Popular Post Johann Marsbar Posted April 12 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 12 After very heavy rain overnight the following morning was a bit brighter, which was just as well as we were heading out of Vienna for a visit to the Strasshof railway museum. Supplementary zone tickets were purchased to cover our travel beyond our Central Zone ticket and we headed off on the S1 suburban service to Silberwald, the nearest station to the museum and some 20+ km to the east of Vienna. This Taurus came through on a Vienna bound service shortly after we got off our train...... The Strasshof Museum is a sort of Carnforth (as it used to be in the 70's) style operation in a loco depot, though the number of locos present in various states of repair/dereliction far outweighed the numbers you used to find around Carnforth shed! Most are Austrian in origin (and style), though there are the odd items from elsewhere amongst the stock. Some of the stuff was fairly buried in foliage as well, but an initial batch of photos of the stock immediately outside the shed is shown below.... ...and then we came across this......... Looking rather lost amongst the European stock, this appears to be one of the SR vehicles that were converted to generator vans by the WD to power rail mounted searchlights and, presumably, was left behind after Dunkirk. It looked in a very sound condition, so where it had been in the ensuing 66 years (to 2006...) was anyones guess! 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 I don't know whether you've been back to Strasshof since that visit, but the "foliage" you describe has engulfed many of the "long-termed stored" locomotives (including the one behind the ex-SR van); sadly there isn't enough manpower/funding/space to keep the stock in good order. I'm not sure whether the van itself has survived (lost in the undergrowth?). Out of interest, were all four of the ÖMV Fireless steam locos still present when you made that visit (one is behind the black and green steam locos in your fourth picture at Strasshof)? Two appear to have been scrapped by 2008, and neither of the two remaining are in good condition. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 21 minutes ago, EddieB said: I don't know whether you've been back to Strasshof since that visit, but the "foliage" you describe has engulfed many of the "long-termed stored" locomotives (including the one behind the ex-SR van); sadly there isn't enough manpower/funding/space to keep the stock in good order. I'm not sure whether the van itself has survived (lost in the undergrowth?). Out of interest, were all four of the ÖMV Fireless steam locos still present when you made that visit (one is behind the black and green steam locos in your fourth picture at Strasshof)? Two appear to have been scrapped by 2008, and neither of the two remaining are in good condition. Have been back to Vienna since then (2018) but didn't venture out to Strasshof on that occasion. There are 2 more days of postings from the 2006 trip to go, most of which are the other locos & stock on display at Straashof, so they'll go on here on Sat & Sun.. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 13 Author Share Posted April 13 (edited) Continuing our walk around the stock parked outside at Strasshof, this former Yugoslavian Kriegslok was one of the few foreign locos present...... Some of the stuff outside was in much better condition than the others, with some displaying large areas of rust and/or red oxide primer....... ...and there were quite extensive lines of stock parked outside as well.... The main building there is quite large, so all the "decent"/steamable locos and some restored rolling stock is stored under cover and out of the weather. What proportion of the stock there is operational wasn't apparent on our visit, though they did have a loco in steam giving cab rides....... More from inside the shed tomorrow....... EDIT: If you want to see how much rolling stock they own, have a look at the current list on their website! https://eisenbahnmuseum-heizhaus.com/de/sammlung-forschung/fahrzeuge The SR Van doesn't appear to be listed on there though.... . Edited April 13 by Johann Marsbar extra text added 13 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 I have a fairly comprehensive stock list from the Österreichischer Museums- und Touristikbahnen (2018), but cannot find an entry for the SR van. I'm wondering whether it may have spent time at the Wien Arsenal/Military Museum before going to Strasshof. Sadly I don't think it has survived. Clearly the provenance and history of the van is likely to be of more interest than its rarity, though its status as an "erratic" (to use a geologist term) ought perhaps to have conferred its preservation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 14 Author Share Posted April 14 Some more of the equipment on display inside the main building..... There was also a short rake of restored goods stock in there...... One of the 0-6-2T rack locos off the Vordenburg line was the loco giving cab rides....... Our unit back to Vienna is seen arriving at Silberwald........ The rest of that day and the following morning were spent in Vienna, mainly on the tram network, before we flew back to Stansted on another Air Berlin 737. 