high, and if any are low, they are dilapidated and unreadable, and on top of that, most of them are blandly related to railroading.

Before we even look inside it is worth mentioning that there are benches and tables, so you can rest for a while.

The internal part, or exhibitions

The inner section, which we have given a working name, consists of three rooms with thematic exhibitions.

Two mock-ups caught our attention the most (there is an additional 2 or 4 zloty fee to run them): Sochaczew Commuter Railway, which is the longest stationary railroad line mock-up in Poland, and the slightly more modest Station Ore. Refined, detailed, depicting the role of railroads in everyday life.

In addition, in the premises we can learn about the history of the Sochaczew narrow-gauge railroad, read about its development, see exhibits related to railroading (such as costumes, old tickets, identification cards, etc.). There are also, of course, model railroads.

Retro train ride

We haven’t had a chance to ride (yet!), but it’s worth mentioning that it’s a possibility. The train departs once a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the holiday season, and from September on Saturdays and Sundays.

Such an attraction takes from 9 am to 3 pm, as the ticket includes first a guided tour of the museum, then a drive to the Kampinos Forest, there is a guided walk there, and on the way back there is a stop for a picnic in Tułowice. It is worth mentioning that despite the fact that it is a short distance (about 18 kilometers), the train travels more than an hour.

Currently on offer is the possibility of swapping a walk in the Kampinos Forest and a picnic for a visit to the Smichominek Family Park.

It is best to buy a ticket for such a trip in advance online (sales continue until the day before the trip). At the ticket office, tickets can even be purchased just before departure, as long as there are still seats left.

Practical information

Opening hours of the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew

The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew can be visited daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on the days of Retro train departures, from 8:00 am.

Prices: How much does a ticket to the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew cost?

Below are the prices for entry to the museum:

Normal ticket – 18 zł
Discounted ticket – 9 PLN
Family ticket (2+ max. 3 children) – 38 PLN
Children under the age of 7 – for free.

Note that the museum can be visited for free on Wednesday.

Below are the Retro train fares:

Normal ticket – 38 zł
Discounted ticket – 31 PLN
Children under 4 years of age (without a seat) – PLN 10
Normal ticket with Smiechominek park – 78 PLN
Discounted ticket with Smiechominek park – 71 PLN

Access and parking at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew

There is free parking at the museum, the entrance is from Lyceum Street, but on Sunday it was all occupied, probably due to the passage of a vintage train. We parked on the side streets without any problems: there are plenty of spaces on Towarowa Street.

About 500 meters from the museum is Sochaczew Station, so you can get here by train and walk this half kilometer.

Facility address:
Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew
Street. Lyceum 18
96-500 Sochaczew

Where to stay overnight near the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew?

Here are some suggestions for accommodation in Sochaczew and the surrounding area:

Olêder habitat in Mazovia
Address: Łady 2, 96-520 Łady
Prices: from 1800 PLN for a 6-bed room for 2 nights (minimum stay)
Link:
http://r4b.link/siedlisko-olenderskie
Strzyżew Manor
Address: Strzyżew Parcele 17, 05-085 Żelazowa Wola
Prices: from 250 PLN for a double room (breakfast included)
Link:
http://r4b.link/dwor-strzyzew
Chopin Hotel
Address: ul. Traugutta 21, 96-500 Sochaczew
Prices: from 420 PLN for a double room (breakfast included)
Link:
http://r4b.link/chopinsochaczew
Guesthouse Legend
Address: Warszawska 12, 09-450 Wyszogród
Prices: from 250 PLN for a double room (breakfast included)
Link:
http://r4b.link/gosciniec-legenda

Our opinion about the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew

The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is an interesting idea for families with children or people who would like to learn more about the Sochaczew narrow gauge railroad. The whole area is very well maintained, the exhibits are well preserved and cared for.