The main depot at Istvántelek used to be the most important rail car repair depot in Hungary, in the 4th district of Budapest. Its past glory can only be imagined now, as most of the main halls have been deconstructed. Those still standing are the scenes of intensive plant vegetation. Only the steam engine depot and the steam engine repair depot have remained from the era of railways. Next to the main depot the Hungarian Railway Museum can be found.

At the end of the 19th century as railways were fast spreading, new repair depots with more capacity would have been needed, that is why the new spot for the future main depot was chosen: an area owned by the Hungarian National Trade Association and mainly by Earl Sándor Károlyi. The extent of the area was appropriate, and it was close enough to the West Railway Station. During the 1st phase of the works, the canteen (called Casino), the central office building and the lodge belonging to the main building were built, then a temporary bath as well.

The building of the railway network and the repair depots was started in 1902. During the 1st year the rail car repair depot and the turning depot were set up. The rail car depot was the biggest floor spaced building of Budapest in its age with its 24 thousand square metres. The steam engine repair depot and many warehouses were finished by 1903. The floor space of the steam engine repair depot was 20100 square metres having 82 engine stalls and a 98-metre-long boiler smith depot inside.

The depots for the following partial jobs were built between the rail car depot and the engine depot: turning, smith work, spring making and foundry. A small boiler house was built with two boilers and a 30-metre-long chimney to supply steam. On the eastern side a huge boiler house and an engine house were set up together with the loading area and the containers for coal and clinker. They were constructed to be expanded in time if needed. Boilers were supplied by Nicholson, steam engines by Láng, generators by Ganz Factory.

The opening ceremony was held on the 1st May, 1905 having the first decorated train with 1150 workers rolling through the main gate. During the 2nd World War there were many damages in the area: the rail car depot and several smaller depots were ruined by fire after bombings. After the war the main depot became less and less significant because of the exclusion of steam engines. Many people were dismissed, several depots closed. In 1984 the steam era came to its end in Hungary, so Istvántelek ceased to function as main depot. However a few things have remained since then: a nostalgic steam depot of the Hungarian Railways as well as repair halls for today’s trains like BDVmot, BVhmot and Siemens Desiro rail and engine cars. In the present several small companies hire building sites or halls within the walls of depots or repair buildings of the past.