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Title: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 11, 2022, 11:32:36 A change is as good as a rest. I need a rest so I'm having a change. I suspect it will involve a lot of changes as this in an educational trip to help me experience first hand some public transport and places new to me. Because it's got a public land transport bias, logging it as something of journal here. Setting off in 20 minutes ... URL for latest page of updates will be http://www.passenger.chat/26784.9999 - enjoy, or ignore the thread if it gets too much!
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 11, 2022, 18:50:57 Early (obvious) clues:
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp101.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp102.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp103.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp104.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp105.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp106.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: bradshaw on October 11, 2022, 19:13:02 Ellis Towers bus to Melksham Station, thence Swindon, Paddington; Elizabeth line to Farringdon and thence St Pancras on GTR
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: bobm on October 11, 2022, 19:28:57 Ellis Towers bus to Melksham Station, thence Swindon, Paddington; Elizabeth line to Farringdon and thence St Pancras on GTR Substitute Chippenham for Swindon. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 12, 2022, 13:18:30 Where I am today may not be quite so obvious. Still there so will post more tonight
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp201.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: eXPassenger on October 12, 2022, 17:45:12 Switzerland?
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 12, 2022, 20:18:56 Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 12, 2022, 20:54:19 Where I am today may not be quite so obvious. Still there so will post more tonight The trains I doth travel on tail of yesterday and today - some very immediate clues there! (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp202.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp203.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp204.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp205.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp206.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: Timmer on October 12, 2022, 21:16:09 First pic is the Paris Metro but what station I haven’t a clue.
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: eightonedee on October 12, 2022, 21:31:34 Well I think I have worked out that you are in Spain. Pyrenees?
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 12, 2022, 21:54:02 Well I think I have worked out that you are in Spain. Pyrenees? Massive area, but yes. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: bradshaw on October 12, 2022, 22:18:43 Might it be Petit train de la Rhune?
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 12, 2022, 22:43:22 There are quite a few pictures of that train called "Balandrau" on the web - and it runs up to the Vall de Nuria, which is where the lake and ... building ... in the picture is.
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 12, 2022, 23:27:40 First pic is the Paris Metro but what station I haven’t a clue. Gare d'Austerlitz, Line 5. That's the line that runs sideways through the station on a viaduct, and you can just see the glazing of the arch in the sidewall in the background. It was after dark, obviously. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 13, 2022, 05:11:14 From Melksham to Barcelona (Sans) via ... Chippenham, Paddington, Farringdon, St Pancras, Paris Gare du Nord, Latour du Carol and then with a diversion from Ribes to Nuria on the Abt rack to Nuria rather than staying on line all the way into Barcelons.
11:54 bus from home, 12:33 train on Tuesday into London. Plenty of time in London for the 16:31 to Paris, which came to an abrupt halt in the tunnel under the Thames, the limped to Ebbsfleet (didn't think Eurostar stopped there any longer) while it had a "techincal issue" fixed; 40 minutes late into Paris on a short connection, so a dash for metro line 5 to Austerlitz and the 21:12 sleeper with convey sections to Loudres and Latour du Carol. Latour du Carol is a fascinating station at where the 4'8.75" gauge of the French system changes to the 5'3" of the Spanish system, and it's also the terminus of the Ligne de Cerdagne, metre gauge to Villefranche - "the little yellow train". A fascinating place with a great deal of history, worthy of a separate writeup. The 10:25 train to Barclona left 20 minutes late - reason unknown; it had arrived quite a while earlier, but then disappeared and from comments this was not usual - but it re-appeared again and we headed out. Took "pot luck" in trying the line to Nuria - wasn't sure what I was travelling into from just a summary of times on in the European Rail Timetable I'm carrying. Up on the 12:50 and back on the 15:40, connecting into the 16:21 towards Barcelona, pulling in there on time at 18:46. That's the bare bones - many stories to tell already, or sometine, or perhaps to remain in my box of memories. Of the fat (sorry, he was, and that is significnat) on Eurostar. Of the french sleeper. Of Latour. Of Renfe line R3. Of the rack railway and spectacular scenery. Of the queuing system and half hour wait to reserve my seat for tomorrow. And of walking across Barcelona at night. Another day starts. Another day will be another train or two. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: Worcester_Passenger on October 13, 2022, 09:40:00 Latour de Carol is indeed fascinating - three gauges, each with a different electrical system.
