Fablok
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFablok was a Polish locomotive and heavy-machinery manufacturer based in Chrzanów.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Fablok was a Polish industrial manufacturer whose principal historic activity was the design and production of railway locomotives. Established in Chrzanów in 1919 as the First Factory of Locomotives in Poland, the company became one of the most important locomotive works in the newly restored Polish state. Its commonly used name, Fablok, was derived from the Polish phrase Fabryka Lokomotyw and was also used as the company's telegraphic address. The business was created during a period when Poland was rebuilding and integrating railway infrastructure inherited from the former partitioning powers. In 1920 it signed an agreement with the Polish government to supply 1,200 steam locomotives to the Polish State Railways over ten years. The first locomotive was delivered on 7 April 1924. During the interwar period, Fablok expanded beyond standard steam locomotives. In 1931 it produced the Fablok G1C, described as the first diesel locomotive built in Poland. Although the initial machine was intended for industrial works service and proved underpowered, it established an early basis for domestic diesel-locomotive development. Fablok also manufactured five electric locomotives under licence from Metropolitan-Vickers in 1935 and 1936. Between 1935 and 1936 it built five Luxtorpeda fast railcars for the Polish State Railways. These were based on an Austro-Daimler design but substantially modified under the direction of engineer Klemens Stefan Sielecki and his colleagues. Fablok's experimental work reached an international audience in 1937, when it constructed two Pm36 fast steam locomotives. One received aerodynamic streamlining while the other retained a conventional appearance, enabling comparative testing of speed, acceleration, and fuel and water consumption. The streamlined Pm36-1 won a gold medal at the International Exposition of Art and Technology in Paris that year. Fablok also exported locomotives, including a locomotive supplied to the Bulgarian State Railways. The Second World War interrupted the company's Polish operations. Following the German occupation, Fablok was incorporated into German locomotive-industry structures and operated under names associated with Henschel and the German locomotive manufacturing organization. Before the end of the war, Sielecki and technical-office colleagues concealed and removed design documentation covering steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, apparently to prevent its destruction. That documentation helped the factory and Poland's railway industry resume production after liberation. The company was nationalized in 1947 and formally became known as Fablok. Under Sielecki's technical leadership, it rebuilt and broadened its locomotive program. Steam-locomotive production continued until the final Fablok steam locomotive was completed in 1963, while diesel production began in 1948. Post-war products included standard-gauge passenger, express, freight, and industrial steam locomotives, as well as narrow-gauge locomotives. Export destinations included countries in Europe, Asia, and the communist bloc, among them Albania, Bulgaria, China, Hungary, India, Korea, Romania, the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia. From the early 1960s, the factory also diversified into rail and tram components. In 1977 the enterprise broadened its industrial profile into construction machinery and adopted the name Fabryka Maszyn Budowlanych i Lokomotyw BUMAR-FABLOK. It became part of the Bumar association of building-machinery manufacturers. Its output then included excavators, cranes, self-propelled road cranes, and hydraulic telescopic jibs in addition to railway products. After the end of communist state ownership, Fablok underwent certification, ownership, and legal restructuring. It received ISO 9001 certification in 1999, and an employee joint-stock company was established in 2001. Employees later acquired a controlling shareholding in Bumar-Fablok through the post-communist privatization process, and the company was renamed Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce “Fablok” S.A. in April 2009. The company's modern industrial operations did not survive the subsequent financial difficulties. On 21 May 2013, a court in Kraków announced Fablok's bankruptcy. The company's assets were subsequently purchased by Martech Plus, headquartered in Łaziska Górne. The historical Fablok company therefore represents a defunct Polish locomotive and machinery manufacturer, although its name remains significant in Polish railway and industrial history.
