My name is Stefan and I enjoy traveling by train and of course taking pictures of trains. On this blog I frequently publish my pictures that I normally take during my train trips or at stations that are nearby to where I currently live. All pictures are my own work. Pictures are sorted by the country in which they were taken and I welcome you to explore my pictures country by country. I am always publishing the latest pictures on this main page of my blog. Please feel free to subscribe to this blog. Thanks.
Short visit to Estonia
A short day cruise brought me to Estonia this summer. As I was eager to explore more of the Estonian railway network, I did a short 3 hour trip from the capital Tallinn to the costal city of Paldiski using one of the almost hourly running commuter trains.
Named after the city where this Flirt unit was built is the unit 1406 here seen at Tallinn Balti Jaam (2023)
Bound for Tartu is Elron Train 12 here seen at Balti Jaam prior to its departure (2023)
Elron Train 521 to Paldiski prior to departing Tallinn (2023)
Elron Train 521 after arrival at Paldiski from Tallinn (2023)
Elron Train 532 getting ready for departure from Paldiski to Tallinn (2023)
Old station building at Paldiski (2023)
Another Paldiski bound train seen at Tallinn Balti Jaam (2023)
Transportation conference in Canada
This summer I was attending a transportation conference in Montreal, Canada. While the trip itself was mainly air travel, I had the chance to briefly get to know some of Canada's railways. The conference offered some technical visits and I was lucky enough to still get a spot in the visit of the Exo commuter rail maintenance center. The highlight of the super interesting visit was a free ride on one of the commuter train sets from the depot to Montreal Central Station where the train entered service. After arrival at Montreal Central Station, I also had the chance to photograph some Via Rail trains which usually is only possible if one gets platform access, so ticketed passengers only.
At the Exo commuter rail maintenance center prior to the departure for our special ride to Montreal Gare Central (2023)
A quick glimpse of Via Rail's Toronto train at Montreal Gare Central (2023)
After arrival in the main concourse of Montreal Central Station (2023)
Estonia and Latvia - Tallinn to Riga by train
After almost three years I finally did go abroad and was once again able to take pictures of trains in a country other than Finland. An invitation by the University of Latvia to lecture about Green Travel gave me not only the chance to talk about the advantages of Green Travel but also to walk the talk. Instead of flying to Riga, I decided to travel by ferry to Tallinn and then take the train to reach Riga. The first leg took me from Tallinn to the border town Valga where I had a four-hour layover. I was able to enjoy the slightly more spacious first class on board an orange Elron Flirt while traveling to Valga.
Early 6.29 am departure to Rapla at Tallinn Balti Jaam, Elron train 261 (2022)
Elron train 240 to Viljandi prior to departure from Tallinn Balti Jaam (2022)
On board Elron train 10 "express train" bound for Tartu seated in first class (2022)
Elron train 330 after arrival at the boarder station Valga (2022)
Elron train 330 from Tallinn has arrived at Valga boarder station (2022)
Two sets of 2TE116 locomotives seen at Valga station (2022)
A TEM shunter seen at the Valga workshop (2022)
SU 251-98 as memorial nearby Valga station to celebrate 110 years of the Pskov-Valga-Riga line (2022)
After discovering Valga for four hours, I continued my journey towards Riga. The second leg was on board a Latvian Railways DR1 train set. I arrived to Riga Centrala exactly 10 hours after I had left from Tallinn Balti Jaam.
Overview of Valga station (2022)
LDZ's train 874 from Riga has arrived in Valga (2022)
DR1AM no 254 set seen at Valga station on a Riga-Valga service (2022)
Riga bound DR1AM set seen at Valga station (2022)
On board LDZ's train 871 from Valga to Riga operated by a DR1 train set (2022)
Train 871 from Valga has arrived to its final destination Riga Centrala (2022)
Train 876 bound for Valga at the left and train 844 to Sigulda leaving on the right (2022)
DR1A no 227 as train 818 bound for Daugavpils seen at Riga Centrala (2022)
Train 6737 to Jelgava operated by an ER2T set seen at Riga Centrala (2022)
Train 866 to Valmiera prior to departure from Riga (2022)
Train 822 to Gulbene operated by a DR1AC set at Riga Centrala (2022)
DR1AC no 290 seen at Riga Centrala (2022)
A LDZ Cargo 2M62UM locomotive with a heavy cargo train seen at Riga Centrala (2022)
Having some time in Riga, I also did a short trip on an ER2 train set from Tornakalns to Riga Centrala. In addition to that, I did also visit the Latvian Railway History Museum in Riga.
Train 6418 from Sloka to Riga operated by an ER2 unit seen at Riga Centrala (2022)
Interior of ER2 no 1310 after a Sloka-Riga service at Riga Centrala (2022)
A refurbished ER2 unit seen at Riga Centrala (2022)
Tep60 locomotive seen at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
VL-26 cargo locomotive seen at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
A TEM2 shunter on display at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
TGM3 locomotive seen at the Latvian Railway History Museum in Riga (2022)
TTM1 locomotive on display at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
A TGK2 locomotive seen at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
A narrow-gauge motor trolley displayed at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
Another Tep60 front on display at the Latvian Railway History Museum (2022)
A Tatra T6B5 tram seen in Riga (2022)
A new blog on my photo collection of Finnish railway stock
Due to the travel restrictions posed by the novel COVID-19 crisis I was not able to go out and take new pictures. Instead I went to my archives and looked through the thousands and thousands of pictures I have taken on Finnish railway stock in the past 10-15 years. For the first time, I took a closer look at engine numbers and tried to produce lists of all the numbers I could find in my archives. Of the more than 800 vehicles (steam, diesel, electric, EMUs, DMUs, railcars, maintenance vehicles and control cars) that currently exist in Finland, some in daily use, some on display in museums or elsewhere, I apparently have photographed more than 500. I did not expect to find such complete lists, e.g. of the 109 class Sr1 engines I have photographed 104 and there is not a single Pendolino set or class Dm12 railcar nor any of the 42 Edo control cars missing that I don't posses a pictures of. This, and the additional free time posed due to COVID-19, motivated me to start a new blog in which I present all those photographs engine by engine and number by number. The link to the new blog is: https://suomalainenrautatiekalusto.blogspot.com/ please feel free to explore and dive into the great variety of railway stock the Finnish railway has to offer. Enjoy!
Finnish class Hr1 No. 1000 on display at the Haapamäki Steam Park (2020)
Australia and New Zealand
A three months research visit brought me to down under and provided me with the great opportunity to discover the railways of Australia and New Zealand. Besides visiting various railway stations and traveling on local trains in Queensland, I did also some longer trips by rail. Worth mentioning here is the 988 km stretch from Sydney Central to Brisbane Roma Street on the New South Wales Train Link XPT train which took 14 hours.
A New South Wales Train Link XPT train bound for Brisbane seen at Sydney Central (2019)
Standard Class car on a NSW Train Link XPT train set bound for Brisbane (2019)
First Class car on XPT 31 Sydney Central to Brisbane Roma Street prior to departure (2019)
XPT train No 31 bound for Brisbane Roma Street seen at Sydney Central (2019)
Two V sets operated by NSW Train Link as InterCity services seen at Sydney Central (2019)
Sydney Central station with a V set NSW Train Link InterCity set (2019)
Overview of Sydney Central station with various NSW Train Link V sets (2019)
NSW Train Link XPT train No 31 from Sydney after arrival at Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
NSW's XPT most northern terminus is Brisbane Roma Street in Queensland (2019)
XPT 31 after arrival from Sydney Central seen at Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
This XPT train is serviced during the short turn around time at Brisbane Roma Street getting ready for the 988 km journey back to Sydney Central which takes about 14 hours (2019)
Ready for departure is this Sydney bound XPT train seen at Brisbane Roma Street. XPT is the only standard gauge passenger train operating in Queensland (2019)
As I was based in Brisbane, Queensland I took full advantage of getting to know the various narrow gauge trains operated by Queensland Rail which operate mainly in and out of Brisbane Roma Street station. Among those are the City Network trains but also some of the long-haul services to far out destinations in and around Queensland.
Queensland Rail's electric Tilt Train ''City of Rockhampton" seen at Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
Tilt Train No 802 from Bundaberg seen after arrival at Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
Queensland Rail's second electric Tilt Train set "City of Maryborough" calling at Roma Street Station (2019)
The 2.50 o'clock No 602 Tilt Train from Rockhampton after arrival at Roma Street (2019)
Meeting of the two types of Queensland Rail Tilt Trains, the diesel version on the right and the electric on the left, at Roma Street platform 10 (2019)
Diesel Tilt Train service No 106 "Spirit of Queensland" to Cairns and electric Tilt Train service No 602 from Rockhampton meet at Brisbane Roma Street station (2019)
A Queensland Rail diesel Tilt Train seen at Roma Street station together with a NGR 700 train set (2019)
Diesel Tilt Train bound for Cairns seen at Brisbane Roma Street Station (2019)
"Spirit of Queensland" luxury car on train 106 bound for Cairns at Roma Street (2019)
Queensland Rail's diesel Tilt Train seen at Brisbane Roma Street station (2019)
Overview of Brisbane Roma Street station with departing Tilt Train 106 to Cairns (2019)
The 3.45 pm "Spirit of Queensland" service departing from Brisbane with city hall in the background and as seen from Roma Park (2019)
The "Westlander" from Charleville seen on the final arrival at Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
Train No 307 "The Westlander" from Charleville after arrival at Roma Street (2019)
A Queensland Rail Class 2400 diesel engine with train 307 "The Westlander" at Roma Street (2019)
Class 2400 hauling "The Westlander" also received support by a Class 1720 (2019)
Carriages of the "Spirit of Outback" being towed into Roma Street station platform 10 (2019)
Train 457 "Spirit of Outback" bound for Longreach seen at Roma Street (2019)
Overview of Roma Street station with the 10 car "Spirit of Outback" prior to departure for Longreach (2019)
A Queensland Rail Next Generation Rollingstock NGR700 set on a Redcliffe service calling at Roma Street (2019)
NGR700 no 7 seen departing Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
On a Springfield service is this NGR700 set no 27 departing Roma Street southbound (2019)
Two SMU260 units approaching Brisbane Roma Street station (2019)
Queensland Rail SMU275 unit bound for Nambour approaching Roma Street (2019)
Queensland Rail IMU170 seen alongside a NGR700 set calling at Roma Street (2019)
Queensland Rail City Network trains IMU168 to Caboolture and NGR733 to Springfield seen at Brisbane Roma Street (2019)
A Queensland Rail SMU220 set approaching Roma Street station (2019)
Queensland Rail City Network SMU225 seen at Roma Street (2019)
Queensland IMU108 departing from Roma Street Station (2019)
Two Queensland Rail EMU sets departing Roma Street towards Central Station (2019)
Queensland Rail EMU unit no 37 seen at Bowen Hills station (2019)
A Queensland Rail EMU seen at Bowen Hills with the train depot in the background visible (2019)
Overview of Bowen Hills station with three generations of Queensland Rail City Network rolling stock: SMU234, EMU37 and NGR736 (2019)
Oldest and newest generation rolling stock of Queensland Rail City Network EMU and NGR700 seen at Bowen Hills (2019)
A NGR700 set as Airport Train has reached its final destination, Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal (2019)
Besides Sydney and Brisbane I also visited Melbourne for a weekend where I had the chance to use the PTV Metro trains and to visit the iconic Flinders and Southern Cross stations.
