Királyrét forest railway

Kismaros, a village located at the end of the area's largest stream valley, is the starting point for numerous routes, though most people continue traveling from here. A common starting point is the village’s railway stop: the platforms on the Budapest side almost directly end near the Királyrét forest railway station. It is no surprise that the small railway's schedule is aligned with the main railway’s timetable, allowing 5-10 minutes for transfers both towards the mountains and the city. The small railway’s terminal is a true multifunctional public space, where next to the waiting room equipped with toilets, there is an elegant restaurant, a simple pub, a grocery store, and a bit further another restaurant.

After everyone boards, the conductor’s classic whistle and the raising of the departure disc signal the train’s departure. Immediately after leaving the station, as the train crosses Mátyás Street, it reaches the wide Morgó stream next to the tracks and remains in sight for the next kilometers. The increasing sound of the locomotive indicates the start of the ascent, which continues almost continuously up to Királyrét. The first meters lead behind charming small gardens and backyard yards, and then the other “companion” of the lower section appears, the road leading to Királyrét. The tracks run alongside this road for a long section: forest on the right, Kismaros houses on the left, and along the road, passersby eagerly waving and honking at the train. Whether walking, biking, or driving, the appearance of the forest railway train cheers everyone up!

After a forested curve, the train arrives at the first station, the small two-track Morgó station. Passengers rarely disembark here, although an excellent restaurant also operates here. The station mainly serves train crossings – due to connecting with Budapest suburban trains, the schedule is arranged so that in summer, when two trains operate, the opposing trains pull aside near this station close to the terminal.

Continuing, the journey is accompanied by the road and forest, mostly surrounded by weekend houses towards the Börzsöny interior. Shortly, we pass the Börzsönyliget station, serving local holidaymakers, where passenger traffic is also rare – although the well-maintained, green grass, flowers, and neat shelter-equipped small station could be one of the railway’s gems.

In the next kilometer, houses slowly disappear, the railway crosses the road and reaches a smaller field. On a nearby hilltop stands a castle-like, huge holiday home; this impressive but not flashy building is regularly used. Meanwhile, a siding suddenly appears from under the car: we have arrived at Hártó-kút station. This small station, mainly built for train crossings, is the last in the line and is located relatively far from attractions.

Now traveling on the left side of the road, deep in the forest, the track slowly gains elevation, and we can see forest holiday homes on the other side of the stream from a higher vantage point. Then the forest suddenly ends, and finally, distant rolling hills can be seen far on the left side of the track. On the right lie the gardens of the first houses of Szokolya. Here, the track bypasses fences with several sharp curves, and above them, here and there, one can already glimpse the village center and the rising Magas-Börzsöny. As the houses become denser and a street reaches alongside the track, we find ourselves in a quite unique place: the railway runs like a tram in Kossuth Lajos Street within the village. Two stations follow each other within barely three hundred meters: both Szokolya-Mányoki and Szokolya-Riezner (Upper Szokolya) stations are often used by locals choosing this more enjoyable mode of transport compared to the bus.

After a few hundred meters of this special street railway travel, passing from one house to another, we suddenly leave the village, directly into the middle of the Börzsöny landscape. The Szokolya basin is still undeveloped; on its northern part, we travel at the center of a more than one-kilometer field, where the landscape that has been rushing past the windows seems to stop, allowing pleasantly long seconds to observe the increasingly closer Csóványos and Pap Hill above Szokolya – although unfortunately, the trees along the tracks increasingly limit the view. On the left, the characteristically shaped Klökki Hill is the main scenic element; behind the high mountain ridge, especially in afternoon hours, the flattening light of the lowering sun dances.

Soon the forest returns, with the “returning” Királyrét road on the right and the forest railway “nest”, the Paphegy rolling stock depot on the left, where looking in, you can often see forest railway vehicles under renovation or newly built.

After crossing the road and the stream, the last kilometer of the railway and the first classic forest railway environment follow, where the train clatters far from everything in the green. The leaf tunnel is only broken by the buildings and pasture of an equestrian farm: the horses living here are accustomed to the train clattering beside them. Returning to the forest, another track, even smaller in appearance, appears, winding around trees with smaller curves than the railway: this is already the Királyrét handcar track, where with some luck, you can also see its users, namely excursionists pedaling handcars.

At the edge of the forest, among several hundred-year-old matuzalem trees, we slowly arrive at Királyrét terminus. After stopping, the locomotive immediately circles its train – the operation of coupling to the “lower” carriage sometimes turns into a spontaneous performance on busy summer days. Naturally, children are mostly curious about the operation. After the engine’s sound fades, they soon scatter, as only 10-15 minutes remain until the return trip, and the next opportunity is 2, 4 hours later – unless we are already riding late in the afternoon.

Heading downhill, a small meadow decorated with a spring quickly reaches the handcar track, while uphill lies Királyrét itself, with a multitude of resting and transport options.