I do recommend the Bistrot de la Gare, across the forecourt. I thought they were couchettes on the night train rather than proper sleepers? Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 13, 2022, 10:44:17 Latour de Carol is indeed fascinating - three gauges, each with a different electrical system. I do recommend the Bistrot de la Gare, across the forecourt. I thought they were couchettes on the night train rather than proper sleepers? Oui, c'est couchettes. Mais sais bien. Le bistro est ferme, mais ill y a un petit [little shopper] dans la gare. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: chuffed on October 13, 2022, 11:07:01 We all know that Graham is famous for his typos in English...have I spotted a French one in the shape of le homme de oncle in the shape of M Kuryakin in his last post ??!
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 13, 2022, 18:16:44 Just in case you were likely to be back in France on 18th, the CGT have suddenly started talking about a strike on that day. It's a general strike and day of "action", but their position in SNCF is particularly strong.
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: chuffed on October 13, 2022, 18:25:09 I remember taking the SNCF train into Portbou and the RENFE train back to Cebere one afternoon some years ago. On arrival in Spain, one side of the platform was all in the blue and grey of SNCF and the other side of the red and yellow of RENFE. It was the same in the shared buffet with croissants one side and tortillas the other. I half expected a Ronnie Barker type character to address me in French costume and accent on one side and then turn round and repeat it all again in Spanish. At least I was not charged in francs and pesetas because they were in the euro zone by then!!
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 14, 2022, 08:49:28 An Interail pass is one series of adventures after another - the highs such as seeing the city of Leon last night and an order that went wrong and right for caneloni that delivered the most beautiful Pizza in a lovely setting, with a beer around the square as day faded into night. The lows such as the 30 minute queue for a reservation for my next train in Barcelona.
I am writing this on the train from Leon to Oviedo and Gijon; a very thin service like many in Spain, trains at 09:20 and 09:29 then nothing until 13:40. A land of long distances and much abandoned infrastrucure, especially on the freight side. There are a number of passenger trains parked up and although I remember being shocked at just how thin the service was in Vigo when we stopped there on a cruise, I suspect it's even worse now post-covid as not everything has returned. The scenery is beautiful, the train modern and a darned sight more comfortable than the hard board of yesterday's 9 hour journey. It's electric, "of course" over here. Incredibyly on such a sparse service, the line is being upgraded and a new high speed section opens next year; I suspect this old line will then see just the 09:29 and a train in the evening to serve the local stations. I will try and share some pictures later - very hard, as the double glazing of the train imposes reflections of the train's insides onto my snaps, and in any case I'm busy enjoying the scenery. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: Worcester_Passenger on October 14, 2022, 09:54:18 Disappointed that you're not doing the one train per day from Leon to Bilbao.
