There’s a good article in Marie Claire about how President-elect Joe Biden has become known as “Amtrak Joe” Will he be using a Presidential train to get around instead of a 10 ton armoured limo? Maybe. He’s been a regular Amtrak user for years and took a train journey in September on the campaign trail.… Read More Will “Amtrak Joe” Biden be taking the Presidential train?
I have several copies of “The Railway Engineer” from the 1920’s. It was a monthly railway technical paper, I have the annual bound volume versions. Here’s a few samples. Yes that big U shaped thing is a pneumatic boiler riveter, suspended off the overhead crane. The other item of interest is the article on the… Read More The Railway Engineer, 1920
Here’s a few samples of pages from the 1961/62 “World Railways” published by Sampson Low. The directory was published from the early 1950’s until the late 1060’s when it was taken over by Jane’s publishing, and still continues as Jane’s World Railways. This copy is from the British Rail Technical Library in London. The directory… Read More World Railways 1961
If you’ve ever watched “The Fugitive” with Harrison Ford you will, no doubt, remember the train crash. No models involved, all full size, some of it is still on location. It was filmed on a private/heritage railroad, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Though their website barely mentions ithttps://www.gsmr.com You can see it on Google Maps:… Read More The Fugitive train crash
Marseille is the largest city in south-eastern France with a population of 800,000. It’s metro system is one of Europe’s smallest, with 2 lines and 29 stations, the newest of which, Geze, opened in December 2019. The system was first opened in 1977, on line one between La Rose and Saint-Charles. The rest of line one opened in… Read More The Marseille Metro
The Hamburg U-Bahn (metro) is part of a comprehensive public transport network serving Hamburg, Norderstedt and Ahrensburg. Although U-bahn means underground, most of the stations are overground. Opened in 1912, it is run by The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) (“Hamburg Transport Association”), with a total of 91 stations on 4 lines, covering 66 route miles. The network is… Read More Art of the Hamburg U-Bahn
The little wooden (usually) huts & houses you see in the outskirts of German towns & cities as you travel by train are known as Schrebergärten or Kleingärten Weekend garden houses – there’s a good read about them on the trip savvy site. It’s more developed than an English allotment, it’s a weekend getaway, garden… Read More Kleingärten – German Garden Houses.
Something I find invaluable when travelling is a decent left luggage facility. Sadly, most facilities in the UK are now run by private companies not connected to the train operating companies, and are not always open at convenient times. For example, the St Pancras facility is operated by The Excess Baggage Company. It charges £12.50… Read More Continental Left Luggage
Elbbrücken is the newest station on the Hamburg U-Bahn (metro) network. Opened in December 2018 it will soon be joined by a station of the same name on the S-Bahn (overground suburban railway) These titles are not strictly accurate as both systems have sections above and below ground… The S-Bahn station is still under construction… Read More Elbbrücken – Hamburg’s newest station.
A recent trip to Ireland to cover various stories about heritage railways and the reopening of a rail line meant travelling on the state owned transport services Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) and Bus Éireann (Irish Buses) around the west of Ireland. I took the train/ferry option via Holyhead-Dublin, which can be as low at £75… Read More Ireland by bus and rail.
