JAMIE'S RANDOM EUROPEAN AND REST OF THE WORLD RAILWAY PHOTOS.

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, pH said:

I’m sorry that I’m a bit late to this, but I’ve not being keeping up with this topic. I’ve looked through the posts here, but can’t see any description of what this locomotive is - again, apologies if I’ve missed it.

 

This (actually 41.195) is a Belgian derivative of the Caledonian Railway ‘812’ class. The Belgian State Railways took details of the Caley ‘Dunalastair II’ 4-4-0 and the ‘812’ class 0-6-0 from St. Rollox. Copies of both classes were built in 1900-01. The Belgians developed the 0-6-0 design further, eventually building more than 800 of the modified designs. This was a superheated version.

 

(Edit - see the ‘Belgian derivatives’ section on this page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonian_Railway_812_and_652_Classes    )

 

Thanks for that.  

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a rather grey but slightly warmer Charente. The tardis is still in Faro, Portugal on 14th June 2008. 

That is the last photo scanned from film in this collection.  In late 2008 I took the great step of going digital as a decent DSLR was now available where you didn't have to wait several seconds after pressing the button for the thing to actually decide to take a photo.  I was also able to get an Olympus and using a converter to use some of my existing extra lenses.  Anyway by some strange quirk of fate we are now  on the Costa del Sol 2 years later in June 2009  where Beth and I were enjoying a 2 week break just south of Malaga.
This EMU greeted us at the airport. A class 446.

And then the train that took us south.

4 days later I was allowed my statutory day out and after an early bus ride caught the train up the branch to Malaga.  Here I saw some  Spanish High Speed sets close up.

And then caught a rather newer EMU up to Bobadilla.

At Bobadilla, where the line down to Algeciras leaves the Malaga line Class 319 was sitting in the sun.

Jamie

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the Charente.  The tardis is still in 2009 in Bobadilla, inland from Malaga. The town and station looked a bit run down but the station had obviously looked.

A loco hauled Talgo set bound fr Algeciras came through behind 319 336.

There was some older looking stock around, obviously on departmental duties.

And a nice weathering project for someone.

I even got chance for a better shot of 319 403/e

Then my train arrived.

Jamie

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[Johann Marsbar]

Some examples of that body style of 319 have made the long journey south to Argentina as well, as seen by this one departing Hurlingham in February 2009...

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Johann Marsbar

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a wet and windy Charente.  It was certainly not cold in the Malaga area though on 18th June 2009 As we ran back into Malaga this loco was in the yard.  I'm not certain which class it is or even which gauge as the yard has both in it. 

A class 310 shunter was there as well.

Two of the very distinctive duck billed high speed sets were in the platform.

I then caught the EMU back to the apartment. This was in the yard.  I think it was a DMU.

Some more rail equipment was seen alongside the line as we passed a tunnel construction site.

We now jump forward 2 years and are in Rome.  19th June 2011.  This bus was doing a tram replacement service,

There will now be an intermission for a couple of weeks as grandparenting duties are taking priority.

 

Jamie

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[EddieB]

The diesel loco is a class 333.3 (333.360.6) - a major rebuild of the original 333.0 series and on broad gauge.  The diesel unit appears to be a class 596 "Tamagotchi" (single unit).

[PhilJ W]

The rail mounted crane creeping into the right of the picture of the 310 class intrigues me. I would like to have more details and a picture of the whole unit.

[EddieB]

41 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The rail mounted crane creeping into the right of the picture of the 310 class intrigues me. I would like to have more details and a picture of the whole unit.

Are you sure that it's rail mounted?  There appear to be two in the background of the 333.3 picture which look to be on road tyres.

[Fat Controller]

43 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The rail mounted crane creeping into the right of the picture of the 310 class intrigues me. I would like to have more details and a picture of the whole unit.

I don't think the crane is actually on the wagon, Phil; rather, it's standing parallel behind it.

I do like the blue van, which seems to have been given a glazed domestic front door.

[PhilJ W]

Thanks, looking at it again it is a road going vehicle behind the flat wagon.

[jamie92208]

On 16/02/2022 at 16:07, PhilJ W said:

Thanks, looking at it again it is a road going vehicle behind the flat wagon.

I think it's a reach stacker.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from a sunny Charente.   We are back home and I've got access to my laptop and store of photos again so time for some more. The tardis is still in Rome on 19th June 2011. More tram tracks but not a tram to be seen.