Street view of Flinders Station with local trams (2019)
A Yarra Tram seen in front of Flinders Street station (2019)
A Pakenham line Metro train departing from Melbourne Flinders Street station (2019)
A PTV Comeng set and a Siemens Nexas set both seen at Flinders Street station (2019)
This PTV Comeng EMU set has just terminated at Flinders Street station (2019)
Another PTV Comeng set seen after termination at Flinder Street station (2019)
A Craigieburn line train stopping at Broadmeadows station (2019)
A N class hauled V/Line train seen at the terminus Melbourne Southern Cross (2019)
N456 'City of Colac' seen at Melbourne Southern Cross station (2019)
Overview of Southern Cross station with a V/Line passenger train (2019)
Various V/Line passenger trains seen at Melbourne Southern Cross station (2019)
Overview of the PTV run Metro services at Melbourne Southern Cross station (2019)
A VLocity DMU train set seen after arrival to Melbourne Southern Cross station (2019)
VLocity set No. 30 seen at Southern Cross station (2019)
Busy metro train traffic in and out of Melbourne Southern Cross station (2019)
Finally before returning to Finland, I was able to also visit New Zealand for three days. This gave me enough time to travel from Christchurch to Auckland by rail seeing a vast part of the beautiful and spectacular country in just two days. From Brisbane I flew to Christchurch where I boarded the "Coastal Pacific" that took me in 6 hours to Picton, the northern tip of the South Island. From there I took the Interislander ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington.
A Kiwi Rail Class DXR with the "Coastal Pacific" seen at Christchurch (2019)
"Coastal Pacific" prior to departure from Christchurch (2019)
Two Kiwi Rail Class DXC units in shunting operations seen at Christchurch station (2019)
"Coastal Pacific" after departure from Christchurch (2019)
Great views on landscape and train from the observation car (2019)
The "Coastal Pacific" calling at Kaikoura (2019)
One of the most important stops of the "Coastal Pacific" on the way to Picton is Kaikoura (2019)
Great views are provided from the observation car (2019)
"Coastal Pacific" on the way to Picton (2019)
Although the "Coastal Pacific" consists of only five cars, due to the very curvy route it is easy to photograph the entire train from the last carriage (2019)
Prior to reaching Picton the "Coastal Pacific" passes several bridges (2019)
Interior of the AK class carriages on the "Coastal Pacific" (2019)
Large panoramic windows provide a great view (2019)
Restaurant car with comfortable seating arrangements (2019)
Interior of the observation car at the end of the train (2019)
Northern terminus of the "Coastal Pacific" is Picton (2019)
Interislander ferry "Kaitaki" across the Cook Strait connecting Picton with Wellington (2019)
After a night in Wellington I got on the "Northern Explorer" to Auckland, a magnificent 11 hour journey across the North Island. The third day I spent in Auckland before returning back to Australia the following night. This is a great day to see as much as possible of New Zealand in a short time while traveling on some of the finest trains the country has to offer. Outstanding is the observation car that both trains feature which provides great views and unlimited possibilities for photography without disturbing windows. In my opinion more scenic trains in the world should feature such cars.
"Northern Explorer" bound for Auckland prior to departure at Wellington Central (2019)
A Kiwi Rail Class DFB seen with the "Norther Explorer" at Wellington Central (2019)
Starting point of the Northern Explorer's 11 hour journey to Auckland is Wellington Central (2019)
Observation car on the "Northern Explorer" seen at Wellington Central (2019)
Standard seating car on the "Northern Explorer" seen at Wellington Central (2019)
Restaurant car on Kiwi Rail's "Northern Explorer" prior to departure from Wellington Central (2019)
Coach D is again a standard seating car as seen here on the "Northern Explorer" at Wellington Central (2019)
In addition the "Northern Explorer" has also a luggage van as seen at Wellington Central (2019)
Kiwi Rail's Class DFB no 7077 ready to haul the "Northern Explorer" all the way to Auckland (2019)
The "Northern Explorer" prior to departure for the 681 km journey to Auckland (2019)
Various FT Class "Matangi" EMUs seen at Wellington Central (2019)
FT4276 seen at Wellington Central (2019)
Another Metlink FT EMU seen at Wellington Central (2019)
Two FT EMUs seen in bright morning light at Wellington Central (2019)
FT5309 seen at Wellington Central (2019)
Overview of Wellington Central with various FT EMUs waiting for their next services (2019)
First mountain ranges come in sight while the "Northern Explorer" is still gaining altitude (2019)
Spectacular views from the observation car on the "Northern Explorer" (2019)
Again on the decent is the "Northern Explorer" (2019)
The observation car on the end of the train provides great views on the landscape and the train itself (2019)
One of the last stops the "Northern Explorer" takes is at Hamilton (2019)
After 11 hours the "Northern Explorer" has reached its final destination Auckland Strand station (2019)
Final destination of the "Northern Explorer" is Auckland Strand station (2019)
Short visit to Russia
A short day trip to Russia by boat provided with the great opportunity to photograph the Allegro train just as it was about to cross the railway bridge between station 134 km and Prigorodnaya. The train just crossed the bridge the moment the boat was passing under it. This was certainly a nice and unexpected surprise.
Allegro 785 from St. Petersburg to Helsinki after departure from Vyborg (2019)
AE 785 is about to approach the railway bridge across the Saimaa Canal (2019)
AE 785 crossing the bridge close to Prigorodnaya on the way to Helsinki (2019)
InterRail 2019-trip
Also in the summer of 2019 I took advantage of the InterRail-Pass in order to travel by train in Europe during my annual summer holidays. This time I opted for the 5 days in 1 month Flexi-Pass that allowed me to travel through five countries while visiting my home in Germany for a couple of days. My 4,600 km long journey began at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to which I had flown from Helsinki the day of my departure. I took first an NS InterCity to Utrecht C where I caught the ICE 127 'ICE International' to Cologne. From Cologne I took ICE 613 to Stuttgart. This time I was lucky enough to travel on DB's new flagship the ICE 4. A very nice and smooth ride, I really like those new trains. In Stuttgart I transferred to a SBB run InterCity 285 service to Rottweil and from there further down all the way to Bräunlingen on a HZL run local service.
NS ICM train set 4044 as IC 1640 after arrival at its final destination Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (2019)
A NS IRM train set on an InterCity service calling at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (2019)
InterCity 3551 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport calling at Utrecht C (2019)
A NS Sprinter train seen at Utrecht Centraal (2019)
InterCityExpress 127 'ICE International' (DB Class 406) from Amsterdam C to Frankfurt approaching Utrecht C (2019)
ICE 127 seen at Cologne Central Station on the way to Frankfurt (2019)
A DB Class 406 set departing Cologne for Frankfurt as ICE 127 (2019)
EuroCity 8 Zürich-Hamburg Altona calling at Cologne Central Station (2019)
Two DB Class 101 locomotives calling at Cologne Central Station (2019)
ICE 558 from Berlin Gesundbrunnen is approaching Cologne (2019)
A DB Class 620 as RB24 to Gerolstein seen at Cologne Central Station (2019)
DB 406-001 (Tz 4601) in Europe colors is approaching Cologne as ICE 12 bound for Bruxelles together with a second Class 406 set bound for Amsterdam as ICE 122 (2019)
Overview of busy Cologne Central Station with the Hohenzollern Bridge in the background (2019)
ICE 613 Dortmund-München (Tz 9007) calling at Cologne Central Station (2019)
DB's new flagship the ICE 4 operating the ICE 613 service to Munich (2019)
ICE 4 train set seen at Stuttgart Hbf (2019)
New operator in Stuttgart is Go Ahead with a IRE service bound for Karlsruhe Hbf (2019)
Brand-new Stadler Flirt train sets in Bwegt color scheme seen at Stuttgart Hbf (2019)
After some days off I got back on the rail departing Bräunlingen on an HZL service to Donaueschingen and further on an DB local train RE 22313 (DB Class 612) to Tuttlingen where I transferred to the SBB operated and ÖBB hauled (Class 1116) InterCity 284 to Stuttgart. In Stuttgart I took IC 2065, which has just recently been updated to an IC2 train service, equipped with a brand-new DB Class 147.5 locomotive to Nürnberg Hbf. In Nürnberg I spent significant time at the DB Museum to which I had free entrance with my InterRail-Pass.
ÖBB Class 1116 seen at Stuttgart Hbf taking over a SBB IC train set to be hauled to Singen (2019)
InterCity 2065 Karlsruhe-Nürnberg operated by a brand new IC2 train set with DB Class 147.5 (2019)
IC 2065 bound for Nürnberg Hbf prior to departure from Stuttgart Hbf (2019)
InterCity 2065 has reached its final destination Nürnberg Hbf (2019)
ICE 3 mock up seen at the DB Museum in Nürnberg (2019)
Mock up of DB's new flagship, the ICE 4, on display at the DB Museum (2019)
The legendary DB Class 103 on display at the DB Museum in Nürnberg (2019)
DB's very first Class 420 train set initially operated for S-Bahn München seen in its original colors at the DB Museum (2019)
A Class 45 steam engine on display at the DB Museum in Nürnberg (2019)
A Class 614 DMU train set in its original colors at the DB Museum in Nürnberg (2019)
After spending a significant time at the DB Museum in Nürnberg it was time for me to continue my journey in order to reach my final destination of the day, Prague. I took the RE 3565 to Schwandorf operated on a DB Class 612 and transferred there to the EX 361 'Zapadni expres' that took me directly to Prague Smichov. From there it was only a short ride to reach Prague Reporyje. While in Prague I had the great chance to visit the Kingdom of Railway Museum, another highlight of this trip.
EX 361 'Zapadni expres' from München Hbf calling at Praha Smichov prior to its final stop at Praha hl.n. (2019)
A CD Class 661 train operating an R19 service to Ceska Trebova seen at Praha Smichov (2019)
A CD Class 163 hauled S7 train from Revnice to Praha hl.n. seen at Praha Smichov (2019)
After two wonderful days it was time to leave Prague behind and continue my trip north. The first step of the journey was completed on EuroCity 174 'Berliner' (CD Class 193 hauled) to Berlin. After a short stop in Berlin the journey continued on the Express Train 300 'Berlin Night Express' to Malmö Central operated by the Swedish company Snälltåget. The train was hauled by a DB class 143 until the ferry harbor Sassnitz where the train was moved on the overnight ferry MS "Sassnitz" to Trelleborg. The train was parked on the car deck and passengers were able to sleep on the train or explore the ferry during the crossing.
