Dāvis Bušs, our member from Latvia, is seeking donations to save a diesel-electric locomotive fitted with a 50kW diesel generator that is big enough to power really large consumers such as a hospital, etc. After the war, it would become a museum exhibit.
A summary of the project can be found at http://kudrasbanitis.lv/index.php/en/projects/187-locomotive-esu2a-for-ukraine including a short video presentation.
Dāvis wants us to help to spread the news of the campaign to a wider audience, so members are asked to oblige by telling their friends, associates, and their societies about it.
Donations can be made through www.ziedot.lv. The appeal hopes to raise €10,000 to purchase the locomotive plus an additional €7000 to repair its brake gear to bring it back to running condition and to move it from its present location in Lithuania.
A dedicated Facebook page for the project can be found at https://www.facebook.com/100091799957731/posts/114435088293156/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v.
Post Script: Dāvis attended a steam event in Ukraine last February (2023), visiting Haivoron city and taking part in their local tourism event on the narrow gauge railway. There he took the photo below of Ukraine Railways’ 0-8-0 narrow gauge steam locomotive No. Gr-280. Dāvis points out that during these hard times, it is important to cheer up Ukranian society with some positive events. He also mentions that the event took place during air raid alarms!
A charming 2021 video of the railway can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUQKp4l-DWg.
Ukraine Railways’ 0-8-0 narrow gauge steam locomotive No. Gr-280 (photo © Dāvis Bušs)