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 14, 2022, 10:44:27 It's electric, "of course" over here. Incredibyly on such a sparse service, the line is being upgraded and a new high speed section opens next year; I suspect this old line will then see just the 09:29 and a train in the evening to serve the local stations. That's kind of the Spanish way, isn't it? Most of the effort on this new line has gone into the Pajares Base Tunnel, of which Wikipedia says: "Early on, the through route was expected to be open in 2010. As of August 2022, the tunnels are expected to be open to passenger traffic by 2023". Well, some tunnels are just like that, I guess... I also found this quote from WikiZ (https://wikiz.com/wiki/Pajares_Base_Tunnel): Quote Despite plans for the tunnel to be electrified by 25 kV AC throughout its 24,667 m (80,928 ft) length, questions have been raised if electrification is feasible due to the high level of water infiltration present. But while the line from Leon to the tunnel at Pola de Gordon is being built, only a short bit on the north side to Pola de Lena is. The rest of the way will use the existing Spanish gauge line (you may remember the same being true of the line to A Coruna, with the high-speed line finishing at Ourense where that catastrophic high-speed derailment was). And the new tunnel is dual gauge too - with so few fast trains, why not use it for goods too? Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: IndustryInsider on October 14, 2022, 11:30:40 Quote Despite plans for the tunnel to be electrified by 25 kV AC throughout its 24,667 m (80,928 ft) length, questions have been raised if electrification is feasible due to the high level of water infiltration present. Perhaps our boys and girls who did the Severn Tunnel could pop over and show them how it’s done? ;) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 14, 2022, 13:24:23 Quote Despite plans for the tunnel to be electrified by 25 kV AC throughout its 24,667 m (80,928 ft) length, questions have been raised if electrification is feasible due to the high level of water infiltration present. Depends how you reckon who's whose, doesn't it? I can't see anyone credited with the engineering apart from Furrer + Frey, based on work already done elsewhere in Europe, plus a bit of independent advice from Cardiff University. Also, there's this from Modern Railways (https://www.modernrailways.com/article/great-western-solving-severn-tunnel-conundrum): Quote Could this provide an exemplar for the same solution to be adopted elsewhere? Dr Hewings points out that the combination of copper and aluminium has been widely used and does not generally present a problem, so the Severn Tunnel is probably unique. Nonetheless, in a saltwater environment where there is a risk of corrosion, NR now has another option as its disposal. If it's just the sheer volume of water, rather than its corrosiveness, wasn't that solved for the Severn Tunnel a hundred years ago? Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 14, 2022, 13:41:06 Disappointed that you're not doing the one train per day from Leon to Bilbao. Well shucks, there's only one of me ... I can only go one way at once which I'm now doing! Lots of impossible future quiz questions coming up. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 15, 2022, 07:27:58 I don't know where to start - well, I started on the 09:20 from Leon to Gijon, but dropped off at Oviedo and took the local metre gauge to FEVE into Gijon, connection on to Aviles, then to Pravia and finally to San Xoan, arriving there a few minutes after the scheduled 21:41 and just in time to check into my hotel while it was still staffed.
The section from Leon is through wild mountains, a torturous, spectacular and heavily engineered line which, however, takes 2 hours to cover a distance of 140 kms ... and a new line is being worked on to cut that down, with a 25 km base tunnel. Oviedo, Gijon, and a number of other towns cluster on the middle north coast of Spain and have a thriving little local network of both broad gauge and narrow gauge trains ... with just 2 a day headed west to Ferrol and east to Santander and Bilbao. From Pravia, I took the afternoon train at 15:40 all the way to San Xoan - that's in the 'burbs of Ferrol near to a booked hotel. Six hours as we wound along the coastline from a lovely day to pitch black on arrival. Bays, beaches, towns, estuaries, forests, fields and mountains. Tunnels, viaducts, sharp bends and bridges, and wayside stations and more significant ones all along the way. The section from Pravia to Ribadeo takes 3 hours and in that half of the journey, there's not a loop that allows two trains to pass in use - this must be one of the longest single line sections anywhere! When we got to Ribadeo, the afternoon train headed east was waiting to go ...! There are a couple of rusted loops that might be serviceable, but they look to me as if they've not been used for years, and many many stations where a single track runs through a site with abandoned platforms to the side. And there are halts - in some sections of the line, the train stopping for a few seconds in the vain hope of a passenger, and in other parts just passing through where no-one waits. They make Shippea Hill look busy. For a line with so few passengers, the standard of upkeep of the track looks amazingly good, and I don't see how the line can make economic sense with just our 2 coach trains picking up a few people here and there. There were perhaps 30 or 40 people on the train, odd ones getting on and off along the way. A couple of schoolgirls returning home - perhaps for the weekend - from Pravia to one or another of the remote farm clusters served by its own station. A dropout with trousers torn so badly it was embarrassing who got off in the middle of nowhere. A handful of people travelling longer distances. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 15, 2022, 07:51:03 A picture paints a thousand word. Here is the equivalent of 12,000 words