15 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyPenguin Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 1 hour ago, Johann Marsbar said: Some more of the equipment on display inside the main building..... There was also a short rake of restored goods stock in there...... One of the 0-6-2T rack locos off the Vordenburg line was the loco giving cab rides....... Our unit back to Vienna is seen arriving at Silberwald........ The rest of that day and the following morning were spent in Vienna, mainly on the tram network, before we flew back to Stansted on another Air Berlin 737. Thanks, especially liked the kof & the Croc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Vecchio Posted April 17 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17 I wonder you didn't see the BBO class 16 (ex KKstb class 310) in Strasshof. Some people (in this forum) say it is the ugliest loco ever built, I consider it as elegant. Probably it was running somewhere as a special service. Strasshof, 17th June 2018, the loco gets prepared for fathers day and is already in steam. 20180609_164828 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Vecchio Posted April 17 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17 On 14/04/2024 at 07:02, Johann Marsbar said: The rest of that day and the following morning were spent in Vienna Considering the short time you have been there you have seen (and photographed) a lot of different locomotive types and trams. Having lived and worked in Vienna for 40 years my selection of photos is probably smaller than yours. Problem is if you live there the trains are nothing special, so if it is not something new or very old you do not take notice of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyPenguin Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 On 17/04/2024 at 11:43, Vecchio said: Some people (in this forum) say it is the ugliest loco ever built, Nobody does "ugly" like the North Americans ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 Normal service will resume on here in the next day or so (hopefully). Been away for a week and on returning I found that my broadband link at home had packed up, so currently waiting for Virgin Media to sort it out! Had to post this from elsewhere.... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted April 24 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 24 On 19/04/2024 at 22:14, GrumpyPenguin said: Nobody does "ugly" like the North Americans ! Or some of the Italian Franco Crosti's. Jamie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 5944 Posted April 24 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 24 (edited) 3 hours ago, jamie92208 said: Or some of the Italian Franco Crosti's. Jamie Oh I don't know, they're not that bad, certainly not compared to the RENFE versions... Chimney through the boiler anyone?! Edited April 24 by 5944 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted April 24 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 24 Oh I don't know....how about this British beauty...the Kitson-Still diesel steam experiment! A thing worth modelling! 🐱 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 Now I'm reconnected again we can move on to the end of August 2006 for a holiday in the Czech Republic based in the City of Brno. By reading the annual Railrover guide in Todays Railways I'd seen that a 7-day all line first class rover ticket was available from CD at a fraction of the cost of the likes of the Eurodomino passes, so arranged a trip which would cover quite a bit of the Country, despite being just based in Brno, and would also enable me to go to the Brno Airshow as well. An added bonus was that someone I knew had moved to Brno so he picked me up from the Airport and took me to my Hotel, plus, on the last day, we went out in his car to some of the more interesting local sites for photography. Ryanair provided transport from Stansted to Brno, as they were operating a single return flight a day at that time, and after checking into the Hotel I headed off to the station with details of the ticket I wanted all written down on a piece of paper (in Czech). On arriving at the ticket window, all I got was shrugs, waving of hands and a long treatise in Czech - which I obviously didn't understand a word of - but it was obvious that I had a problem! Luckilly there was also a Travel Office at the station, so I went in there and saw one of the staff in there who could speak English and she looked at what I wanted, said she couldn't understand what the problem had been and duly printed the 7-day Rover off - which, from memory cost the equivalent of something just over £30 in First Class! I'd already worked out my timetable for the week and this had ensured coverage of most of the tram & trolleybus operations in the Country, though riding opporunities were non-existent in some of those due to lack of time. After an early breakfast the next morning I headed off to the station where these were photographed outside..... ...and then on to the platforms...... I think this 362 was the loco on my train to Ostrava. On arrival at Ostrava this 363 was seen on a freight....... ...before I had a walk into the centre, photographing the local transport on the way. This was a fairly new Skoda low floor car in the Ostrava fleet at the time..... ...variations of which have since turned up elsewhere in the world, as seen in Portland, OR in May 2017...... The trolleybus fleet in Ostrava was being modernised with these Solaris types at the time...... Older Tatra tramcars were also about in some quantity..... 