EX 358 'Zapadni expres' bound for München Hbf seen at Praha hl.n. prior to departure (2019)
EC 277 'Metropolitan' prior to departure from Praha hl.n. to Budapest Nyugati pu. (2019)
A CD class 371 approaching Praha hl.n. with the 'Danube Express' (2019)
Overview of the 'Danube Express' seen at Praha hl.n. (2019)
Sleeping cars on the 'Danube Express' seen at Praha hl.n. (2019)
A MAV-Start restaurant car serving on the 'Danube Express' seen at Praha hl.n. (2019)
More sleeping cars on the 'Danube Express' seen at Praha hl.n. (2019)
EX 534 'Jizni expres' from Ceske Budejovice to Praha Holesovice calling at Praha hl.n. (2019)
EX 351 'Zapadni expres' has reached its final destination Praha hl.n. (2019)
RJ 77 'Vindobona' to Graz Hbf seen at Praha hl.n. (2019)
EC 282 'Metropolitan Slovenska strela' from Bratislava has arrived at Praha hl.n. and will soon continue at EC 174 'Berliner' to Hamburg Altona (2019)
CD Class 193 Vectron 'Matej' is about to get ready to haul EC 174 'Berliner' to Hamburg Altona (2019)
Schnellzug D 300 to Malmö C is boarding at Berlin Hbf (2019)
Snälltåget operated overnight sleeper to Malmö C seen at Berlin Hbf (2019)
Express train 300 'Berlin Night Express' to Malmö C seen at Berlin (2019)
Boarding for D 300 'Berlin Night Express' to Malmö C (2019)
D 300 Berlin Night Express was hauled by DB Class 143 (2019)
Prior to entering the ferry at Sassnitz harbor the train passed long rows of retired DB Class 151 and 155 engines (2019)
After loading of cars and trucks was completed the night train finally was allowed to enter the ferry (2019)
D 300 'Berlin Night Express' on board the ferry MS 'Sassnitz' (2019)
Overview of the ferry MS 'Sassnitz' with own Train Deck (2019)
After a restful night on the night train onboard the ferry Sassnitz D 300 reached in the early morning its final destination Malmö Central, hauled by a Vectron class 193. The journey continued from Malmö after a little break and a decent breakfast on X2 20532 to Stockholm. Due to some delays and technical issues X2 20532 ended already in Flemingsberg from where SL 2648 X60-train had to be used to reach Stockholm Central. After some time in Stockholm C it was time to board the next night train NT 94 bound for Luleå C. While the previous night had been spend on couchette, this second overnight trip was completed on a SJ sleeper.
Overview of Malmö C with two Snälltåget trains and an SJ X2 (2019)
D 300 together with a Stockholm bound X2 and NT 1 seen at Malmö C (2019)
Snälltåget 3040 bound for Stockholm and Snälltåget 300 from Berlin seen at Malmö C (2019)
Snälltåget 300 and SJ X2 20528 seen at Malmö C (2019)
This Vectron class 193 had hauled D 300 from Trelleborg to Malmö C (2019)
Snälltåget 3040 bound for Stockholm C prior to departure from Malmö C (2019)
Boarding for X2 20534 to Stockholm Södra has begun at Malmö C (2019)
NT 94 to Luleå and Narvik boarding at Stockholm C (2019)
Sleeping car on NT 94 to Luleå seen at Stockholm C (2019)
Couchette car on NT 94 to Luleå seen at Stockholm C (2019)
Seating car on NT 94 to Luleå seen at Stockholm C (2019)
Restaurant car on NT 94 to Luleå seen at Stockholm C (2019)
Couchette car on NT 94 to Narvik seen at Stockholm C (2019)
Sleeping car on NT 94 to Narvik seen at Stockholm C (2019)
Overview of NT 94 prior to departure from Stockholm C (2019)
NT 94 is hauled by two SJ Rc6 locomotives seen at Stockholm C (2019)
NT 94 prior to departure with IC 48 to Mora on the right departing Stockholm C first (2019)
SJ InterCity 48 to Mora hauled by a Rc6 prior to departure from Stockholm C (2019)
Arlanda Express seen at its terminus Stockholm C (2019)
SJ Regional Train to Uppsala seen at Stockholm C (2019)
After an even better night sleep on SJ's overnight service 94 to Luleå C the journey continued the next morning towards Finland. Because passenger train service between Luleå and Haaparanta-Tornio had been suspended many years ago the trip had to be continued by bus from Luleå Busstation on a Transdev operated service until Haaparanta-Tornio Bus Station. From there another bus service run by NET had to be used to reach Kemi where the Finnish railway system could again been accessed. The InterRail-Pass was valid on the busses between Luleå and Kemi. Departing Kemi on IC 710 to Oulu the journey continued from Oulu to Tampere on IC 28. Due to fire by the tracks IC 28 delayed by almost an hour and the connection to Jyväskylä couldn't be reached anymore. Finnish railways VR kindly paid for a taxi for the final leg from Tampere to Jyväskylä.
NT 94 after arrival from Stockholm C at Luleå C (2019)
Two sleepers on NT 94's branch to Luleå C after arrival from Stockholm C (2019)
Besides two sleepers and a seating car there was also a couchette car on NT 94 to Luleå C (2019)
The restaurant car remained on the train all the way to Luleå C (2019)
Shunting operations going on dying the early mooring hours seen at Luleå C (2019)
Norrtåg Regional Train 7173 approaching Luleå C arriving from Boden C (2019)
Norrtåt No 7174 bound for Boden C prior to departure from Luleå C (2019)
Transdev bus service to Haaparanta-Tornio seen at Luleå Bus Station (2019)
IC 413 Oulu-Rovaniemi calling at Kemi (2019)
Riding the train in India
Attending the World Conference on Transportation Research in Mumbai provided me with the opportunity to not only see the undergoing constructions of the new metro system but I also got the chance to travel on one of Mumbai Suburban Railway's trains. I traveled from Kanjurmarg on the Central Line until Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly known as Victoria Terminus) which was quite an exciting experience.
Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus (2019)
Two Mumbai Suburban Railway trains after arrival at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (2019)
Commuter train from Kalyan has arrived at its final terminus Mumbai CSMT (2019)
Busy Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (2019)
Short visit to Germany
A short family visit during the Easter break brought me again to Germany. During a one day trip starting from Donaueschingen to Gengenbach and further via Freudenstadt to Stuttgart and back to Donaueschingen, I had the chance to photograph a couple of new trains.
An AVG S8 train bound for Freudenstadt Stadt seen at Freundenstadt Hbf (2019)
After three hours, this S8 train from Karlsruhe has reached its final destination, Gäufelden bei Herrenberg were passengers can connect to Stuttgart (2019)
InterCity 2289 Stuttgart-Singen calling at Rottweil (2019)
Train to the Article Circle
In late March we did a weekend trip to Lapland by train. The journey began in Jyväskylä, first by bus to Tampere to catch there InterCity 273 to Rovaniemi that leaves at 2.30 am. After spending a good rest in our two bed cabin we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the restaurant car enjoying the beautiful scenery of Nothern Finland before pulling into Rovaniemi by 11.05 am. We still watched the detachment of the car carriages and the disembarking of the cars before turning our attention to Rovaniemi. After spending a day in the capital of Lapland we caught a bus to Sodankylä where we spend the following two nights. On Sunday we returned to Rovaniemi where we caught InterCity 710 that took us to Oulu. In Oulu we transferred to InterCity 28 to reach back to Tampere. In Tampere I had to wait two hours for my train to Jyväskylä. Luckily the time passed quick as there were so many interesting trains to photograph such as InterCity 265 and one of the last Express Trains still running in Finland, P 269 to Kolari and other Sunday specials like IC 185 or S 152. With Pendolino 91 I got back to Jyväskylä in the early morning hours of Monday.
InterCity 149 from Helsinki has arrive to its final destination Jyväskylä (2019)
InterCity 933 Turku-Tampere with direct cars to Rovaniemi for InterCity 273 after arrival in Tampere (2019)
Direct cars to Rovaniemi still attached to InterCity 933 seen at Tampere (2019)
InterCity 273 Helsinki-Rovaniemi arriving at Tampere track 1 (2019)
Two bed sleeping compartment on InterCity 273 double-decker car (2019)
Seating car and luggage car seen on InterCity 273 after arrival in Rovaniemi (2019)
Double-decker sleeping car on InterCity 273 and two car carriages which are just detached from the train in Rovanimie (2019)
Car carriages ready for disembarkation of cars in Rovaniemi (2019)
Cars seen disembarking from car carriages in Rovanimie (2019)
InterCity 416 bound for Oulu prior to departure from Rovaniemi (2019)
Rovaniemi, the gate to Lapland ... Which can be further discovered by coach (2019)
Boarding at Rovaniemi for InterCity 710 bound for Kuopio (2019)
Departing from Rovaniemi on InterCity 710 (2019)
Changing trains in Oulu with IC 710 Rovaniemi-Kuopio on the right and IC 28 Oulu-Helsinki on the left (2019)
InterCity 710 Rovaniemi-Kuopio calling at Oulu (2019)
InterCity 28 and InterCity 710 seen in Oulu (2019)
InterCity 265 Helsinki-Kemijärvi calling at Tampere (2019)
InterCity 185 Helsinki-Tampere after arriving at its final destination (2019)
Pendolino 152 Kuopio-Helsinki calling at Tampere (2019)
Express Train P 269 Helsinki-Kolari calling at Tampere (2019)
Old Express Train sleeping cars seen on P 269 at Tampere (2019)
Some of the old Express Train sleeping cars on P 269 have already been replaced by new double decker sleeping cars (2019)
Sleeping, luggage, restaurant, seating and car carriages seen on P 269 calling at Tampere (2019)
Old and new car carriages seen on P 269 bound for Kolari, calling at Tampere (2019)
Different car carriages attached to P 269 on the right and IC 273 on the left seen in Tampere (2019)
Overview of Tampere close to mid-night, two night trains (P 269 & IC 273) on the right as well as Pendolino 91 to Jyväskylä and InterCity 404 from Oulu (2019)
InterRail 2018 -trip
Also in the summer of 2018 I was again traveling on an InterRail Pass. This time I chose a 10 days in 1 month Flexi-Pass. Altogether I traveled almost 6 000 kilometer by train. My rail journey began in the UK. On the first day I took an LNER InterCity225 train from London King's Cross to York where I visited the National Railway Museum of the UK. After getting back to London on an LNER InterCity125, I boarded the same evening an Eurostar to Paris.
An InterCity225 LNER train set still in Virgin colors getting ready for boarding at London King's Cross (2018)
The 8.00 o'clock LNER service to Edinburgh boarding at London Kings's Cross (2018)
Overview of the platform at King's Cross during boarding for LNER's 8.00 o'clock service to Edinburgh (2018)
A Class 180 train set in Grand Central colors seen at London King's Cross station (2018)
Another LNER InterCity225 set arriving at London King's Cross still wearing Virgin colors (2018)
An InterCity125 train set already in new LNER colors seen at York station (2018)
Overview of the National Railway Museum in York (2018)
Class A4 No. 4468 Mallard in LNER colors at the National Railway Museum (2018)
Class 4003 Lode Star of GWR seen at the National Railway Museum in York (2018)
China Railways KF No. 607 on display at the National Rail Museum (2018)
CWR's No. 1 Stirling Single seen at the National Railway Museum in York (2018)
Overview of a nice collection of large diesel engines, among them the Class 55 Deltic (2018)
Also an Eurostar engine is on display at the National Railway Museum (2018)
As well as the Shinkansen 0 series from 1964 (2018)
Here also a picture from the interior of the Shinkansen 0 series (2018)
On display at the National Railway Museum is also this Pullman car (2018)
Here as well the interior of the Pullman car (2018)
In additional, the National Railway Museum has also an large amount of royal cars on display (2018)
Finally, the National Railway Museum has also a vast collection of other railway artifacts (2018)
From the visitor terrace one can also observe the rail traffic in and out of York station (2018)
An LNER InterCity225 set in new colors bound for Edinburgh departing York (2018)
Another LNER InterCity225 set calling at York, already wearing the new colors (2018)
Overview of York station with a London bound LNER InterCity225 train set (2018)
The successor of the InterCity225, the Hitachi Class 800, seen at test rides in York (2018)
A Class 220 Voyager of CrossCountry rail calling at York (2018)
A Class 185 of TransPennine Express seen at York station (2018)
Still in Virgin colors is this InterCity125 set now operated by LNER seen at London King's Cross (2018)
This LNER InterCity125 set has just arrived from Glasgow Central, terminating at London King's Cross (2018)
Also from Edinburgh to London King's Cross has just arrived this InterCity225 train set (2018)
Now in LNER service both this InterCity225 and InterCity125 sets are still featuring the old Virgin color schemes, both seen at London King's Cross (2018)
In Paris I visited among other sights the Versailles castle which I reached by Transilien train from Paris Gare Montparnasse.