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp601.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp602.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp603.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp604.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp605.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp606.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp607.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp608.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp609.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp610.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp611.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp612.jpg) More at (here) (https://www.facebook.com/graham.ellis.5055/posts/pfbid0bC4yHQBmdZXpDNanUgePGn8buUpq1SFtvvjkX7q1CXNHRVPGNvETsTVwcygA17wBl?notif_id=1665813653297943¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif) on my Facebook feed Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: TonyK on October 15, 2022, 10:06:12 The second most mountainous country in Europe? Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 16, 2022, 06:31:11 Yesterday - Ferrol to Vigo
Two trains on thin-served lines, from Ferrol to A Coruna was thin on passengers, after a three hour wait at A Coruna in the pouring rain the 3 car train on to Vigo was pretty well filled. I took the train to Vigo Guixar and there *is* another station here, and there was a bigger, slicker, electric trains 40 minutes earlier that looked very busy too, complete with airport style baggage xraying prior to boarding it. Our diesel train went around the old line bypassed by the high speed one and called at a number of stations, ranging from ones where it did no business that I noticed through some quite busy ones. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp702.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp703.jpg) On arrival, the train for my next step was already shown on the departure boards, so thin is service in Galacia. But there was long enough to have a look around Vigo, which I have visited previously on a cruise, and get a good night's sleep - except readers may see various posts in the wee hours as my sleep pattern is up the swanny! (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp704.jpg) I had better get going - my train has been flagged up .... ;-) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: TonyK on October 16, 2022, 08:48:11 Oui, c'est couchettes. Mais sais bien. Le bistro est ferme, mais ill y a un petit [little shopper] dans la gare. We all know that Graham is famous for his typos in English...have I spotted a French one in the shape of le homme de oncle in the shape of M Kuryakin in his last post ??! It makes perfect sense to me. I know well that the café is a farm, but not very well. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 16, 2022, 11:28:25 Had you noticed, Graham, that you are part of a new demographic trend? From inews (https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/retirement-adventure-over-50s-discovering-interrailing-1913335?ITO=newsnow):
Quote Fuelled by retirement and a desire for adventure, people over 50 are discovering interrailing A flash sale earlier this year has seen interest in interrailing increase, with more retirees turning to a European adventure on the rails ... Interrailing is no longer the preserve of the student backpacker (although a DiscoverEU initiative is currently inviting applications from 18 year-olds for free 30-day passes). In 2010, senior price structuring was introduced, offering a 10 per cent discount for those over 60 years old, fuelling the appetite of “silver railers.” Retirement, flexibility and an appetite for adventure, especially after the pandemic, has seen older people embrace the Interrail pass. A Facebook group, Interrailing for the Older Crowd, has more than 5,000 members. The sustainability and ease of rail travel, without the queues and security restrictions of flights, are also a big draw... Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 16, 2022, 12:13:28 Had you noticed, Graham, that you are part of a new demographic trend? From inews (https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/retirement-adventure-over-50s-discovering-interrailing-1913335?ITO=newsnow): Quote has seen older people embrace the Interrail pass. ... Not exactly embracing it, but here I am kissing my pass. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/notexact.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 16, 2022, 19:25:43 Report from today to follow ... here's a taster:
"Ruddy Toursists" ... (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp801.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 18, 2022, 09:56:53 Yesterday, the High Speed train from Porto to Faro which turned out to be not so high speed - arrived 40 minutes late into Faro. The reservation agent in Porto had been concerned that I was passing through Lisbon without even getting off, but I have visited Lisbon and had a couple of days there before. So on to the Algarve and end of the main line. Now starting back - ready for a meeting in Taunton on Friday, and a covid booster on Saturday and perhaps Majesty in the evening.