History
Fablok was founded in Chrzanów in 1919 as the First Factory of Locomotives in Poland. The factory was established to support the development of an independent Polish railway industry after the restoration of Polish statehood. In 1920 it entered into a government contract to supply 1,200 steam locomotives to the Polish State Railways over a ten-year period. Its first locomotive was delivered on 7 April 1924. The interwar factory developed a broad engineering capability. In 1931 it built the Fablok G1C, regarded in the reference material as the first diesel locomotive manufactured in Poland. The design was intended for works transport but was initially too weak for its intended use. Fablok later built five electric locomotives under a Metropolitan-Vickers licence in 1935–1936 and produced five Luxtorpeda fast railcars for the Polish State Railways during the same period. The railcars were derived from an Austro-Daimler concept but were significantly adapted by Fablok engineers under Klemens Stefan Sielecki. In 1937 Fablok built two experimental Pm36 fast steam locomotives. The pair allowed engineers to compare an aerodynamically streamlined locomotive with a conventional version under similar conditions. The streamlined Pm36-1 received a gold medal at the 1937 International Exposition of Art and Technology. Fablok also began exporting, including an early locomotive supplied to Bulgaria. German occupation changed the company's ownership and operating structure during the Second World War. Fablok was placed within German locomotive-industry organizations, first under a name connected with Henschel and later as Oberschlesische Lokomotivwerke Krenau. Fablok technical personnel, led in part by Sielecki, protected design records by hiding and removing documentation for steam, diesel, and electric locomotives in January 1945. These records supported the post-war reconstruction of the factory and helped preserve knowledge needed to restart domestic diesel and electric locomotive production. The Polish state nationalized Fablok in 1947. The company rebuilt its operations and expanded its range of standard-gauge and narrow-gauge locomotives. Diesel-locomotive production began in 1948, while steam locomotives remained an important product until the last one was built in 1963. Post-war locomotive exports reached Albania, Bulgaria, China, Hungary, India, Korea, Romania, the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia. Fablok also diversified into rail and tram components from the early 1960s. The company did not manufacture the boilers used in its steam locomotives; these were supplied by specialist boiler works, notably the Sosnowiec works historically known as Fitzner and Gamper. In 1977 the factory expanded into construction equipment and changed its official name to Fabryka Maszyn Budowlanych i Lokomotyw BUMAR-FABLOK. It joined the Bumar association of building-machinery manufacturers. The expanded product range included excavators with 1.2-cubic-metre buckets, cranes with lifting capacities of approximately 25 to 28 tonnes, self-propelled road cranes, and hydraulic telescopic jibs. After the transition away from communist state ownership, Fablok received ISO 9001 certification in 1999. An employee joint-stock company was formed in 2001. In 2003 it acquired 60 percent of the controlling shares in Bumar-Fablok from the Seventh State Investment Fund as part of Poland's privatization process, transferring control to the employee-owned company. The corporate name changed again in April 2009 to Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce “Fablok” S.A. The company subsequently entered bankruptcy proceedings. On 21 May 2013, a Kraków court announced Fablok's bankruptcy. Martech Plus, based in Łaziska Górne, later purchased the company's assets. The historic manufacturer is consequently treated as defunct, and reference material states that it was no longer building new locomotives by 2009.
- 2013
Bankruptcy and asset sale
[1]A Kraków court announces Fablok's bankruptcy, after which Martech Plus acquires the company's assets.
- 2009
Historic name restored
[1]The company changes its name to Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce “Fablok” S.A.
- 2001
Employee joint-stock company formed
[1]The Fablok Employees’ Joint Stock Company is established and registered.
- 1999
ISO 9001 certification
[1]Fablok receives ISO 9001 certification.
- 1977
Expansion into construction machinery
[1]The company adopts the BUMAR-FABLOK name and expands its manufacturing profile to construction equipment.
- 1963
Final steam locomotive
[1]Fablok produces its last steam locomotive.
- 1948
Diesel production resumes
[1]Post-war diesel locomotive production begins at the factory.
- 1947
Nationalization
[1]The company is nationalized and its official name becomes Fablok.
- 1937
Pm36-1 wins an international gold medal
[1]The streamlined Pm36-1 receives a gold medal at the International Exposition of Art and Technology.
