Fablok

Fablok S.A.

Fablok SM42-610 locomotive
Industry	Rail transport
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Locomotives
Website	www.fablok.com.pl

Fablok is a Polish manufacturer of locomotives, based in Chrzanów. Until 1947 the official name was The First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd. (Polish: Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce Sp. Akc.), Fablok being a widely used syllabic abbreviation of Fabryka Lokomotyw. It is now named "BUMAR - FABLOK S.A. (corporation)". Fablok is located in the town of Chrzanów in Lesser Poland. As of 2009, Fablok no longer builds new locomotives.

Fablok was established in 1919. A year later a contract was signed with the Polish government to supply 1,200 steam locomotives within ten years to the Polish State Railways (PKP). The first locomotive was delivered on 7 April 1924.

In 1931, the first locomotive was exported to the Bulgarian State Railways. During 1935 and 1936, five electric locomotives were built under license from Metropolitan-Vickers. In 1935-1936, Fablok produced five Luxtorpedas (fast railcars) for PKP under the guidance of engineer Klemens Stefan Sielecki. They were based on the Austro-Daimler's design, but substantially modified.

Two experimental fast steam locomotives were built in 1937. One of them (Pm36-1) had aerodynamic fairing, the other had a standard look. The idea was to test both engines in parallel to compare top speed, acceleration, coal and water consumption, etc. The Pm36-1 won a gold medal at the International Exposition of Art and Technology in 1937.

During World War II Fablok was a part of the Association of German Locomotives Companies (German: Deutsche Lokomotivbau-Vereinigung). Fablok was incorporated into Henschel & Son under the name Erste Lokomotivfabrik in Polen A.G. Chrzanow (1939–1941) and from 1941 as Oberschlesische Lokomotivwerke Krenau. Klemens Stefan Sielecki together with his colleagues from the technical bureau started hiding the technical documentation for steam, industrial diesel and electrical locomotives and moved them completely out of the plant in January 1945, since the Nazis wanted them destroyed. After Poland was liberated, this documentation proved vital for the re-construction efforts of the national railway industry, especially the diesel and electrical locomotives. This allowed Fablok to restart the production of these types.