Two TGV sets, an Euroduplex and an Atlantique, seen at Paris Gare Montparnasse (2018)
At the end of her career this BB7600 (former BB7200) is seen at hauling Transilien trains in and out of Paris Gare Montparnasse (2018)
Another loco-hauled Transilien train seen at Paris Gare Montparnasse, here with a BB27300 (2018)
A TER train set that just has terminated at Paris Gare Montparnasse (2018)
Various Transilien train sets resting at Paris Gare Montparnasse (2018)
The next day I departed then from Paris Gare du Nord taking the Thalys for the first time. The journey to Bruxelles was fast and very comfortable.
Two local trains resting at Paris Gare du Nord after the Parisian morning rush hour (2018)
Boarding for Thalys to Amsterdam, the second train set will end in Bruxelles. Paris Gare du Nord (2018)
This photo was taken prior to separation of the two Thalys train sets in Bruxelles Midi / Zuid (2018)
An SNCB InterCity calling at Bruxelles Centraal station (2018)
After visiting Bruxelles I continued by journey on an Bruxelles-Amsterdam InterCity operated by NS until Rotterdam. There I transferred to another NS InterCity in order to reach Utrecht, my next destination.
InterCity Bruxelles-Amsterdam hauled by a Class 186 calling at Rotterdam Centraal (2018)
Overview of Rotterdam Centraal (2018)
An Amsterdam bound Thalys seen calling at Rotterdam Centraal (2018)
A Sprinter and an InterCity seen at Rotterdam Centraal (2018)
Bound for Groningen is this InterCity train seen prior to departure from Rotterdam Centraal (2018)
InterCity Rotterdam-Groningen calling at Utrecht Centraal (2018)
A Koploper seen at Utrecht Centraal (2018)
As already in the UK also in The Netherlands I took the chance to visit the national railway museum that is located in Utrecht. The national railway museum houses many treasures of Holland's railways and has even an own railway station that is served hourly by a Sprinter train, connecting the Maliebaan station with Utrecht Centraal. Although the entrance is a bit price it is definitely worth a visit.
The national railway museum of The Netherlands has its own train station (2018)
The hourly Sprinter service that connects Maliebaan with Utrecht Centraal (2018)
The Plan U DMU No 114 at the national railway museum of The Netherlands (2018)
Another highlight is this Plan mP electric unit that was used for postal services (2018)
Also on display are parts of the Plan Q EMU No 386 (2018)
Further on display is this Plan V EMU No 876 (2018)
Another interesting train on display is the so called 'camel' NS Class 20 (2018)
The railway museum has also a NS Class 3700 on display (2018)
Class 1300 No 26 seen at the national railway museum of The Netherlands (2018)
Brought back into its original delivery condition is this NS Class 1100 French-build locomotive (2018)
A Sprinter EMU after arrival from Utrecht Maliebaan to Utrecht Centraal (2018)
A NS Class 1700 engine seen at Utrecht Centraal (2018)
After exciting days in the UK, France, Belgium and The Netherlands it was time to continue my journey to Germany in order to visit family and friends. From Utrecht Centraal I took ICE 157 to Frankfurt Main Station where I transferred to ICE 375 for Offenburg. From Offenburg I took the scenic Blackforest Rail in order to reach my final destination, Donaueschingen.
InterCityExpress 157 from Amsterdam Centraal to Frankfurt Hbf calling at Utrecht Centraal (2018)
InterCityExpress 375 departing from Offenburg heading for Basel SBB (2018)
This DB Class 146.2 is advertising the Stuttgart 21 project while waiting for its departure from Offenburg (2018)
After some days of rest it was time to continue my rail adventure. Day 4 of my InterRail pass I spent for a trip around Lake Constance whose shores belong to three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. My trip began again in Donaueschingen. I took first a RE to Singen (Hohentwiel) where I caught IRE 3043 to Friedrichshafen Stadt. In Friedrichshafen Stadt I transferred again to a train of the Bodensee-Oberschwaben-Bahn to reach my first destination, Friedrichshafen Hafen where I visited the Zeppelin Museum.
An Ulm Hbf bound DMU DB Class 612 service in new Bwegt color scheme seen at Donaueschingen (2018)
A DB Class 146.2 with a Schwarzwaldbahn train set calling at Singen (2018)
A SBB Class 420 hauled InterCity train set seen at Singen (2018)
InterRegioExpress 3043 has reached Friedrichshafen Stadt where a second DB Class 612 DMU was attached before the train continued to Ulm Hbf (2018)
Two RegioShuttles of the Bodensee-Oberschwaben-Bahn (BOB) calling at Friedrichshafen Stadt (2018)
The BOB from Aulendorf has reached its final destination Friedrichshafen Hafen (2018)
Model of the airship 'Hindenburg' seen at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen (2018)
After visiting the Zepplin Museum I continued my journey on a classic DB Class 628 to Lindau Hbf. In Lindau I spend some time before I continued on an OBB Class 4024 EMU to Bregenz, crossing the boarder to Austria. Also in Bregenz I spend some time, visiting the famous floating stage. From Bregenz I continued on another OBB Class 4024 across the boarder to St. Margrethen in Switzerland.
A DB Class 628.5 bound for Lindau Hbf calling at Friedrichshafen Hafen (2018)
DB Class 628.5 after arrival from Friedrichshafen in Lindau Hbf (2018)
Harbour in Lindau (2018)
A DB Class 245 with a push-pull train bound for Stuttgart Hbf seen at Lindau Hbf (2018)
OBB Class 4024 bound for Bludenz boarding at Lindau Hbf (2018)
An OBB REX train Lindau-Bludenz calling at Bregenz (2018)
Bound for Vienna is this Taurus OBB Class 1116 hauled Railjet seen at Bregenz (2018)
The floating stage in Bregenz (2018)
Two OBB Class 4024 EMU seen at Bregenz (2018)
This OBB Class 4024 has reached its final destination St. Margrethen in Switzerland (2018)
After a brief stop in St. Margrethen I continued my trip around Lake Constance with a SBB Class 511 EMU that operates on the Chur-St. Gallen line until Rorschach. In Rorschach I entered the Thurbo network, now traveling on various EMUs run by Thurbo. First I took a S7 train to Romanshorn, from where I caught Thrubo's S8 train to Kreuzlingen before finally taking Thurbo's S14 train across the border back to Konstanz in Germany. After spending some time in Konstanz I got back on my final and 11th train of the day that took me back to Donaueschingen.
A Chur-St.Gallen RE train SBB Class 511 calling at Rorschach (2018)
A Thurbo line S7 train bound for Weinfelden seen at Rorschach (2018)
Also the Appenzeller Bahnen calls at Rorschach (2018)
A Thurbo S7 train calling at Romanshorn on its way to Weinfelden (2018)
Thurbo's S8 bound for St. Gallen seen in Romanshorn (2018)
For Schaffhausen bound is this S8 train seen in Kreuzlingen (2018)
Thurbo's S14 calling at Konstanz (2018)
A DB Class 442 bound for Stuttgart Hbf and a SBB Class 521 for Engen, seen at Konstanz (2018)
RE to Karlsruhe pulled by a DB Class 146.2 boarding at Konstanz (2018)
Boarding on platform 1 at Konstanz is this Stuttgart Hbf bound DB Class 442 EMU in new Bwegt colors (2018)
Just arrived at its terminus Konstanz has this SBB InterRegio from Zurich HB (2018)
View of Konstanz harbor with Lake Constance (2018)
Starting from Donaueschingen I did another day trip into Switzerland. Taking the direct RE to Konstanz I reached again Lake Constance. There I had a quick transfer entering again the Thurbo network. Via Romanshorn I reached again Rorschach where got on an SBB RE on the line St.Gallen Chur. I stayed on this train until Chur where I reached my actual destination of the day, the alpine narrow gauge network of the Rhaetian Railway and the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway.
This RE from Karlsruhe to Konstanz hauled by a DB Class 146.2 has reached its final termini (2018)
A S-Bahn train operated by Thurbo seen at Konstanz (2018)
Boarding of Thurbo's S14 bound for Kreuzlingen at Konstanz (2018)
RE Konstanz-St.Gallen operated by Thurbo prior to departure from Konstanz (2018)
A Class 460 hauled SBB IC on the line 8 Romanshorn-Brig seen in Romanshorn (2018)
Short visit to the scenic harbor of Romanshorn while chaining trains (2018)
Overview of Romanshorn station (2018)
Boarding of Thurbo's S7 for Rorschach at Romanshorn (2018)
This S7 from Romanshorn to Rorschach has reached its terminus (2018)
Thurbo's S2 to St.Gallen calling at Rorschach (2018)
Overview of Rorschach station (2018)
A SBB Class 511 RE train St. Gallen-Chur calling at Rorschach (2018)
Two SBB Class 511 train sets seen at Chur (2018)
In Chur I boarded a RE train of the Rhaetian Railway that took me all the way up the Rhine valley to Disentis/Muster where I had to change trains again to the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway. The local train of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway took me all the way up to 2 033 meters above sea level to the famous Oberalp Pass. This train climbed 900 meters in just 19 kilometers and descended 600 meters down to Andermatt in just 10 kilometers. In Andermatt I transferred to another Regio train operated by the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway. This train passed through the Furka Base Tunnel and followed the Rhone all the way down to Brig. Without using the expensive Glacier Express I traveled Chur-Brig in a less touristy way. An alternative option I recommend especially to InterRail Pass holders. The travel time is only slightly longer and you have to change trains twice, however, the scenic views are the same. No reservations are needed.
Boarding for the RE Chur-Disentis/Muster operated by Rhaetian Railways and hauled with a Class Ge 4/4 II (2018)
Gotthard Matterhorn Railway's Hge 4/4 II hauled Regio Disentis/Muster-Andermatt has reached its final destination Andermatt (2018)
Overview of Andermatt station that has connections to Disentis/Muster, Goschenen and Visp (2018)
Boarding the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway Regio bound for Visp at Andermatt (2018)
Regio Andermatt-Disentis/Muster prior to departure from Andermatt (2018)
Overview of Andermatt from the departing Regio bound for Visp (2018)
Matterhorn Gotthard Railway's Regio Andermatt-Visp seen at Brig (2018)
In Brig I left the narrow gauge world of the Rhaetian and Matterhorn Gotthard Railway again behind and returned to the SBB ran national railway network. A direct SBB InterCity took me back to Zurich HB in just about two hours, across the Lotschberg Base Tunnel and via the capital Bern. From Zurich HB I took another IC to Singen (Hohentwiel) in Germany. Due to a delayed arrival of the actual train stock, this IC was operated by a SBB Class 511 train. In Singen I transferred to the Konstanz-Karlsruhe RE that took me back to Donaueschingen where my 678 kilometers nonstop journey had begun 13 hours 22 minutes earlier.
