Karmczyska 2026-07-09

Bxhpi narrow-gauge wagons, type A20D-P.

The Bxhpi designation in the Polish State Railways (PKP) designates a four-axle, narrow-gauge, Class 2 wagon with an air brake and a gangway. This designation covers three basic passenger car designs that were and are used on Polish narrow-gauge railways, or commuter railways. These are the Polish type 1Aw wagons, manufactured in Świdnica, and the Polish type 3Aw wagons, manufactured by Pa-Fa-Wag in Wrocław. And Romanian passenger cars of the A20D-P type, manufactured by the FAUR factory in Bucharest.

The letter designations explain the characteristics of the cars: B – Class 2, x – four-axle, h – equipped with heating, p – air brakes, and i – access platform.

The Type 1Aw was the first type of passenger car mass-produced after World War II for the Polish Narrow Gauge Railways. The cars were manufactured between 1954 and 1957 at the Wagon Factory in Świdnica.

The Type 3Aw were built between 1957 and 1960 at the Pa-Fa-Wag plant in Wrocław. They were the first Polish narrow-gauge cars with electric lighting and central heating.

The Type A20D-P are Romanian passenger cars manufactured by the FAUR factory between 1983 and 1988. They are most often used as trailer cars for Romanian MBxd2 diesel locomotives. They are characterized by a greater weight (approximately 19,000 kg) and length (15.92 m), with a passenger capacity of 45. They are 2.40 m wide and 3.30 m high. The pivot spacing is 9.00 m. The bogie wheelbase is 1.70 m. The wheel diameter is 0.75 m. The cars were manufactured for 750 mm, 785 mm, and 1000 mm gauge tracks. The braking system is a Knorr air brake. The heating system is a coal-fired central heating furnace, with a gravity system, in each car individually.

These cars were used as a basis for the production of motor cars with a D2516HMU engine, producing 141 kW. The hydraulic transmission is a 16HRS type. The engine was installed in only one bogie. The engine was manufactured by RABA Hungary. At PKP, the railcars were designated Mbxd2. Design speed: 40 km/h. Control cabins are located at both ends of the railcar.

The Type A20D-P is a narrow-gauge diesel multiple unit, consisting of one motor car with two control cabins at each end and two trailer cars, manufactured at the FAUR plant in Bucharest between 1983 and 1988. The DMUs were produced exclusively for PKP (Polish State Railways) in 32 sets: one motor car and two trailer cars. The individual cars are not permanently coupled, as is the case with standard-gauge multiple units. Coupling is typical for Polish narrow-gauge railways, using a T-bar coupling. Each car, both motor and trailer, has individual numbers. After some time, PKP ordered an additional 38 trailer cars: 13 cars for 750 mm track, 16 cars for 1000 mm track, and 9 cars for 785 mm track. 

All types of these wagons are still in use on various narrow-gauge railways, primarily as tourist trains. They are also exhibited in open-air railway museums across Poland.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman