Large Scale Central

I'm Trained out after a trip to Europe

General Discussion
#1

Just kidding but what a trip for this railfan. My wife, not so much.
Our first stop was to Ireland to visit family. My wife is from there. We then flew to Budapest, did the tourist thing for 3 days and rode the Funicular. We then hopped a train to Slovenia. The train system in Europe is amazing .
We checked out a castle built into a mountain and rode another train deep into an enormous cave system. We had a rental car that we drove up and down a mountain that featured 50 hairpin turns. On the return we drove onto the auto train and that took us through the mountain on an open flat car. We rowed a boat in Lake Bled, swam in the Adriatic, and found a church built on a mountain ridge. Slovenia was really cool.
We then hopped another train to Vienna but it was the wrong one. We were on the right platform at the right time but what we didn’t realize is that everything was running 20 minutes late. We didn’t understand the announcement in German and the garbled English was not any help. We rode that train for an hour in the wrong direction. The conductor said it happened all the time. We got off and then headed in the correct direction at no extra charge but time wasted. We got off in Graz, spent the night there so we could see the Semmering Pass in the daylight. This pass traverses 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels. It is probably better viewed from outside than inside the train but it was neat to see the train taking S curves and entering tunnels. Vienna was a bust for us. It is just too big. After eating my fill of schnitzel, goulash, sausage and beer we headed back to Ireland for a 3 day rest and then home.
What a trip.
The Funicular was cool but the Motorail was really something. I can’t imagine it ever being allowed in the USA to drive your own car onto a flat car then you sit in your car for the journey. We rode that train from Most Na Soci to Bohinjska Bistrica.

I will post some photos next.

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#2

Phew! For a second there, I thought we were going to have organise an intervention Todd! :grinning:

We got to drive our car onto the train in Alaska back in the 90’s. I found a picture of what it looked like on the web. I think the trip took all of 30 minutes. Reportedly now it is a shared space.

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#3

Alaska in the 90’s Bill. I wonder if they still allow it or insurance and regulations shut it down? In Slovenia 1 guy was in charge of the loading/unloading and once the cars got moving he disappeared. He probably went off for a beer and a smoke. :laughing:

Here is a quick video

#4

On my bucket list (but now too freakin old to do it) is touring Switzerland by rail.

Up at Seward AK, the cars and trains share the same narrow one-way tunnel. There are times posted when you can drive thru.

#5

Very cool. They used to do that cars-on-flat thing in Mexico too, but it ended perhaps 10 years ago. I suppose the big issue is that the cars are not tied down to the flat and what could happen if the train goes into emergency, or worse, derails.

#6

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#7

The amount of trains on the tracks was crazy. Riding along it seemed that every 10-15 minutes another train traveling in the opposite direction on the double main would scream by. With both trains moving at 100KPH or so and this railfans forehead pressed up to the window it was shocking and cool to experience it.

Now I want to put a double main on my RR. I was looking at it yesterday and I could probably squeeze in about 100’ section but the cost and work to do so is a hurdle.

#8

Todd, that was the best thing about travelling by rail in Europe with a pass. You might see something interesting, hop off the train and have a look because there would be another train 10-15 minutes later if you wanted to continue the journey.

Get a glimpse of what the Dutch are doing this summer.

#9

A hop on hop off pass would be a great way to get a round.

I was very impressed with the train system and the stations. In Vienna the station had a grocery store, a sports bar and many places to shop and eat. It was set up like a shopping Mall in America and it even had a food court. The station in Ljubljana was under a major reconstruction and it will no doubt be amazing when completed.
The station for the Motorail in Most Na Soci left a lot to be desired but it was more of a working freight yard than a plush passenger station. It did have a bar with several seedy looking characters outside drinking beer and smoking. It also had a stoop and poop but I found a real bathroom in another building.
What was neat about the yard at Most Na Soci was the switches were moved the old fashioned way with levers and long cables back to the switch buildings at both ends of the yard.

It was a memorable experience riding that Motorail and a bit frightening moving at a high speed through pitch black tunnels. I actually put my seatbelt on.

#10

Most of the major terminal stations in the UK have all that and sometimes more.

Paddington, where we catch the train to Heathrow, has 2 mini supermarkets, both selling canned drinks - and I’m talking Gin&Tonic, not Coke. For longer journeys you can buy a good lunch to eat onboard.

#11

Not Europe, but the Japanese stations are sometimes as big as cities. Here’s a piece of Osaka station.

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For grins, here’s a real-time look at where the Tokyo trains are.

#12

One of my bucket list items is to travel across Switzerland by Swiss railwsys trains, from one rack railroad, to funicular, to aerial tramway with visits to chocolate shops and beer gardens in-between. :grin:

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#13

Sounds like the ideal Drag N Brag venue for sure!