- 1935
Electric locomotive and Luxtorpeda production
[1]Fablok begins producing electric locomotives under a Metropolitan-Vickers licence and builds fast Luxtorpeda railcars for the Polish State Railways.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a Polish locomotive engineering and heavy-industrial manufacturer serving domestic railways, industrial users, and export markets. In the 1970s its positioning broadened to include construction machinery alongside railway equipment.
Railway locomotives · 1924
Steam locomotives
Steam locomotives were Fablok's core early product. The factory supplied Polish State Railways with standard-gauge passenger, fast, and freight locomotives and also built industrial and narrow-gauge types for domestic and export users. Its steam program included the experimental Pm36 pair, one of which used aerodynamic streamlining. Fablok's final steam locomotive was produced in 1963. Boilers were sourced from specialist boiler manufacturers rather than made entirely in-house.
Diesel locomotive · 1931
Fablok G1C
The G1C was an early Fablok diesel locomotive developed for works and industrial transportation. Built in 1931, it is identified in the reference material as the first diesel locomotive made in Poland. The original machine was considered too weak for its intended service, but its development represented an important step in Polish locomotive engineering and preceded the company's larger post-war diesel program.
Railway locomotives · 1935
Electric locomotives
Fablok built five electric locomotives in 1935 and 1936 under licence from Metropolitan-Vickers. Electric traction formed part of the company's broader interwar effort to establish domestic capability across several forms of railway propulsion. After the war, preserved technical documentation helped support the renewal of diesel and electric locomotive production in Poland.
Fast railcar · 1935
Luxtorpeda
Fablok produced five Luxtorpeda fast railcars for the Polish State Railways in 1935–1936. They originated from an Austro-Daimler design but were substantially modified by Fablok engineers led by Klemens Stefan Sielecki. The vehicles represented the company's attempt to provide faster intercity rail service through lightweight, high-speed railcars rather than conventional locomotive-hauled trains.
Heavy construction equipment · 1977
Construction machinery
Following its 1977 integration into the Bumar industrial structure, Fablok manufactured construction machinery alongside railway equipment. Products included excavators with bucket capacities of 1.2 cubic metres, cranes rated at approximately 25–28 tonnes, self-propelled road cranes, and hydraulic telescopic jibs. This diversification reflected the company's expanded role as a general heavy-machinery producer rather than solely a locomotive builder.
Brand decisions
2013
Bankruptcy and asset dispositionOtherBackground
Fablok's post-privatization operations ultimately ended in court-declared bankruptcy.
Action taken
A Kraków court announced the company's bankruptcy on 21 May 2013, and Martech Plus later purchased its assets.
Aftermath
The historic Fablok company ceased operating as an independent manufacturer.
2009
Return to the historic locomotive-factory nameStrategyBackground
The company had undergone ownership restructuring and had previously operated under the Bumar-Fablok name.
Action taken
On 3 April 2009, it changed its name to Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce “Fablok” S.A.
Aftermath
The renamed company retained the Fablok identity, although the reference material states that it no longer built new locomotives by that year.
2003
Employee ownership gains controlM&ABackground
The transaction occurred during Poland's post-communist privatization and restructuring of state industrial enterprises.
Action taken
The Fablok Employees’ Joint Stock Company acquired 60 percent of the controlling shares in Bumar-Fablok from the Seventh State Investment Fund.
Aftermath
Ownership of Bumar-Fablok was transferred to the employee joint-stock company.
1977
Diversification into construction machineryStrategyBackground
Fablok broadened its industrial activities beyond railway manufacturing during the state-owned industrial period.
Action taken
The factory adopted the name Fabryka Maszyn Budowlanych i Lokomotyw BUMAR-FABLOK and added excavators, cranes, road cranes, and hydraulic equipment to its product profile.
Aftermath
The business operated as a combined locomotive and construction-machinery manufacturer within the Bumar industrial association.
Sources1 sources
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