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 26 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 26 On 19/04/2024 at 22:14, GrumpyPenguin said: Nobody does "ugly" like the North Americans ! Google "Coffin feedwater heater" images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 Back at Ostrava station - a Communist era edifice if ever there was one - a Tatra articulated car in advertising livery is on the tramway terminal loop...... ...with Skoda built trolleybuses on the bus terminal loop........ From Ostrava I headed off on the train towards Mezerici, with this Mittal Steel owned loco being passed at Ostrava Kuncice station....... I had to change trains at Frydlandt nad Ostravici and I was able to photograph the service I had arrived onboard from Ostrava..... I think the next leg was on a railbus, but the last part of the trip ended up on a rail replacement bus! Eventually I got to Hulin where there was some freight activity whilst waiting for my next train....... Next place of interest was Prerov where there was an interesting selection of stock visible from the station, one of the locos in a fresh coat of paint being this 181 for a Polish operator........ Breclav provided even more variety with this OBB 1116 in commemorative livery.......... 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 The second day of the 7-day first class rover ticket (which I can confirm cost all of £32, having found the haulage/tour notes yesterday) was used to take a day trip to Prague, this photo being taken just after 06.00 outside Brno station before catching my train.... The service to Prague (and back again in the evening) was hauled by a ZSSK class 350 electric which indicates the service must have started from somewhere like Bratislava. On arrival at Prague Holesovice I bought a day ticket for the Public Transport network and headed off to a tram stop. The City at that time was "T3 heaven", as can be seen from the shot below... ...though I was more interested in even older vehices, so the main destination that morning was the Transport Museum, housed in one of the tram depots. There was an awful lot of equipment on display in there, but photography was a bit restricted by the sheer number of items on display and the presence of closely spaced wooden roof supports in parts of the depot...... However, they did have a very substantial (232 pages...) hard-backed book about the museum and all of the exhibits - mostly illustrated in colour - which cost the equivalent of something like £4, so one was duly purchased to make up for the difficulties in taking my own shots of some of the exhibits! The rest of the day was spent travelling around on the extensive tram system..... ....and visits to the likes of Masarykovo station, where one of the fairly new "City Elefant" double deck units was seen...... ...along with an older diesel railcar....... 16 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 111 001 was acting as station pilot at Masarykovo.... With Prague being a major tourist destination (to put it mildly..) there are several different ways to tour the city and one that I discovered in 2006 was a selection of pre-war vintage Czech built cars which were gathered in one of the squares and available for tourists to hire. Most were right-hand drive, as Czechoslovakia drove on the left (along with Austria) in those days. Prices didn't seem too bad either, but I didn't really have time to indulge in such things. A Praga and a Tatra...... (not quite Warrington & Wigan registration marks though!) A closer view of the Tatra again, with a Skoda........ Not sure of the make of this one, possibly another Praga, but it did cause me some amusement by its colour scheme....... Just needs "Mulleys Motorways" painted along the side doors........ After a wander round looking for model shops and purchasing some Czech made aircraft kits, I found a location by the river where rail and tramway shots could be taken...... ...before heading back into the centre...... ...and on to Holesovice station for my 350 hauled train back to Brno...... 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 The following day consisted of a long trip by rail to Plzen, the outward journey being made via various secondary routes in the southern part of the Country through Jihlava and Ceske Budejovice. At Brno that morning this 754 was positioned nicely in the sun....... My train was also 754 hauled to Jihlava, though 754 046 was in an all-over red paint scheme. From Jihlava, one of the glass-fibre bodied "Laminatka" 240 electrics took me on to Ceske Budejovice, with this narrow gauge train being seen en route on the 760mm line at Jindrichuv Hradec...... A view of the station building a couple of stops further on....... The plan was to have enough time at the original home of Budweiser to see the trolleybus operation there but my train was late, so all I saw were some overhead wires on streets we passed over on the train! On the run up to Plzen behind a 242, another couple of members of the class were passed in top/tail mode on a train........ Plzen is home to a tram & trolleybus network, as well as being the home of Skoda, whose products feature largely in the vehicle fleet, including these low floor cars..... On finding the tram depot, a Skoda demonstrator was parked up there as well....... Portland and Tacoma get a mention in the list of customers on the bodyside. The rest of the tram fleet was composed of Tatra products....... There were still some older Czech motorbuses in evidence there as well..... 14 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 A couple of Skoda products seen passing the factory.... As befits the status of the City, the station building at Plzen is rather impressive...... The sheer variety of stock and the different liveries seen in 2006 made Czech Railways a very colourful place...... I don't think there was a "standard livery" for the 754's (or the 749's either..) The 742 hauling a couple of railcar trailers is of note...... Back at Brno the following morning, this Tatra articulated car with a rebuilt front end put in an appearance.... ...the originals front end looking like this.... 17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 Standing in the platforms at Brno that morning was yet another 754 livery variation..... .....though my train that day was hauled by a 363 electric to Hradec Kralove where this loco was photographed in the yard...... Before catching a railcar on to Liberec I had a bit of time to investigate outside the station........ This appeared to be a vehicle on demonstration there...... LIberec is the home of an interurban tramway which was in the process of changing gauge and which did, at that time, still have some elderly (1950's) trams in the fleet - but needless to say none were about in the time I was there so I had to stick to the usual Tatras..... The leading car in the second photo had been converted to have a low floor section - as seen by the change in window line. Back at the station was this modern shunter..... ...along with the lesser known TTTE character "Adolf the Tank Engine" . One can imagine what the smokebox face would look like.......... I'm asuming that might actually be an example of Czech humour! This CSD liveried diesel was passed en-route back to Brno......... 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 The next day consisted of another rather longish trip from Brno to Usti nad Labem and Chomutov, made somewhat longer by taking a fairly indirect route to get there on the outward trip. A 362 electric took me to Kolin with an EMU to Nymburk, after which I ventured into unelectrified territory for the portion of the trip to Decin. One of the 810 railbuses took me Mlada Boleslav where this selection of photos were taken..... An 853 railcar then took me on to Decin for another EMU to Usti nad Labem for a look at their trolleybus operation...... This 163 was stabled at the station........... ....and as my train was leaving, this rather unexpected sight rolled in on another passenger service....... .....a full CSD liveried late 1950's Skoda electric, complete with CSD running number and a large red star on the front end! It turned out to be a semi-preserved "depot pet" which was still used occasionally on service trains and we will come across it later on another trip in this thread, as will the whole of the North-Western part of the Czech Republic in more detail, albeit accessed from Dresden. My train from Usti is seen here after arrival at Chomutov..... ..whilst another of the many liveries is seen on another service there...... 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted May 4 Author Share Posted May 4 This railcar in another livery variation was also parked in the station...... It was a very quick visit to Chomutov on this occasion - the intention being to get some photos of the trolleybus operation there, though this wasn't helped by the distance from the station to the nearest set of wires! They turned at the end of a very long station approach road, so I had even less time to get photos than expected..... I returned to Brno via Prague, though the Chomutov to Prague section was in another 854 railcar via a very secondary main line that eventually arrived at Praha Hl.N.... There was time to get some more tram photos there...... ...including this vintage tram & trailer which were located on a short length of track in Wenceslas Square and were in use as a cafe..... Trams had been removed from that area in the late 1960's/early 70's, but it is planned to reintroduce trams there again in the near future. 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted May 6 Author Share Posted May 6 The next day mainly involved railcar travel over a variety of secondary and branch lines in order to visit a couple of interesting local transport operations, although it was rather damp for the first part of the day. This 754 in yet another livery variation was at Brno in the morning...... As is usual, anything resembling an "interesting" passenger working, such as this loco hauled set of trailers at Viseli nad Moravu..... ....always involved a service other than the one I was travelling on, which in this case was the usual "Bouncy, Bouncy" 810..... First port of call was the Zlin-Otrokovice interurban trolleybus operation where I managed to locate the depot without much of a problem..... One of the fairly recently delivered CD railcars is seen at Otrokovice.... At Prerov this 0-6-0T in rather nice condition was plinthed at the station..... More mundane traction at Prerov...... 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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