One thing that caught my eye was the lettering on the manhole covers.   If I remember my Latin lessons correctly it stands for Senatus populus que Romanus.  I never even got to take y O level.

However the next day on the bus to Civitavecchia there was work going on track laying.

The next day we were at Livorno, formerly Leghorn and this class 464 was in the station.

1

on the 24th we were at Barcelona, on a cruise round the Med.  I was let out for the day and made first for Tibidado and it's amazing tramway.  Lovely trams.

And No 7 heading down to us at the lower terminus.

 

Jamie

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from a rather damp and dreary Charente.  The tardis though is till in the Barcelona area on 24th June 2011. First though one from the day before when we took and open top bus tour.  This was a modern tram on a long boulevard. I believe that it had different tram routes at either end but the central part didn't have a tramway.

It also passed the Barcelona equivalent of London's Gurkhin. According to our tour guide the  Catalans have called theirs the suppository.    Anyway. back to the 24th and the Tibidado tramway. Here's the tram that  I rode at the upper terminus.

That connects with a funicular that goes to an amusement park at the summit with good views over the city.

Here is one of the rather art deco vehicles.

Then back on the tram and a steep and winding descent.

no 7 coming back up.

Jamie

 

1

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by jamie92208

[eastwestdivide]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Here is one of the rather art deco vehicles

Or a VW camper van with a pantograph?

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from a sunny Charente.  The tardis is still in Barcelona and it's still 24th June 2011. From the Tibidado Tramway I wandered back across the square to the end of the Metro line and got onto one of their trains back to Catalunya station.  This system is standard gauged. 

 

I went back to place Molina and changed onto a northbound Metro train to where I think was Saint Cugat where two of the Metro lines diverge. Here a southbound is arriving as a northbound departs.

The southbound then headed back towards the city centre.

From there I tried to interchange to the Renfe line that runs across the top of Barcelona to Mosterell and the docks.  This was not easy and involved climbing over the crash barrier in the centre of a dual carriageway.  However when I got onto the station I discovered mixed gauge tracks.  This is the line from the French border to the docks.

A broad gauge unto went east.

Then two broad gauge electrics headed west.

Quite a variety of trains.

 

Jamie

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[Re6/6]

Thank you Jamie for posting these pictures which are giving me much enjoyment!

[jamie92208]

Good morning, just, from a sunny Charente.  The tardis is still in Barcelona on the 24th June 2011.  From Sainte Cugat I caught the first south west bound unit headed towards Martorell.  I went to the front and started looking through the driving cab at the line ahead.  Almost immediately the driver invited me into the cab.  His brother worked in London and he spoke a lot more English than I speak Spanish.  We were on the mixed gauge line and before too long this junction came up where we headed west and the standard gauge line turned left towards the docks.  A very interesting piece of pointwork.  I actually did a similar thing on my Long Preston layout some years ago where there was a mixed gauge transfer siding.

This was the cab of the unit.

All too soon we got to Martorell.  The double unit class 269's had got there and were coupling onto a cement train.

I then caught the metre gauge FGC train towards the city centre.  This system actually carries quite a bit of freight into the docks with electric locos doing the haulage but I didn't see any.  I changed at Gornal. another place where the map said there was interchange.  This just involved an 'interesting' walk through a run down suburb to the Renfe station at Bellvitge. The upside is that the High speed services come through here en route to Sants and  Estacio Franca.

Sants was all underground and not very good for photos but plenty of trains.  I caught the next one to Estacio Franca where this Talgo high speed set was in the platform. My train is on the right.

There was a rather nice model in HO of the station near the buffer line.

That's it for today folks, lunch to be had then trains to play with.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[caradoc]

The photos of the dual gauge track are particularly interesting, thanks Jamie. The difference between standard and broad gauge looks so small one wonders why they bothered (with the broad gauge). 

 

[jamie92208]

I've no idea what the origin of Iberian gauge was. At least it is wide enough for the third rail to be inserted. Russian gauge, 5' IIRC isn't wide enough to do that. Supposedly done at the Tsar's insistence to stop invaders using the tracks.

