Brosarp

During our vacation time in Åkarp, we decided to do a small excursion.
The kids had the opportunity (slightly guided by their parents) to choose where to go and the destination was Brosarp.
The place is located in the east part of Skåne and the reason for going there is that it is possible to take a train ride from Brosarp to St Olof and back. On a steam train.

The train is ready to go

 The whole experience is very nice because everything is handled like in the old days. It is possible, for example, to buy tickets in the station. From a person. Through a window. And the person is dressed with a bit old fashioned clothes.

Brosarp's station

The whole station is still breathing 1930's atmosphere. The building per se is decently well preserved and there are details, from the benches, to a fireplace, from even a scale, that gives also an idea of how a station was run in the past.

A stove in the waiting room

Waiting for the train

The old timetable

 The train is composed by the steam locomotive, plus different wagons. The wagons are mostly different from each other and, if I remember right, all of them are from the 30s - 40s.

Interior of a wagon

 The experience is very different from being on a train today. First of all is incredibly noisy. But then it is quite slow and shaky. Oscar was very afraid and didn't dare to go on the platform to feel the wind and experience the landscape from outside.
Going through the hills is very nice. The ride is about 40 minutes and the train stops at few stations on the way. While going of course there is a lot of whistling coming from the locomotive.
The only thing to do on the train is to admire the scenery or talk to each other. I'd say taking out a mobile phone and surfing during this ride should be forbidden!

Vitaby station

 The final destination is St Olof. There there is again a station, a ice cream kiosk (sadly, prepackage ice cream) and apart for a toilet visit (since there is none on the train) one can stay and study the locomotive, first doing maneuvers to reach the other end of the train, second while it is steaming off and preparing to go back.

The locomotive in all its beauty

Tjo-tjoooo (chuu chuuu)

On the way back, with Isabella, we took turns to stay on the platform just in front of the locomotive. That was the best idea we got (apart that we got ashes stains on the clothes, legs and shoes). It was very impressive to be in front of the locomotive and one could observe the environment with new eyes.
It was definitely the best part of the experience. Oscar, sadly, was still terrorized by the sounds, so he didn't dare to be on the platform, but when finally back at Brosarp he couldn't just get enough to observe the locomotive in action, from distance.
At Brosarp we decided to get some food and the option, apart to buy ice cream, is to get some food on the restaurant/cafe wagon situated on one of the tracks. The food is very basic but with a railway team in the naming convention. At least, good enough to give something the kids to chew on at a reasonable price.
There is also a little shop selling interesting railway related books, railway related toys and such.
A nice "souvenir" ending for the extreme train nerds that might pass by ;-)