A SBB RBDe 560 "Domino" EMU RegionAlps train set seen at Brig (2018)
A Chur bound SBB Class 511 RE train boarding at Zurich HB (2018)
EuroCity 25 bound for Milano C seen at Zurich HB (2018)
EuroCity 164 "Transalpine" after arrival from Graz at Zurich HB (2018)
SBB Class 511 exceptionally as InterCity 480 to Singen boarding at Zurich HB (2018)
A rare sight in Singen (Hohentwiel) SBB Class 511 as InterCity train on the IC line 4 (2018)
Fascinated by the alpine narrow gauge railways of Switzerland I decided to spend a further day of my InterRail Flexi-Pass in Switzerland. I wanted to discover more of the Rhaetian Railway's network. Also this time the starting point was Chur. Traveling to Chur I decided against the scenic route along Lake Constance which requires quite many changes of trains at intermediate stations. Instead I took the Karlsruhe-Konstanz RE only until Singen (Hohentwiel) where transferred to InterCity 481 to Zurich HB. In Zurich HB I caught InterCity 565 to Chur that went along the beautiful Lake Zurich.
A SBB Seehas Regio train calling at Singen (2018)
Waiting to haul the next Stuttgart bound SBB InterCity train set is this OBB Taurus Class 1116 at Singen (2018)
A DB Class 426 set bound for Schaffhausen calling at Singen (2018)
For 25 years ICE trains have been operated into Switzerland, this ICE 1 train set seen at Zurich HB celebrates this anniversary (2018)
SBB Class 460 and a TGV Lyria train set seen at Zurich HB (2018)
NightJet 466 from Vienna after arrival at Zurich HB (2018)
Seat cars no 305 and 306 on NJ 466 from Vienna seen at Zurich HB (2018)
Couchette car no 304 on NightJet 466 from Vienna after arrival at Zurich HB (2018)
Couchette car no 303 on NJ 466 seen at Zurich HB (2018)
Sleeping cars no 301 and 302 from Vienna on NJ 466 after arrival in Zurich HB (2018)
MAV Start sleeping cars no 316 and two couchette cars no 317 and 318 that started their journey from Budapest on EuroNight 462 "Kalman Imre" and were transferred to NJ 466 in Salzburg (2018)
Finally a MAV Start seating car from Budapest on NJ 466 seen in Zurich HB after arrival (2018)
Added to NJ 466 was this SBB first class car that ran in the train as closed car (2018)
The SBB Class 420 that hauled NightJet 466 from Buchs SG to Zurich HB was already removed from the train (2018)
Boarding for InterCity 565 from Zurich HB to Chur is under way (2018)
InterCity 565 from Zurich HB has reached its terminus Chur (2018)
After reaching Chur from Zurich with InterCity 565 I transferred to InterRegio 1137 bound for St. Moritz that was operated by a new Rhaetian Railways "Allegra" train sets Class Abe 8/12. I reached St. Moritz after two hours of scenic train travel at its best. The train ran on the UNESCO world heritage listed line from Thusis to Tirano passing the famous Landwasser-viadukt, the Albulaviadukt and the Albula tunnel.
Rhaetian Railway's Ge 4/4 II hauled RE to Disentis/Muster and Abe 8/12 hauled IR to St. Moritz seen at Chur prior to departure (2018)
Rhaetian Railways "Allegra" train set as IR Chur-St. Moritz seen at Chur in special ABB livery (2018)
InterRegio 1137 from Chur to St. Moritz has reached its final destination (2018)
Rhaetian Railway's Bernina Express seen at St. Moritz (2018)
Gorumino restaurant car seen on the St. Moritz-Chur InterRegio train (2018)
Two ABe 4/4 III with the Bernina Express and a Ge 4/4 II with an RE bound for Landquart seen at St. Moritz (2018)
After visiting St. Moritz I continued my journey with a RegioExpress train hauled by a Ge 4/4 II all the way to Landquart via the Vereinatunnel and Klosters. A bit less than two hours later I reached Landquart where I had again access to the SBB national railway network. With an ICE replacement train built of SBB IC2000 cars I reached back to Zurich HB.
RegioExpress 1350 from St. Moritz to Landquart prior to departure from St. Moritz (2018)
Train crossing with a GE 4/4 II hauled RE Landquart-St. Moritz (2018)
RE 1350 on the way from St. Moritz to Landquart (2018)
RE 1350 running on the Engadine line (2018)
RegioExpress 1350 has reached its final destination Landquart (2018)
Overview of Landquart station with the narrow gauge rails located on the other side of the station (2018)
InterCity 1256 a SBB Class 460 hauled replacement train for an ICE 1 train set that got delayed here seen in Landquart (2018)
After reaching back to Zurich HB I took a RE train bound for Schaffhausen where I caught with luck a slightly delayed IRE train to Singen that supposed to leave at the same time as the RE arrives from Zurich HB. In Singen I transferred finally back to the Konstanz-Karlsruhe RE and reached Donaueschingen one hour earlier than planned due to the lucky connection in Schaffhausen.
SBB InterCity control car and Class 460 locomotive seen at Zurich HB side by side (2018)
Another OBB Class 1016 engine waiting in Singen to haul the next Zurich-Stuttgart InterCity (2018)
An SBB Class 420 hauled InterCity of the line 4 waiting for its next departure to Zurich HB (2018)
My InterRail 2018 journey ended with the return trip to Finland that I completed by rail as well as boat and car. Transferring a car to Finland I took the car train from Lörrach to Hamburg Altona. This provided me a good night sleep in a couchette car while it made me not having to drive the long way from south to the north of Germany. In Hamburg Altona my InterRail trip ended, but the journey back to Finland continued by boat from Travemunde to Helsinki by boat.
Boarding for the car train to Hamburg Altona at Lörrach Güterbahnbahnhof (2018)
BahnTouristExpress 1796 was hauled by a Taurus ES 64 U2 (2018)
Couchette car on BTE 1796 bound for Hamburg Altona seen at Lörrach Güterbahnhof (2018)
Visit to Seoul Station
A work related journey brought me in July to South-Korea. Although there was no time to travel on any of the great high-speed trains (KTX) that the country runs, still I found a moment to visit Seoul station and to capture the busy traffic the station features.
Overview of Seoul station (2018)
A Mugunghwa train operated by Korail prior to departure from Seoul station (2018)
A KTX II train set at departure from Seoul station (2018)
A KTX I and KTX II train set seen at Seoul station (2018)
South-Korea's high-speed train KoreaTrainExpress (KTX) pictured at Seoul station (2018)
Summer Trips in Finland
During the summer 2018 I did a few day trips by train within Finland. The longest journey took me from Jyväskylä to Tammisaari where I was able to see the legendary Finnish Pacific in full action and travel on VR's railcars on the Karjaa-Hanko line.
Class Hr1 with a museum train bound for Hanko seen at Karjaa station (2018)
VR's flagship of the 1990s and 1940s side by side in Karjaa (2018)
Turku bound InterCity 947 calling at Karjaa while the station is undergoing major renovations (2018)
H 388 departing from Tammisaari station on the way from Karjaa to Hanko (2018)
H 389 from Hanko to Karjaa approaching Tammisaari station (2018)
Boarding for H 389 at Tammisaari station (2018)
Another but significantly shorter trip was a ride I had on a museum train from Jyväskylä to Äänekoski. This line was re-opened in 2017 after a major upgrade, however, is currently only used by cargo trains. A special museum train offered for visitors of the Äänekoski Jazz Festival gave me the opportunity to travel this line for the very first time.
The Keitele Museum train calling at the former Äänekoski station (2018)
Overview of the former Äänekoski train station (2018)
Acela Express 2175: Boston South Station to New York Penn Station
Another business trip brought me again to the U.S. This time I flew first to Boston where I attended a conference before taking the train down to New York where I was invited to give a professional talk at a seminar. Although, I could have also flown, was the train my preferred choice as it is more convenient and probably also faster. Finally, I got also to know the true promise of traveling on the Acela Express as the last time in 2015 when traveled between New York and Boston I could only use the Northeast Regional. Truly a great experience, especially the business class seats and the scenic views at the arrival in New York during sunset.
Acela Express 2175 bound for Washington D.C. prior to departure at Boston South Station (2018)
Acela Express 2175 and Northeast Regional 177 seen at Boston South (2018)
Visiting Germany during spring
Visiting family brought me again to Germany this spring. After arriving by airplane to Frankfurt I continued on another Lufthansa flight to Stuttgart Central Station that was operated by an ICE train under the AirRail agreement. Hereby I was also lucky enough to get a first glance of DB's new ICE 4. My train to Stuttgart (ICE 611 / LH 3420) was, although, operated by an ICE 3. In Stuttgart I switched to IC 283 bound for Tuttlingen from where I caught a local train to Donaueschingen.
Getting a first glance of DB's new ICE 4 at Frankfurt Airport Station (2018)
ICE 574 bound for Hamburg Altona calling at Frankfurt Airport Station (2018)
Video of ICE 574 departing Frankfurt Airport Station (2018)
A class 442 EMU in the new "BWegt" color scheme seen at Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
EuroCity 112 "Blauer Enzian" from Klagenfurt to Frankfurt calling at Stuttgart Central (2018)
Another class 442 EMU bound for Rottweil seen at Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
ÖBB 1116 199 has just arrived with IC 186 from Zürich HB at Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
A class 112 arriving with a commuter train at Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
InterCity 283 prior to departure from Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
During my visit I also did a day trip to visit the Technik Museum in Speyer. From Donaueschingen I took the RegionalExpress train to Karlsruhe where I transferred to the Südwest-Express for Speyer.
Class 146.2 has arrived at its final destination Karlsruhe with an RegionalExpress train from Konstanz (2018)
A class 425 EMU seen at Karlsruhe Central Station (2018)
A class 429 "Südwest-Express" train set operating on line RE4 Karlsruhe-Mainz (2018)
A SBB class Ce 6/8 II "Krokodil" on display at the Technik Museum in Speyer (2018)
A DB class 01.5 seen at the Technik Museum in Speyer (2018)
A class 03 seen at the Technik Museum in Speyer (2018)
A class 200.0 in original color scheme on display in Speyer (2018)
Another class 200.0 in the ocean-blue/beige color scheme seen at the Technik Museum in Speyer (2018)
A "Qian Jin" steam engine of China Railways seen at Speyer (2018)
A replicate of the famous Adler on display at the Technik Museum in Speyer (2018)
A S4 train bound for Mannheim boarding at Karlsruhe Central Station (2018)
A brand new class 147 with an IRE train to Stuttgart seen at Karlsruhe (2018)
Two trams operated by AVG that can also operate on regular tracks seen calling at Karlsruhe Central Station (2018)
A class 146.2 hauled RE train to Konstanz boarding at Karlsruhe Central Station (2018)
InterCity 2006 "Schwarzwald" bound for Dortmund calling at Donaueschingen (2018)
A class 101 departing with IC 2006 Donaueschingen station (2018)
RE 4715 Karlsruhe-Konstanz approaching Donaueschingen (2018)
In addition I also did a day trip from Döggingen to Freiburg (Breisgau) before the train line went under construction in order to get majorly upgraded and electrified. After years of traveling with diesel trains, this was the last opportunity. From Neustadt (Schwarzwald) onwards trains were already replaced by busses due to constructions.
