Technical monuments

Historic Narrow-Gauge Railway Station in Rudy

At 1 Szkolna Street in Rudy, a few minutes from the Cistercian abbey, awaits one of the more interesting monuments of engineering in Upper Silesia: the former narrow-gauge railway station, which still works like a living open-air museum — trains still call here, and entry to the site is free.

A complex that lives

The station has preserved the full layout of a former railway backshop: station buildings, a locomotive shed, a carriage works, workshops, a smithy and warehouses, plus historic locomotives and wagons. The site lies on the Trail of Monuments of Technology of the Silesian voivodeship and is described as a very valuable complex of industrial buildings. The narrow-gauge railway serves the Gliwice–Racibórz line, and one of the tourist routes leads to the Rybnik Stodoły stop — a one-way journey takes about 15 minutes.

Rides all year round

Trains run in every season, less often off-season; the timetable and price list are published by the operator on the official website. The carriages have open platforms, and conductors here once issued old-style tickets — today themed rides take their place, for example ones in pyjamas. Periodically, a rope park for the youngest visitors also operates.

In practice

Browsing the station grounds costs nothing, so even without a ticket you can see the locomotive shed and the rolling stock up close. It is worth combining the visit with the Cistercian abbey in Rudy, located in the same village — the monastic complex is, next to the railway, the second calling card of the place. Check the current timetable before you come, because off-season departures can be few.