Crossborder rail travel from Portugal to Spain is thin - so thin it's almost none-existant. There are 2 trains a day from Vigo to Porto up in the north (it wasnone of those I took when arriving on Sunday morning) and there is 1 a day via Badajdoz - with a change of trains near the frontier and a footnote in the timetable saying "connection not guaranteed". So I have opted for this let to take the express coach to Seville - currently on that. It's a 3 hour 15 minute ride. Lisa asked if this tempted me to try for "Race across the World". I don't know - I enjoy the travel but would be lost without the electronics and I would need a robust mad person to come with me. Long days of coach travel (as happened in the second series) do not attract me in the slightest and I'm going for one step more comfort and overnight stops too which I would not have if racing. I think the opportunity for the show passed - there was a moment that the pieces looked like they came together, but they've split away now. However, that is not to stop me making the odd long journey like Faro to Melksham. Pictured - start and end of journey yesterday, and start this morning (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp901.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp902.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp903.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: GBM on October 18, 2022, 13:09:17 If that's your duffel bag/back pack in the first picture, I admire your flagon of cider for refreshment beside it!
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: Bmblbzzz on October 18, 2022, 14:57:48 If that's your duffel bag/back pack in the first picture, I admire your flagon of cider for refreshment beside it! Cider? Don't you know Grahame is acting as Broadgage's agent, bringing back samples of the best port?Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: TonyK on October 18, 2022, 15:11:47 If that's your duffel bag/back pack in the first picture, I admire your flagon of cider for refreshment beside it! Cider? Don't you know Grahame is acting as Broadgage's agent, bringing back samples of the best port?In that case, he needs to move up the coast a bit. Lisbon Oriente station is worth a visit just to look at, and the train ride to Porto is a lovely ride. Lots of storks nesting in electricity pylons, as well as forest. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 19, 2022, 04:27:58 If that's your duffel bag/back pack in the first picture, I admire your flagon of cider for refreshment beside it! Cider? Don't you know Grahame is acting as Broadgage's agent, bringing back samples of the best port?Not my luggage, I'm afraid! Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: Timmer on October 19, 2022, 07:02:50 We did the Alpha Pendular from Porto to Faro, stopping at Lisbon for a few days though, and it absolutely flies from Porto to Lisbon and for the first part of the Lisbon to Faro leg. After that it’s a very slow crawl down to the Algarve as the track is very bendy.
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 19, 2022, 10:52:15 I arrived in Barcelona at 20:20 last night - on time from Seville on a long distance train. Planning to get the Paris express today, I grabbed a ticket for the reservation queue and some 20 minutes later my number came up - to be told by the clerk that he was now only doing same-day reservations because it was after 20:20; we re-open at 05:30.
Oh well ... I was booked into 'Hostal Sants' just a short walk from station and although the room was basic, the area was lively and I chose an open fronted cafe just across the road, and enjoyed pajella, cheesecake and beer. I was, approached, briefly, by a young lady and I'm still trying to work out whether she was looking for food or company, or offering to sell me some wares or her services. It came across rather as the latter, though as she had a baby in a pushchair that latter seems improbable, or a poor advert for a previous liaison that had gone wrong. Back to the station soon after that abonimable opening time and only a short queue (and only a few windows open). The gentleman behind the screen tapped on this computer, made a shrugging gesture and told me that the Paris train at 09:10 was fully booked ... So here I am on a train headed vaguely in the right direction, but not to Paris. It is a long distance express so I'm getting somewhere - in France now. It has a number of features you find occasionally on a train in the UK, such as: * a ticket inspector who needed me to explain to her why my ticket was valid on this train * a trolley service of hot drinks that inexplicably ceased serving in the middle of the coach I'm seated in and headed back wence it came * an on time departure, but then an unxpliacable stop in the middle of no-where and we're now (hum, ha, I dont know how many minutes) running late. * A coach in the middle of the train where there was a counter where they served me a coffee - an excellent idea as it let me stretch my legs on the long journey, and get a drink when I wanted one not when the trolley came around. Mind you, it does take up significant space that could alternatively be used for space for bicycles. Pictures ... this was food served in the restaurant not on the train ... my quick bite before an early night in anticipation of an EARLY morning. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp951.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irp952.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 19, 2022, 12:45:54 Presumably you were in the hot African air in Seville, and have been travelling with the cooler air (and rain) that's replacing it. Or have you caught up with that hot air mass in France? It was centred on Biarritz, and cooler on the Mediterranean side, so which way (and if) you turned at Perpignan would make a difference.
