A Railway Ran by Kids? The History of The Children’s Railway in Budapest
About four years ago, Devon read an article about Budapest and learned about a railway that was run entirely by children. Since then she has come to Europe quite a few times, but for some reason we never quite made it to Budapest together. This time around, we were determined not to miss it. Budapest is a gorgeous city, and it is very easy to spend a couple of days there just taking in the architecture and good food, but this time, we wanted to take the train.
The Children’s Railway was started in the 1940s as a Soviet project. In fact, there are other railroads run by children in other parts of Europe that had Soviet occupation, like Dresden for instance. Called the “Pioneer” Railway in the beginning, it was a way to start introducing kids to real world jobs, and of course it’s lasted because how fun is working on a train? According to one boy I talked to, he has been working on it for four years; he loves it.
From selling the tickets, to changing the tracks, waving the flags, herding the passengers, and even selling souvenirs, just about every job on the train is done by the students. Of course they are not allowed to drive the train, so the engineer not only drives but he oversees the children and teaches them all about locomotion.
The day we went was on a weekend and it was rather busy. We decided a one-way trip would be enough, so we took the tram to the beginning of the route. On the platform were kids of all ages. There were a few older couples that were there without children, but an all adult party was the exception. Jim and Erika went in search of the tickets, while Devon and I waited on one of the shaded benches watching all the families out for the day with their kids.
The train is well suited for summer travel as the cars are open from about halfway up. The benches are all wooden, so rain wouldn’t bother them either. You could either stand or sit, it was up to you. We enjoyed the winding track through leafy woods, imagining life as a Pioneer Scout during the Soviet times as there were plenty of reminders in the shape of sculptures and signs.
At each station a young person would come out and flag the train into the station, then out again as it left. Most of the stops had things for families to do. There was a park, a ropes course, a picnic area, lots of things. Many families start in the morning and take their time doing the circuit. Kids go home with cotton candy still sticking to their lips or boiled corn stuck in between their teeth, but with huge smiles on their face.
We had huge smiles, too, as we watched how much the kids who worked there enjoyed their tasks. When we were done, we took the tram back down to the center of the city where we had much more to explore.
Getting there:
Take the 56, 56A, 59B, or 61 tram or the 61 bus to Hűvösvölgy stop then ride the children’s railway to Széchenyi-hegy, Gyermekvasút where you can take the 60 tram back into town.
Have you been to Budapest? Would you like to ride on the Children’s Railway?
Pin the Children’s Railway in Budapest for later!
WOW this is really cool isn’t it? I love the idea. Will have to visit one day.
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Crystal, It is a cool idea, and I think it’s well done. The kids really seem to take their jobs seriously and love it at the same time.
This is such a fantastic idea! I would definitely love to go there 🙂
Helena, It is a lot of fun. I loved how much the children loved their jobs.
This is so cute. An entire railway run by kids. I know that kids are always fascinated by trains and rail engines. I can vouch for it 🙂 But an entire railway run by the kids, that sounds really awsome.
Vyjay, It is really a great idea. The kids worked like pros.
Ha! Wow, that’s pretty wild. I’m a train geek, love to ride on them! If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, Sonoma, California, you’ll have to visit Train Town if you have kids 🙂
Sarah, We’re often in California so maybe we will do that one day.
What?! This looks so epic! And great way to discipline the kids to be responsible in a fun way! 🙂
Mary, Exactly! The kids took their jobs seriously, too.
That’s the coolest thing ever! I’ve never heard of this and would love to visit – in fact, I want to be a kid again so I can work on the train!
Tara, Right?! Those kids are so proud and happy, and guess what they were working! What a positive intro to the work force. We loved it.
What a cool concept! I think this would be a great place to visit and just take everything in. I was not aware of this, so thanks for sharing!
Melody, Devon is the one that discovered it, and she was captivated by the idea right away. We’re all glad that we finally got a chance to experience it. It was fun!
I love this, such a cool idea. We never knew about it when we visited but its such a cool city I am sure we will be back!!
Nicola, It really was a lot of fun, and we were all adults! The families had a great time!
I have heard of this! I love the whole idea of it, and that travelers can share in it. What incredible lessons for those children.
Amy, Yes, they took their jobs seriously and you could tell they loved it. They were very proud! I think it would be great to have programs like this everywhere.
I love train rides and this looks great. Very unique to have it run by kids. Hope to visit Buchapest one day so thanks for sharing.
Lisa, It was unique, and it was a lovely ride in the forest outside of the city which was a nice respite! We loved it.
I’ve never heard of this but will definitely go when I visit Budapest. My kids would love it! I don’t think there’s anywhere like it in the UK so I think they’d be surprised that it was run by kids.
Emily, I think they will like it as well. We did, and the youngest of us was 29!
This is too cute! I wonder how old you have to be to work there.
Brianna, I’m not 100%, but I think they have to be 11 years old.
Oh my GOD!!! That is so cool. I am hearing about this for the first time. Thanks for sharing.
Gokul, It was pretty cool, for sure.
Well, you beat me to the children’s railway, Corinne. I’ve been in Budapest so many times, but wasn’t aware about the Children’s Railway. The fact that is run by kids makes it even more interesting to visit. Next time I’ll be in town I’ll make sure to check it out. Thanks for sharing this post. Very evocative pictures. The children seem to take their role very seriously.
Anda, They really did. We loved the train ride and highly recommend it!
What a fantastic idea! Yes, I would like to ride this train.
Rhonda, It was so much fun! If you get a chance, you should do it! You’d love it.