Czachówek and the meaning of Alignment

When flying into Okęcie from the south, look out for Czachówek. This is where aircraft will make their final turn before aligning themselves with the approach path. This will take them over Zalesie Górne, Piaseczno, Nowa Iwiczna, Jeziorki and Dawidy before landing at Okęcie's Runway 33.

Czachówek, as I've mentioned before, is a small village in Mazowsze notable for its railway junction where the Warsaw-Radom line crosses the Łuków-Skierniewice line. Trains can switch from one line to the other via four connecting links. (Google Earth users - 51°58'9.94"N, 21° 4'36.79"E) Until a few years ago, when passenger traffic (sadly) ceased on the Łuków-Skierniewice line, Czachówek was served by foue stations. Today, only two still serve passengers, Czachówek Górny and Czachówek Południowy. Click on photo above to enlarge.
Above: Crossing the rail bridge north of Czachówek Górny station, looking down on the station building of the no-longer functioning Czachówek Środkowy. Recently a ticket office opened up here, so if you wish to travel from Górny station, 100m away, you can do so with a valid ticket in your hand. As you can see from the picture, the left-hand track seems less used. In the distance, though not visible, is (or rather was) Czachówek Wschodni station. Beyond that is the traction depot, which maintains the high-tension power lines.

Some 30km to the east, across the Vistula, is another, similar junction at Augustówka/Pilawa. Here the Skierniewice to Łuków line meets the Warsaw-Lublin and the Tłuszcz-Lublin lines. Some rails have been lifted here, but the embankments remains. I must go to Augustówka again. ((51°58'38.82"N, 21°31'8.05"E)

Mazowsze, being so flat, lacks the natural landmarks and waypoints that Alfred Watkin noticed in England in early 20th Century, and how footpaths linked pagan sites (later Christian churches) in straight lines. These 'Ley Lines' now have ascribed to them supernatural qualities. You can believe this - fine, you can reject this notion, fine. My point is that man seeks alignments, coincidences, patterns; it helps make sense of our environment and our lives. Quite how that fits in with looking at the maps of the places we inhabit is a deeper question. Like the small magnetic bone in the skulls of migrating birds, have we something that helps us find our way across the earth?

Human beings are always looking for patterns, alignments, coincidences and meaning. Above: West Hampstead Thameslink station, last week. The sky is criss-crossed by a web of wire and vapour, drawn by compasses and setsquare.

UPDATE: 30 October 2008 - Koleje Mazowieckie run a trial FLIRT from Warsaw to Góra Kalwaria via Czachówek. With a bit of investment, it may be that a regular service will run this route.

UPDATE: 1 June 2009 - Koleje Mazowiecki has inaugurated a Warsaw to Góra Kalwaria service, with one of the five return trains a day running on to Pilawa

This time last year:
Sunshine and rain, like joy and pain