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: TonyK on October 19, 2022, 17:18:39 Oh well ... I was booked into 'Hostal Sants' just a short walk from station and although the room was basic, the area was lively and I chose an open fronted cafe just across the road, and enjoyed pajella, cheesecake and beer. That cheesecake looks absolutely gorgeous, and I am now thinking of heading for Barcelona. I have been known to enjoy beer on occasion, too. Your holiday sounds excellent. I also love paella. In fact, here's one I made earlier: Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 19, 2022, 17:24:07 Presumably you were in the hot African air in Seville, and have been travelling with the cooler air (and rain) that's replacing it. Or have you caught up with that hot air mass in France? It was centred on Biarritz, and cooler on the Mediterranean side, so which way (and if) you turned at Perpignan would make a difference. It was baking in Faro, pleasant in Barcelona and foggy this morning on the way up to Perpignan and beyond. Now on my third train (and one nearly-train) today ... will post when I get to my digs. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 20, 2022, 17:20:56 When I left France (Cherbourg) on the Salamanca at 11:00 (local time) our PM was Liz Truss.
When I got into phone range of Portsmouth, two texts popped up from Lisa. The first said "dreaming" and the second said "Truss has gone". Only when the video of a dog clearly having a dream came in did I realise that the two messages were NOT linked! Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 20, 2022, 20:08:02 Writeup on my final day at ... http://grahamellis.uk/blog658.html
40 trains, plus buses, coach, ferry and the Pony of shanks all in 10 days. At least 3 gauges (broad, standard and metre) and there may have been another one or two. A couple more random pictures ... (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irpa03.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/irpa06.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on October 20, 2022, 21:58:16 Was that restful? Or perhaps more ... changeful?
Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on October 22, 2022, 06:58:57 Was that restful? Or perhaps more ... changeful? It was interesting, mindworking and exhilarating. I thought it would leave me tired and in need of some recovery time, yet actually I'm still on the go and come back - very temporarily - jumping straight into things. It was really good to hear Mark [Hopwood] talking at TravelWatch SouthWest yesterday, but a tragedy that the meeting was online and not in person. So much of the value there is in networking, and there was none o that and little interaction (and, yes, I HAVE saved a copy of the chat). Watch, next week, for the next great adventure. I will try to write about individual issues and things I pick up on and avoid another "my holiday in Iberia" type travelogue. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on December 25, 2022, 10:46:32 I don't know where to start - well, I started on the 09:20 from Leon to Gijon, but dropped off at Oviedo and took the local metre gauge to FEVE into Gijon, connection on to Aviles, then to Pravia and finally to San Xoan, arriving there a few minutes after the scheduled 21:41 and just in time to check into my hotel while it was still staffed. The section from Leon is through wild mountains, a torturous, spectacular and heavily engineered line which, however, takes 2 hours to cover a distance of 140 kms ... and a new line is being worked on to cut that down, with a 25 km base tunnel. Oviedo, Gijon, and a number of other towns cluster on the middle north coast of Spain and have a thriving little local network of both broad gauge and narrow gauge trains ... with just 2 a day headed west to Ferrol and east to Santander and Bilbao. From Pravia, I took the afternoon train at 15:40 all the way to San Xoan - that's in the 'burbs of Ferrol near to a booked hotel. Six hours as we wound along the coastline from a lovely day to pitch black on arrival. Bays, beaches, towns, estuaries, forests, fields and mountains. Tunnels, viaducts, sharp bends and bridges, and wayside stations and more significant ones all along the way. The section from Pravia to Ribadeo takes 3 hours and in that half of the journey, there's not a loop that allows two trains to pass in use - this must be one of the longest single line sections anywhere! When we got to Ribadeo, the afternoon train headed east was waiting to go ...! There are a couple of rusted loops that might be serviceable, but they look to me as if they've not been used for years, and many many stations where a single track runs through a site with abandoned platforms to the side. And there are halts - in some sections of the line, the train stopping for a few seconds in the vain hope of a passenger, and in other parts just passing through where no-one waits. They make Shippea Hill look busy. For a line with so few passengers, the standard of upkeep of the track looks amazingly good, and I don't see how the line can make economic sense with just our 2 coach trains picking up