 

Jamie

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[Geep7]

18 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I've no idea what the origin if Iberian gauge was. At leadt it is wide enough for the third rail to be inserted. Russian gauge, 5' IIRC isn't wide enough to do that. Supposedly done at the Tsar's insistence to stop invadersvusing the tracks.

 

Jamie

I think i've read 2 theories why they ended up with Iberian gauge, one was the same invaders reason to stop the French from invading, and the other was to do with crossing the mountains in north-western Spain, where the wider gauge would allow for bigger fireboxes? or something like that. Whether there is any truth in either of these theories is anyone's guess.

 

9 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

There was a rather nice model in HO of the station near the buffer line.

 

That model has been there since at least the mid-80's when I first visited Barcelona, and was still there in 2015 when I last went. Checking the photo's my dad took of it back in the 80's, I don't think it's ever been opened, as the trains are exactly the same too. The fact it's lasted for over 30 years is amazing.

[EddieB]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I've no idea what the origin if Iberian gauge was. At leadt it is wide enough for the third rail to be inserted. Russian gauge, 5' IIRC isn't wide enough to do that. Supposedly done at the Tsar's insistence to stop invadersvusing the tracks.

 

Jamie

Spanish/Iberian gauge is 5'6" (1668mm) as also used (with slight variations) in Portugal, Argentina and India.  Both the reasons given by Geep7 have been suggested, but it could just be that the first lines were laid at a time when gauges wider than standard were in vogue, and a measure of six Castillian feet (those Castillians had little feet) presented as a nice, exact measure. 

 

I hadn't been aware of the mixed gauge/standard gauge serving Barcelona docks.  There used to be a change of gauge (and frequent change of train) at Port Bou (southern end of mixed gauge tunnel from Cerbere in France).  I note that the standard gauge is offset within the broad gauge away from platform faces, such that it would not support the use of stopping passenger services on the mixed gauge tracks.

[jamie92208]

8 hours ago, EddieB said:

Spanish/Iberian gauge is 5'6" (1668mm) as also used (with slight variations) in Portugal, Argentina and India.  Both the reasons given by Geep7 have been suggested, but it could just be that the first lines were laid at a time when gauges wider than standard were in vogue, and a measure of six Castillian feet (those Castillians had little feet) presented as a nice, exact measure. 

 

I hadn't been aware of the mixed gauge/standard gauge serving Barcelona docks.  There used to be a change of gauge (and frequent change of train) at Port Bou (southern end of mixed gauge tunnel from Cerbere in France).  I note that the standard gauge is offset within the broad gauge away from platform faces, such that it would not support the use of stopping passenger services on the mixed gauge tracks.

As far as I know the gauge changer is still there at Port Bou.  The  new High Speed line from France is standard and designed for use by freight as well as passenger.  The line to Barcelona is an extension of that designed for freight from the docks to encourage trains from there without change of gauge.  I believe that there are plans to extend it to Valencia.  

 

Jamie

Edited March 7, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good morning from a bright and sunny but cool Charente.  Just as an aside, perhaps after fighting dies down, Ukraine may decide to go for standard gauge along with the rest of the other former USSR states.

 

Anyway the tardis is still in Barcelona and it's still 24th June 2011. A close up of the model railway at Estacia Franco.  I'm not sure of the parentage of the model but perhaps Hornby Acho.

The buffers though were firmly British.

Then back to the ship and next morning we woke up in Palma, Mallorca.  Perhaps @chrisf will be interested in the next few photos.   Beth elected to stay on board but I got a bus up to the top of town and the station at the southern end of the Soller railway. What a lovely site greeted me once I'd bought my tickets.  The cost to me was about 30% of the trip organised by the cruise line. The stock was beautiful to say the least.

I found a seat and we headed off through the suburbs.  I saw this which perhaps belongs in the 'Prototype for Anything' thread.

Whose going to put one on their layout?   Anyway the semis street running was nice to experience.

North of the town we passed a maintenance base and this electric loco was lurking.  It looked a bit in need of tlc.

More delights tomorrow.   Off to watch real French trains this afternoon.

 

Jamie

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by jamie92208

[chrisf]

23 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Perhaps @chrisf will be interested in the next few photos. 

He certainly will!  He is due to visit Mallorca next month.

 

Chris

[PhilJ W]

I hope that @chrisf enjoys his trip to Mallorca, here is a taster for you. 

https://www.abc-mallorca.com/soller-train-mallorca/