Last days of diesel operations in Döggingen, RE Neustadt-Villingen (left) meets with RE Ulm-Neustadt, both operated by class 612 train sets in the new "BWegt" color scheme (2018)
Boarding at Döggingen station, this station will see many changes during the upgrading works (2018)
EuroCityExpress 52 from Milano to Frankfurt calling at Freiburg (Breisgau) Central Station (2018)
Between Freiburg and Neustadt trains were already replaced by busses due to constructions (2018)
Boarding a DMU at Neustadt, soon to be history (2018)
RE Neustadt-Villingen still operated by a class 611 (2018)
Back in Döggingen with the RE Neustadt-Villingen on the left and RE Ulm-Neustadt on the right (2018)
Departing for Villingen is this class 611 DMU (2018)
The return trip started again in Donaueschingen with an Neustadt-Ulm RE train until Tuttlingen. There I caught IC 282 to Stuttgart Central Station. After time visiting the Stuttgart 21 exhibition I continued my journey towards Frankfurt Airport again with a Lufthansa flight (LH 3409 alias ICE 914) on the rails, this time on an ICE 3 second generation class 407.
A class 628 operating a Neustadt-Villingen RE service calling at Donaueschingen (2018)
RE Neustadt-Ulm calling at Tuttlingen (2018)
A HZL RegioShuttle bound for Bräunlingen approaching Tuttlingen (2018)
InterCity 282 hauled by an ÖBB class 1116 approaching Tuttlingen (2018)
ÖBB 1116 170 is taking over the InterCity that has just arrived from Zürich HB at Stuttgart Central (2018)
Another class 112 arriving at Stuttgart Central Station with a commuter train (2018)
ÖBB 1116 170 is getting ready to haul IC 187 to Singen (2018)
Overview of Stuttgart Central Station from track 5... (2018)
... and from the railway station tower / Stuttgart 21 exhibition. Below the new tunnel station is taking shape (2018)
Boarding for ICE 914 / LH 3409 at Stuttgart Central Station has begun (2018)
An class 101 hauled InterCity train calling at Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
A class 147 with n-cars seen at Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
InterCityExpress 914 operated by a class 407 getting ready for departure from Stuttgart Central Station (2018)
ICE 914 / LH 3409 calling at Frankfurt Airport Station (2018)
Updates from Finland
Here are a few updates from pictures I took during the spring in Finland.
Busy times at Jyväskylä: Pendolino 143 to Pieksämäki (left) meets with H 482 from Seinäjoki and Pendolino 84 to Helsinki (2018)
Cargo train T 3492 bound for Vuosaari harbor approaching Jyväskylä hauled by a class 33 (2018)
Cargo train T 3365 bound for Äänekoski departing from Jyväskylä (2018)
T 4036 from Siilijärvi to Uusikaupunki passing through Jyväskylä hauled by two class 30 locomotives (2018)
V 12921 from Haapamäki has arrived and will spend the night in Jyväskylä before departing as museums train MUS 1921 to Iisalmi the next day (2018)
MUS 1921 hauled by a class 23, bound for Iisalmi prior to departure at Jyväskylä (2018)
Video of MUS 1921 departing Jyväskylä (2018)
InterCity 156 was running in reverse order with the class 32 engine operating at the end of the train (2018)
A rare sight in Jyväskylä due to IC 156 operating in reverse order: Edo driver van next to a Dm12 (2018)
Video of IC 156 departing from Jyväskylä (2018)
Night-train Tolstoi departing from Tikkurila bound for Moscow (2018)
Visiting Germany for Christmas
Visiting Germany for Christmas gave me some opportunities to discover a couple of new trains that have been added to the Gäubahn line (Stuttgart-Singen) during the latest timetable change. I did a day trip that provided me the chance to travel on all different train types at the same day. I started with a local train from Donaueschingen to Tuttlingen. From there I caught the south-bound IC 183 hauled by an ÖBB Taurus until Singen. From there I caught the northbound IC 2280 that was operated by a brand new IC2 train with class 146.2. This was my first experience with DB's new IC2 train. I returned from Stuttgart on a new class 442 EMU of which I unfortunately couldn't take any good pictures as IC 2280 was delayed and I just was able to catch the south-bound train at the last second. Anyhow I got the chance to try out all new trains on the Gäubahn which certainly have brought many improvements to this line.
An ÖBB Taurus with IC 183 Stuttgart-Zürich approaching Tuttlingen (2017)
A HZL RegioShuttle seen at Tuttlingen (2017)
A Class 146.5 with IC 2280 train bound for Stuttgart Central prior to departure from Singen (2017)
In addition I spent also some time to take pictures of daily operations at Donaueschingen station with some more common and some less common trains. Among those were the nowadays rather unregularly operating IC 2006 "Schwarzwald" Konstanz-Dortmund, the class 611 which is going to be retired soon and a special museum's train hauled by a class 01.
IC 2006 "Schwarzwald" bound for Dortmund is arriving at Donaueschingen hauled by a Class 120 (2017)
Also on the other end of the train is a Class 120 pulling (2017)
A DB Class 611 bound for Neustadt (Schwarzwald) calling at Donaueschingen (2018)
Operating on the Neustadt (Schwarzwald)-Villingen line is this Class 611 train set (2018)
A HZL RegioShuttle approaching Donaueschingen operating on a Bräunlingen-Villingen service (2018)
A museum train pulled by a Class 01 calling at Donaueschingen (2018)
Bound for Titisee is this Class V100 hauled museum train calling at Donaueschingen (2018)
Besides that I also visited a very special train that is currently stored in Villingen (Schwarzwald), a former TEE class VT 11.5.
Long-term storage of this former TEE train Class VT 11.5 at Villingen station (2017)
From Moscow with love
On my way to Germany I had an overnight stop in Riga which gave me the chance to witness the arrival of train no 1 "Latvijas Ekspresis" from Moscow hauled by a Tep70. Besides that I could also take a few nice shots of ER2s at this misty and cold December morning before I had to head back to the airport.
Overview of Riga Centrala Station (2017)
Train 1 "Latvijas Ekspresis" hauled by a Tep70 has just arrived from Moscow at Riga (2017)
Latvijas Ekspresis seen at Riga Centrala station after arrival from Russia (2017)
Tep70 0230 operated by LDZ Cargo seen at Riga Centrala (2017)
This ER2 has just arrived to Riga Centrala while the Tep70 0230 in the background is departing the station (2017)
An ER2 unit seen at Riga Centrala with Latvijas Ekspresis seen in the background (2017)
An ER2 train bound for Tukums 2 prior to departure from Riga (2017)
Re-opening of Äänikoski-Jyväskylä line
After the re-opening of the Äänikoski-Jyväskylä rail line that had undergone significant improvements and was fully electrified I took the chance to take pictures of one of the first trains that operated as a regular cargo train on the line.
A Vectron Class 33 engine hauling T 3492 from Äänekoski to Vuosaari (2017)
Short visit to Copenhagen
A weekend trip to Copenhagen during the autumn gave me the opportunity to take a few pictures also of the local railways. This picture was certainly worth adding to the blog.
A DSB regional train operated by an IR4 unit bound for Roskilde prior to departure from Österport Station (2017)
InterRail 2017 -trip
During summer 2017 I went on another rail adventure across Europe covering a distance of almost 12 000 kilometers and passing through nine different countries. Starting from Finland, passing through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and France until Spain. For this purpose I used the InterRail Global Flexi-Pass 15 days in 1 month. Besides visiting many new and interesting places all over Europe I also had the chance to travel and take pictures of many great trains. My trip began in Jyväskylä first by bus to Turku harbor and from there by over-night ferry to Stockholm. In Stockholm I caught the early morning train SJ InterCity 32 to Uppsala, my first destination for the day.
Arlanda Express airport service to Stockholm Arlanda Airport boarding at Stockholm C (2017)
SJ InterCity coaches seen on train 32 bound for Mora at Stockholm C (2017)
InterCity 32 bound for Mora prior to departure from Stockholm C (2017)
A train of the Stockholm Lokaltrafik seen at Uppsala C (2017)
A X52 train set of Upptåget seen at Uppsala C (2017)
Connecting Stockholm C with Uppsala C are these comfortable new SJ double decker train sets (2017)
From Uppsala I went further north by another SJ InterCity train 36 to Avesta Krylbo. In the late afternoon I returned to Stockholm C by SJ InterCity 23.
InterCity 36 from Stockholm to Mora hauled by a Rc6 calling at Avesta Krylbo (2017)
InterCity 23 bound for Stockholm C calling at Avesta Krylbo (2017)
A SJ3000 high-speed train set seen at Stockholm C (2017)
A SJ3000 train set seen at Stockholm's Central Station (2017)
An SJ Regional Train hauled by a Rc6 seen at Stockholm C (2017)
After a lovely evening in Stockholm I got on board SJ Night Train No. 1 that connects Stockholm C with Malmö C. I found a good night sleep in one of the Coucette cars. Below a few pictures of the train.
SJ Night Train No. 1 Stockholm C - Malmö C (2017)
Boarding of NT1 to Malmö C seen at Stockholm C (2017)
Coucette cars "Liggvagn" on Night Train 1 bound for Malmö C (2017)
Sleeping cars "Sovvagn" seen on train 1 Stockholm-Malmö (2017)
SJ Night Train No. 1 from Stockholm C seen after arrival at Malmö C next morning (2017)
A SJ Rc6 and a SJ X2 seen at Malmö C (2017)
Two SJ X2 train sets seen at Malmö C during the morning rush (2017)
A Pågatåg operated by Skanetrafiken seen at Malmö C (2017)
A Snalltåget train bound for Stockholm C seen at Malmö C (2017)
Soon after the arrival of my night train from Stockholm C arrived also EuroNight 300 "Scandinavia-Night-Express" from Berlin whose arrival I could document with my camera. I had travel on this train twice in the past. After that I spent some time in Malmö before taking an Oresundtag across the Oresund Bridge to Copenhagen Central Station.
Hauled by a Vectron class 193 arrives from Berlin EN 300 at Malmö C (2017)
EN 300 "Scandinavia-Night-Express" is as well operated by Snalltåget (2017)
EN 300 seen after arrival from Berlin at Malmö C (2017)
In Copenhagen Central Station I transfered to InterCityLyn 56 which I used until Frederica passing over the Storebelt and Lillebelt bridge. in Frederica I caught InterCity 5736 to Flensburg in Germany. From Flensburg I took a DB RegionalExpress straight to Hamburg Central Station passing the Rendsburger high bridge.
Overview of Hamburg Central Station and the so called "Wandelhalle" (2017)
Class 112 has just arrived at Hamburg Hbf from Kiel with its RegionalExpress train (2017)
From Hamburg I reached Luneburg by InterCity 2173. The next day I continued with InterCity 2083 to Hannover Central Station where I transferred to InterCity 245 in order to reach Wolfsburg.