a few people here and there. There were perhaps 30 or 40 people on the train, odd ones getting on and off along the way. A couple of schoolgirls returning home - perhaps for the weekend - from Pravia to one or another of the remote farm clusters served by its own station. A dropout with trousers torn so badly it was embarrassing who got off in the middle of nowhere. A handful of people travelling longer distances. Even underused single-line backwaters need new signals, it appears. From Railway Gazette (https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/metre-gauge-line-to-be-resignalled/63206.article): Quote Metre-gauge line to be resignalled 23 December 2022 SPAIN: ADIF has awarded Thales a 27-month contract worth €20·8m to supply ASFA Digital ATP to replace telephone block working on the 101 km single track, non-electrified Ortigueira – Ribadeo section of the Oviedo – Ferrol metre gauge line along the north coast. Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: grahame on December 25, 2022, 11:26:21 SPAIN: ADIF has awarded Thales a 27-month contract worth €20·8m to supply ASFA Digital ATP to replace telephone block working on the 101 km single track, non-electrified Ortigueira – Ribadeo section of the Oviedo – Ferrol metre gauge line along the north coast. Some pictures of the current signalling system: (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nssig0.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nssig1.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nssig2.jpg) and an intermediate change of train driver on the 3 hour single track, 2 trains per day section (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nssig4.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: Bmblbzzz on December 25, 2022, 19:57:42 and an intermediate change of train driver on the 3 hour single track, 2 trains per day section Literally a "handover". :D(http://www.wellho.net/pix/nssig4.jpg) Title: Re: As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting? Post by: stuving on February 09, 2023, 15:26:25 Even underused single-line backwaters need new signals, it appears. From Railway Gazette (https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/metre-gauge-line-to-be-resignalled/63206.article): Quote Metre-gauge line to be resignalled 23 December 2022 SPAIN: ADIF has awarded Thales a 27-month contract worth €20·8m to supply ASFA Digital ATP to replace telephone block working on the 101 km single track, non-electrified Ortigueira – Ribadeo section of the Oviedo – Ferrol metre gauge line along the north coast. And trains! I'm not sure that these were for use on the lines described by Graham above as almost passenger free zones. But this is one of those embarrassment stories everyone (except, notably, the two managers at Adif and Renfe that got sacked) loves. From surinenglish.com (https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/heads-roll-over-20230208132537-nt.html) (but more garish versions are available): Quote Heads roll over northern Spain's 'trains too big for tunnels' scandal There will be a delay of "two or three years" in the arrival of 31 new local train units to the Cantabria and Asturias regions, following the catalogue of errors Spain's Minister of Transport Raquel Sánchez has apologised to the regional presidents of Cantabria and the Asturias for the delay of "two or three years" in the arrival of 31 new local trains to the regions due to an error in the design of the units, which were incompatible with the size of the network's tunnels. Sánchez did so during her visit to Castro Urdiales as she announced the dismissals of the Renfe employee who led the material management division of train operator Renfe Viajeros when the tender was designed, and infrastructure company Adif’s head of inspection and track technology. Miguel Ángel Revilla, the president of the Cantabrian regional government, described the catalogue of errors which saw trains ordered which were too big to fit through tunnels and of the incorrect type for the local gauge railways as an "unspeakable botched job". The Ministry of Transport noted that the public companies Adif and Renfe were unaware of the gauge problems until the CAF company in charge of manufacturing the trains raised the alarm during the design phase. Both Renfe and Adif said, following the results of the internal audits commissioned by the minister, they will proceed to carry out the recommended organisational adjustments. Many of the reports (including that one, slightly) misunderstand "gauge". AIUI, the trains were specified by reference to a network statement that included the clearance gauge of the track. However, that was for new track or new works, and not a description of the track and tunnels as they are. So I guess it's one of the pitfalls of the new style of "paper railway" - everything done by reference to specifications and other huge documents, which have to be read and understood to ensure nothing untoward lurks within. In this case the status of this network statement was quite possibly only defined in yet another big document. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |