The Istvántelek Train Yard, often called the “Red Star Train Graveyard,” sits outside Budapest, home to over 100 abandoned locomotives and carriages. Built in the early 1900s as a repair yard for Hungary’s national railway, the site once played a key role in maintaining the country’s rail system. Today, most of the yard is unused, while only a small southern section remains active.
Two massive depots and several smaller sheds hold a collection of locomotives from different eras. Among them are MAV 424 steam engines, weighing 137 tons and marked with red stars, giving the yard its nickname. There’s also an MAV 301 series engine, produced between 1911 and 1914, now one of only a few of its kind left in existence. Many of the trains were originally brought to the yard for repair or preservation but were eventually left to deteriorate.
One part of the yard holds German freight cars that are believed to have been used during World War II to transport Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz. These freight cars are a grim reminder of the site’s connection to one of history’s darkest chapters.
The yard also includes Soviet-era engines and railcars, reflecting Hungary’s time as part of the Eastern Bloc. Inside some of these cars, rail tickets from the 1960s can still be found, adding to the mix of historical artifacts scattered across the site.
Istvántelek is a space filled with rare and significant pieces of rail history. However, its future remains uncertain, as the trains and the yard continue to decay. Many of these historical engines and cars risk being lost completely unless preserved.