An ICE2 train set passing through Wolfsburg (2017)
InterCity Amsterdam-Berlin hauled by a Class 101 calling at Wolfsburg (2017)
An Alstrom Coradia Continental train set operated by ENNO on the Wolfsburg-Hannover route seen at Wolfsburg (2017)
I returned from Wolfsburg by InterCity 144 back to Hannover where I transferred to InterCity 1972. In Hannover Central Station I could also take a first look at DB's new IC2 train sets.
Two new IC2 train sets meeting at Hannover Central Station (2017)
One of the new IC double decker trains bound for Emden Hbf calling at Hannover (2017)
Hannover Central Station is the crosspoint of several ICE lines, here seen several ICE train set of the second generation (2017)
A FLIRT train set of Westfalen Bahn calling at Hannover Central Station (2017)
I got off IC 1972 in Uelzen in order to finally see the Hunderwasser railway station. I had passed by Uelzen so many times by train but never found the opportunity to get off. This was my chance. I reached back to Luneburg by a Metronom train.
Definitely worth a visit is the Hunderwasser railway station in Uelzen (2017)
A metronom train bound for Hamburg seen at Uelzen (2017)
After another overnight stay in Luneburg I took a Metronom the next morning to Hamburg Harburg where I transferred to InterCity 2313 in order to reach Bremen.
Overview of Bremen Central Station with a NordWest Bahn train set (2017)
InterCity 2217 hauled by a class 101 arriving at Bremen Central Station (2017)
I continued my journey from Bremen with InterCity 2217 until Essen.
InterCity 2217 calling at Essen Central Station (2017)
From Essen I took ICE 611 straight to Mannheim along the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed line. From Mannheim I reached Offenburg on ICE 373 where I did my last transfer to a Black Forest RegionalExpress train that took me to Donaueschingen. This marked also the end of the first section of this trip and I took a few days to rest and recover from this long trip.
Three ICE3 train sets seen at Essen Central Station (2017)
ICE 611 operated by a Class 403 train set seen at Mannheim Central Station (2017)
An ICE train of the third generation calling at Mannheim Central Station (2017)
Another important intersection of various ICE lines is Mannheim (2017)
An ICE of the Munich-Dortmund line departing from Mannheim (2017)
A Class 146.0 hauled local train bound for Frankfurt seen at Mannheim Central Station (2017)
ICE 373 bound for Interlaken is arriving at Mannheim Central Station (2017)
A RegioShuttle owned by SWEG operating on the local s-train network Ortenau-S-Bahn seen at Offenburg station (2017)
After a good rest I started the second part of my InterRail trip. While waiting for local train from Donaueschingen to Offenburg I witness a surprise visit of a class 01.5 steam engine at Donaueschingen which I could still document in pictures before I had to board my train.
A Class 01 owned by "Eisenbahnfreunde Zollernbahn" calling at Donaueschingen (2017)
After using the famous Schwarzwald Bahn (Black Forest Rail) I reached Offenburg where I transfered to a French TER service operated by an Alstrom Coradia that took me to Strasbourg.
Operating on the "Europabahn" Offenburg-Strasbourg TER service are those two Alstrom Coradia here seen at Strasbourg (2017)
Overview of Strasbourg station with several TGV trains ready for departure (2017)
A TGV Reseau seen at Strasbourg after arrival from Paris Gare de l'Est (2017)
A TGV dual-voltage Reseau train set seen at Strasbourg (2017)
Also operating for TER Alsace is this Class BB26000 locomotive-hauled local tra
From Strasbourg I took ICE 9572 operated by a DB class 407 to Paris Est.
French TGV meeting German ICE at Strasbourg station (2017)
After an overnight stop in Paris I traveled the next day on a Transilien train of the line N from Paris Gare Montparnasse towards Dreux. A special challenge was to pass through the platform barriers with an InterRail Pass.
Another Transilien Train set seen at Paris Gare Montparnasse (2017)
Overview of the section at Gare Montparnasse that is reserved for Transilien trains exclusively (2017)
A Transilien train set operating on the Line N towards Dreux seen at Gare Montparnasse (2017)
Gare Montparnasse, another Parisian TGV hub (2017)
After getting back to Paris Gare Montparnasse I took the Metro in order to reach Paris Gare de Lyon. In Gare de Lyon I boarded the EuroNight 221 "Thello" that took me over night trough Switzerland until Milano. I had a good rest in one of the Italian sleeping cars. Holding a sleeping car reservation entitled me also to a welcome drink at the bar and a breakfast next morning.
Two TGV duplex in different color schemes seen at Paris Gare de Lyon (2017)
This TGV Sud-Est belongs still to the first batch of TGV trains ever produced (2017)
A BB36000 in Thello color scheme seen with EN221 at Paris Gare de Lyon (2017)
Coucette cars seen on EN221 "Thello" bound for Venice (2017)
Thello has also a restaurant car in which sleeping car passengers can enjoy a compulsory breakfast (2017)
EuroNight Thello connects Paris Gare de Lyon daily with Milano C and Venezia S.L. (2017)
Air conditioned coucette cars on EuroNight Thello seen at Paris Gare de Lyon (2017)
Ready for departure is EN 221 "Thello" bound for Switzerland and Italy (2017)
Thello carries also Trenitalia sleeping cars (2017)
Very comfortable ride in the 3 bed compartment sleeping car on board EN 221 Thello (2017)
EN 221 is hauled by a BB36000 until the Swiss boarder where the SBB Class 420 will take over (2017)
EN 221 "Thello" reached Milano Centrale ahead of schedule next morning and I had plenty of time to still take a sufficient amount of pictures before continuing my trip on the Trenitalia ETR500 Frecciarossa train 9503 to Bologna. I could have continued my trip on EN 221 in order to reach Venice, however, as I had plans to still visit Bologna before heading to Venice I changed trains in Milano instead.
This FS E402 in Frecciabianca color scheme is going to haul EN 221 until Venice SL (2017)
EN 221 from Paris has reached Milano C well ahead of schedule having a longer stop-over in Milano C (2017)
Couchette cars seen on EN 221 "Thello" at its stop in Milano C (2017)
Thello 221 from Paris Gare de Lyon has reached the Lombardic capital in the first day light (2017)
EN 221 "Thello" consists mainly of air conditioned couchette cars (2017)
EN 221 bound for Venice at its intermediate stop in Milano C (2017)
Restaurant car on EN 221 "Thello" Paris-Venice (2017)
There are also three Trenitalia sleepers on EN 221 "Thello" here seen at Milano C (2017)
EuroNight 221 "Thello" calling at Milano C on its way from Paris to Venice (2017)
Early Sunday morning at Milano C (2017)
Another Trenitalia InterCity bound for the south boarding at Milano C (2017)
One of the first Frecciarossas towards the south at this early Sunday morning calling at Milano C (2017)
Frecciarossa bound for Napoli C boarding at Milano C (2017)
A Frecciabianca train set calling at Bologna Centrale underground station (2017)
Overview of Bologna Centrale with a Frecciabianca train set (2017)
EuroCity 84 "DB-ÖBB-EuroCity" Bologna-Munich prior to departure from Bologna C (2017)
A Frecciabianca train set seen at Bologna C (2017)
Another Frecciabianca train set calling at Bologna C (2017)
A Trenitalia ETR1000 Frecciarossa train calling at Bologna C (2017)
From Bologna Centrale I took a local train to the town of Riola, an hour away from Bologna. I returned on the same train back to Bologna. After spending some more time in Bologna I continued my journey to the destination of the day and the one EN 221 had already reached earlier that day: Venice. The completed the 85 minutes trip in Trenitalia's latest train the Frecciarossa ETR1000.
A "Treno Regionale" bound for Porretta Terme prior to departure from Bologna C (2017)
FS local train Bologna C-Porretta Terme calling at Riola station (2017)
This Frecciarossa ETR1000 arrived about 60 minutes late from Roma Termini to Venezia S.L. (2017)
EuroCity 30 from Venezia Santa Lucia to Wien Hbf prior to departure from Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
EuroCity 1288 "DB-ÖBB-EuroCity" bound for Munich prior to departure at Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
Overview of NightJet 236/40236 bound for Vienna and Munich at Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
EuroCity 10 to Zurich HB and EuroCity 42 to Geneva prior to departure from Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
Departure of the 7.00 pm Italo service to Napoli C from Venice's Santa Lucia station (2017)
After taking advantage of photographing so many interesting international and high-speed trains at Venice Santa Lucia station it was time to again depart from Italy. As I arrived the previous night by train from Paris so I departed the following night again by train, this time to Vienna. For this purpose I took the brand new OBB NightJet 236 that connects Venice with Vienna. This time I chose the Choucette car. Here are still some pictures of my train.
Seating car no 276 on the Munich bound NightJet 40236 seen at Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
Sleeping car no 277 on NJ 40236 bound for Munich prior to departure from Venezia S.L. still in old DB colors (2017)
Couchette car no 276 on NightJet 40236 bound for Munich which will run on NJ 236 until Villach (2017)
More Couchette cars on the NightJet 236 bound for Vienna (2017)
A former DB CNL sleeping car now in service with ÖBB NightJet (2017)
Car 402 was a ÖBB sleeping car already in the new NightJet color scheme (2017)
Car 401 is a Couchette car that has not yet received the new NightJet color scheme (2017)
NightJet 236 prior to departure from Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
NightJet 236 is hauled by a ÖBB Class 1216 (2017)
6 bed compartment on the ÖBB Couchette car prior to departure from Venezia S.L. (2017)
Another Frecciarossa ETR500 arriving from Roma Termini at Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
Frecciarossa ETR500 train set seen at Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
Frecciargento ETR600 and Frecciarossa ETR500 train sets seen at Venezia Santa Lucia (2017)
Overview of Santa Lucia station with ETR600, ETR500 train sets, a NightJet and a Class 464 (2017)
After another good night sleep I reached Austria's capital in the early morning hours. Finally I was able to see the new Central station in its final stage. During my last visit in 2014 the station was only partly opened yet.
Two ÖBB Taurus engines resting in the morning sun at Vienna Central Station (2017)
This ÖBB Class 1116 just arrived at Wien Hauptbahnhof with NJ236 and NJ467 from Venice and Zurich (2017)
NightJet 236 from Venezia Santa Lucia seen after arrival at Wien Hauptbahnhof (2017)
Sleeping car on NightJet 467 from Zurich HB seen after arrival at Vienna Central Station (2017)
Overview of Wien Hauptbahnhof with ÖBB NightJet seating car (2017)
Two ÖBB Class 5047 units seen at Wien Hauptbahnhof (2017)
After a short stay I continued my journey with RailJet 72 "Bedrich Smetana" to Praha hl.n. This trip was operated by a RailJet operated by CD. I reached Praha hl.n after a bit over four hours and with that another great station with plenty of opportunities for railway photography.
