BULGARIA: Express Service OOD will present a modernized Series 55 locomotive to the public during an open day at its Ruse plant on Aug. 29.

Express Service locomotive plant in Ruse with locomotives outside the production workshops
Express Service locomotive plant in Ruse. Illustrative photo. Photo: Express Service OOD.

In Bulgaria, Series 55 refers to Romanian-built LDH1250 diesel-hydraulic locomotives widely used for shunting and industrial operations across the Balkan Peninsula. Express Service OOD, which describes its Ruse facility as Bulgaria’s only locomotive plant, will present the modernized unit between noon and 2 p.m., alongside separate hands-on familiarization sessions with its ES3000 battery-electric shunter and Siemens Smartron electric locomotive.

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Modernized Series 55 locomotive leads the program

The locomotive program includes an ES3000 familiarization workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can get a close look at the Siemens Smartron from 10 a.m. to noon and again from 2 to 4 p.m. The modernized Series 55 locomotive will be presented from noon to 2 p.m. The program also includes an 11 a.m. tour of the production workshops (Halls 1 and 2) and a 1 p.m. tour of the repair workshops (Halls 3 and 4), with participants gathering beforehand at Hall 3.

Express Service traces its locomotive heritage to 1866

Express Service traces its industrial heritage to a workshop established near Ruse in 1866 to maintain Bulgaria’s first railway. The present company was founded in 1998, built its first locomotive in 2002 and began manufacturing battery-electric shunters in 2005. All listed program times are approximate and subject to change depending on weather conditions.

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