The Rail Enthusiast thread

[Cycleops]

View attachment 659645

.... and the winner of today's ugliest train goes to no. 2809 🏆

It's going to be a hard fight against a Czech 'Goggles' diesel

 

[Juan Kog]

View attachment 659645

.... and the winner of today's ugliest train goes to no. 2809 🏆

Not Ugly it’s Functional.

 

[Cycleops]

I do love some of these European locomotives. One of my favourites is a M62 'Taigatrommel' a Russian build machine that was used in Soviet block counties as well as exported to North Korea, Cuba and Mongolia.

It has a certain brutal charm about it. I have a lovely Roco HO model of it with sound. A fabulous runner and weighs a ton.
Sounds like a bag of nails which I guess is to be expected:


View: https://youtu.be/-2puGq5_1QU

 

[rogerzilla]

I'll see your Czech diesel and raise you a Metrovick Co-Bo.

 

[DCBassman]

I'll see your Czech diesel and raise you a Metrovick Co-Bo.

Blimey, not seen one o' they for few decades!

 

[rogerzilla]

There's one left at the East Lancs Railway but it doesn't have an engine in it at the moment. The Australians managed to get the notorious Crossley HST V8 to work reliably where BR couldn't. Apparently the Oz engineers made literally hundreds of their own changes to it over the years, having purchased far too many to write off the cost. Anyway, the knowledge is out there.

 

[Andy in Germany]

There's currently a bit of a stir amongst German railway enthusiasts because a maintenance company in Rhineland Pfalz has chartered a steam locomotive to move ballast trains; apparently it takes spent ballast out in the morning, and hauls 1000t of fresh ballast and new track to the building site in the evening.



Germany is a fascinating country sometimes; we're all high tech and focussed on economics and then someone does something like this.

Apparently there isn't a diesel locomotive available. I can't quite believe that as they have the whole of Europe to hire from, so I'm interpreting it to mean there isn't a diesel available at an economic price. Even that's a bit odd but what do I know? it's a rural, even quire remote region and if diesels are in as short supply as staff there could be a bottleneck.

 

[rogerzilla]

Where does Germany get lump coal? AIUI the only remaining mines, apart from one in Wales that has months to go before closure, are in Russia (so that's out), Kazakhstan, and Colombia.

There is no shortage of the stuff underground but demand is very low.

 

[Cycleops]

Yes, I was reading that the steam preservation lines in UK have to buy coal from Peru or some other strange faraway place.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Where does Germany get lump coal? AIUI the only remaining mines, apart from one in Wales that has months to go before closure, are in Russia (so that's out), Kazakhstan, and Colombia.

There is no shortage of the stuff underground but demand is very low.

I wondered that too, especially as this isn't a preservation operation and has to make a profit. I'd have thought the coal cost alone would be prohibitive.

 

[Cycleops]

Some of you might like this video from the footplate of ex SR 4-6-0 West Country Class Elizabeth ll on the Severn Valley


View: https://youtu.be/N7uwn2js59U

 

[tribanjules]

My shot yesterday!

 

[rogerzilla]

Unusual to have all the controls labelled (Tornado is like that too). Usually means it's used by several different railways.

 

[Andy in Germany]

View attachment 659645

.... and the winner of today's ugliest train goes to no. 2809 🏆

The paint job doesn't help. these TRAXX locomotives are pretty common and in look better almost any other colour scheme; this is one in Swiss railways colours, with a few in DB red in the background:

 

[Andy in Germany]

Karlsruhe station on Sunday. From L to R: Austrian railways class 1016, Swiss Railways RE 482 and DB class 143 sitting in the stabling sidings.