A ÖBB and a CD Railjet driving van seen at Vienna Central Station (2017)
Railjet 72 "Bedrich Smetana" from Graz after arrival at Praha hl.n. (2017)
EX 352 "Jan Hus" bound for Munich prior to departure from Praha hl.n. (2017)
Overview of Praha hl.n. with a CD Railjet unit (2017)
A CD RegioNova DMU train set calling at Praha hl.n. (2017)
Two CD CityElefant units arriving at Praha hl.n. (2017)
AEx 1040 "Arriva Express" from Nitra, a former DB Class 628, seen after arrival at Praha hl.n. (2017)
A Skoda Class 380 engine with EX 1543 bound for Linz due to depart from Praha hl.n. (2017)
EX 1543 "Anton Bruckner" Praha Holesovice-Linz Hbf prior to departure from Praha hl.n. (2017)
Overview of EX 1543 "Anton Bruckner" bound for Linz/Austria calling at Praha hl.n. (2017)
RegioJet 1004 from Nawsie seen after arrival at Praha hl.n. (2017)
EuroCity 174 "Robert Schumann" bound for Hamburg Altona prior to departure at Praha hl.n. (2017)
SuperCity 512 "Pendolino" Bohumin-Frantiskovy Lazne seen calling at Praha hl.n. (2017)
Ex 537 "Budvar" to Ceske Budejovice boarding at Praha Holesovice (2017)
R 10480 bound for Louny calling at Praha Holesovice (2017)
SC 515 "Pendolino" from Frantiskovy Lazne calling at Prague's Central Station (2017)
EX 114 "Cracovia" from Krakow Glowny seen after arrival at Praha hl.n. (2017)
Rx 754 "Klabava" prior to departure form Praha hl.n. (2017)
EuroCity 283 "Slovenska Strela" to Bratislava departing from Praha hl.n. (2017)
Rx 754 "Klabava" bound for Cheb prior to departure from Praha hl.n. with EC 283 in the background (2017)
EuroCity 258 "Kopernikus" Praha hl.n.-Leipzig Hbf prior to departure (2017)
Another City Elefant unit seen at Praha hl.n. (2017)
EX 1547 "Vasa Prihoda" Praha Holesovice-Linz Hbf calling at Praha hl.n. (2017)
EX 1547 is also caring direct cars for EN 462 and EN 466 bound for Munich and Zurich (2017)
CD sleeping car seen on EX 1547 bound for Nightjet EN 462 to Zurich HB (20
SuperCity 516 "Pendolino" seen at Praha hl.n. after arrival from Bohumin (2017)
EuroCity 354 "Franz Kafka" is shunted into Praha hl.n. (2017)
RegioJet 1005 bound for Havirov seen at Praha hl.n. (2017)
A RegioJet train set seen at Praha hl.n. (2017)
Overview of EC 354 "Franz Kafka" bound for Munich, the last car will only run until Plzen (2017)
A City Elefant train calling at Praha hl.n. (2017)
Rx 773 "Svihov" from Klatovy arriving at Praha hl.n. (2017)
After two days in Prague it was time to head home for another rest. I departed from Praha hl.n on EuroCity 354 "Franz Kafka" that was jointly operated by Alex and CD.
EC 354 "Franz Kafka" built of Alex cars boarding at Praha hl.n. (2017)
EuroCity 354 "Franz Kafka" Praha hl.n.-Munchen Hbf prior to departure (2017)
Ready to haul EC 354 "Franz Kafka" until Plzen is this CD Class 362 engine (2017)
Alex cars seen on the international express train 354 "Franz Kafka" bound for Munich (2017)
EuroCity 354 "Franz Kafka" departing from Praha hl.n. (2017)
While EuroCity 354 "Franz Kafka" left Praha hl.n on time it took an unplanned stop in Ceska Kubice, close to the German border. There all passengers were asked to disembark from the train and move to another platform. On the second platform soon after EX 353 "Albert Einstein" from Munich arrived and passengers from EC 354 were asked to change trains with the passengers from the arriving EX 353. While the reason for this change had not been explained I was, nevertheless, happy that I could travel on two different train sets. The second train set consisted of CD cars. The only downside was the delay of almost one hour that resulted in this switch as also the locomotives had to be switched. I was therefore not able anymore to reach my connection to Nurnberg in Hof and decided to continue on EC 354 all the way to Munich.
EC 354 "Franz Kafka" bound for Munich ended unexceptionally in Ceska Kubice where passengers had to switch trains with soon after from Munich arriving EX 353 "Albert Einstein" (2017)
EX 353 "Albert Einstein" arriving from Munich and turning at Ceska Kubice becoming EC 354 "Franz Kafka" (2017)
After reaching Munich on EC 354 I continued my journey back to my home base on ICE 592 until Ulm and from there with IRE 3216 until Donaueschingen.
An ICE-T double unit seen at Munich Central Station (2017)
The third part of my InterRail -trip began again in Donaueschingen on an Ulm bound IRE until Tuttlingen where I transferred to InterCity 183 in order to reach Zurich HB.
Three SBB Class 460 engines meeting at Zurich HB (2017)
InterCityNeigezug 524 bound for Geneve Aeroport calling at Zurich HB (2017)
After a short stop at Zurich HB I boarded the InterCity train 524 bound for my next destination Geneva.
ICN 524 from Zurich HB to Geneve Aeroport calling at Geneve (2017)
Bound for Zurich HB is this ICN train no 533 here seen at Geneve (2017)
TGV 9773 bound for Paris Gare Lyon and TGV 9778 from Paris seen in Geneve (2017)
TGV 9773 bound for Paris Gare Lyon prior to departure from Geneve (2017)
RE 3231 bound for Vevey prior to departure from Geneve (2017)
After a little visit to downtown Geneva and taking some pictures of trains at the station I continued my journey with TER 96570 until Lyon Part Dieu. The final leg of the day was a short hop on TER 889443 in order to reach Lyon Perrache.
TER 96570 from Geneve/Switzerland has arrived at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
This Class B81500 train set calling at Lyon Part Dieu is bound for Lyon Perrache (2017)
Final stop for all Paris-Lyon TGV trains is Lyon Perrache (2017)
After discovering Lyon I got back to Lyon Part Dieu the next afternoon well in time to still take pictures at the station before it was time to get on board the next train.
A Class B81500 hybride multiple unit calling at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
Two TGV Duplex train sets operating on the Paris-Lyon line meeting at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
A TGV Duplex bound for Paris Gare de Lyon and a locomotive hauled TER train seen at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
A TGV Duplex in the new SNCF color scheme calling at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
A locomotive hauled TER train calling at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
TER 96518 service hauled by a BB22200 bound for Geneve/Switzerland seen at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
Overview of Lyon Part Dieu with four different TGV Duplex train sets (2017)
I continued my south-bound trip on TGV 9879 until Montpellier Saint-Roch where I transferred to another TGV 9717 bound for my final destination of the day Barcelona Sants.
TGV 9879 from Luxembourg to Montpellier Saint-Roch calling at Lyon Part Dieu (2017)
TGV 9717 from Paris Gare de Lyon seen after a delayed arrival at Barcelona Sants (2017)
SNCF TGV Euroduplex meets RENFE Class 103 at Barcelona Sants (2017)
During my stay in Barcelona I visited also Franca Station where I took some pictures.
Two Class 130 Euromed train sets seen at Barcelona Franca station (2017)
An Alicante bound Euromed Class 130 train set seen at Barcelona Franca (2017)
A Rodalies de Catalunya R train set Class 350M arriving at Barcelona Franca station (2017)
Before departing from Barcelona I did a day trip by high-speed train to the 621 kilometer away capital of Spain, Madrid riding on RENFE's class 103. I took the early morning AVE 3072 that covered the distance in just 2 hours and 45 minutes.
RENFE AVE Class 103 Siemens built high-speed train seen at Barcelona Sants (2017)
Two AVE Class 103 high-speed trains meeting at Barcelona Sants station (2017)
Overview of Madrid Atocha station with various types of AVE trains (2017)
An AVE Talgo high-speed train Class 102 next to a Siemens built Class 103 train seen at Madird Atoche (2017)
Two Class 100 AVE high-speed trains seen at Madrid Atoche (2017)
Nouse sections of two AVE Class 100 high-speed train sets at Madrid Atoche (2017)
AVE 3072 from Barcelona Sants seen after arrival at Madrid Atoche (2017)
AVE 3072 from Barcelona Sants has arrived at Madrid Atoche after a surely great and fast ride (2017)
During my stay in Madrid I also visited the Madrid Railway Museum which has many railway treasures on display on is definitely a must for any railway enthusiast.
Locomotive "Virgen de Aranzazu" on display with a Talgo II train set (2017)
A complete Talgo II train set built in 1949 on display at the Madrid Railway Museum (2017)
Interior of the Talgo II dome car seen at the Madrid Railway Museum (2017)
A former "Tren Espanol Rapido" Class 597 on display at Madrid Railway Museum (2017)
A RENFE Class 316 diesel-electric locomotive built at American Locomotive Companies (2017)
A RENFE Class 274 electric locomotive that was introduced in the mid-1940s (2017)
This diesel-hydraulic RENFE Class 340 engine is a slightly longer and with stronger engines equipped version of the German Class V200.1 designed by Krauss-Maffei (2017)
The gigantic RENFE Class 275 electric locomotive built in the mid-1940s on display at Museo del Ferrocarril (2017)
The 242 F 2009 Spain's fastest steam engine and a rare example of a 2'D2' (2017)
Also on display are these two beautifully restored 1930s cars (2017)
Departing from Madrid on AVE 3183 I reached back to Barcelona in just below three hours.
Boarding for AVE 3183 at Madrid Atoche is under way (2017)
An AVE Class 103 train bound for Barcelona Sants is boarding at Madrid Atoche (2017)
AVE 3183 prior to departure from Madrid Atoche (2017)
After another night in Barcelona I caught the early morning train back to Lyon a RENFE class 100, AVE 9734. Transfering again at Lyon Part Dieu, I reached Geneve on TER 96510. I continued my journey through to Zurich HB on InterCity 725. In Zurich HB I caught InterRegio 2830 to Schaffhausen and went further on a S22 train to Singen where I finally got on the last train of the day RE 4730. I reached Donaueschingen after exactly 12 hours and 19 minutes and 1 324 kilometers.
Restaurant cars seen on an AVE Class 103 and Class 100 train set at Barcelona Sants (2017)
Boarding of AVE 9734 bound for Lyon at Barcelona Sants (2017)
TER 96510 from Lyon Part Dieu hauled by a SNCF BB22200 has arrived at Geneve (2017)
IR 2830 from Zurich HB after the arrival at Schaffhausen (2017)
Departure of the S-train to Erzingen operated by Thurbo (2017)
This S22 train is bound for Singen/Germany seen prior to departure from Schaffhausen (2017)
A Class 146.2 with a RE train bound for Konstanz calling at Singen (2017)
Another RE train of the Karlsruhe-Konstanz line departing Singen (2017)
The final day of my 15 day InterRail Flexipass I spent on getting to the airport in Stuttgart from where I had a flight back to Helsinki. Starting from Donaueschingen again on a Ulm bound IRE I reached Tuttlingen where I transferred to InterCity 284. Due to construction works IC 284 operated only until Horb from where a replacement bus had to be used to reach S-trains to Stuttgart and Stuttgart Airport.
A Class 611 operating an IRE service bound for Ulm Central Station calling at Tuttlingen (2017)
A Class 111 operating a Stuttgart-Singen RE service seen at Tuttlingen (2017)
Due to rail works this InterCity service from Zurich HB to Stuttgart Hbf terminated already at Horb (2017)
This Class 650 RegioShuttle operates on the Horb-Tubingen line (2017)
Until Boblingen the IC train to Stuttgart was replaced by this DB run bus, in Boblingen there was again the opportunity to connect with S-trains to Stuttgart (2017)
