Trip to Europe - Autumn 2017
General Notes
Ten days away in Europe, centred around the PTG "Montenegro Python" trip on 5th - 7th October, but doing some odd bits of track on the way to and from.
Operating Company Abbreviations:
- DB - Deutsche Bahn (national train operator in Germany)
- MÁV - Magyar Államvasutak (national train operator in Hungary)
- ÖBB - Österreichische Bundesbahnen (national train operator in Austria)
- SBB - Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (national train operator in Switzerland)
- SNCF - Société nationale des chemins de fer français (national train operator in France)
- SWEG - Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs-GmbH (public transport operator in south-west Germany)
- ŽPCG - Željeznički prevoz Crne Gore (national train operator in Montenegro)
- SV - Srbija Voz (national train operator in Serbia)
Track gauge
Standard (1435 mm) gauge unless otherwise stated.
| Place | Arrive | Depart | Train | Traction details & notes |
Friday 29th September 2017
| Timperley | 06:30 | taxi | ||
| Manchester Airport T3 (MAN) | 06:45 | 08:45 | AF1669 | Air France F-GRHO push-back 08:43, take-off 09:03 from runway 23L |
| Charles de Gaulle (CDG) | 11:15 | landed 11:09 on runway 24R, on stand 11:23 | ||
| CDG terminal 2E / L gates | 11:34 | CDGVAL 13 + 18 | ||
| CDG terminal 2E / K gates | 11:35 | |||
| Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle 2 - TGV | 12:44 | RER 'B' 'PITA' | SNCF EMU 8119/8120 + 8145/8146 | |
| Gare du Nord | 13:20 | walk | ||
| Gare de l'Est | 14:55 | TGV 2091 | SNCF TGV 511 + 543 | |
| Via high speed line from Vaires-Torcy to Vendenheim | ||||
| Strasbourg | 16:41 | 16:52 | SWE 87445 | SWEG/OSB EMU VT513 + 510 |
| Offenburg | 17:22 | 17:59 | RE 4261 | DB EL 146 225 |
| Konstanz | 20:16 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: LGV Est: Vaires-Torcy to Vendenheim. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Graf Zeppelin, Konstanz. | ||||
| Notes Covering the new LGV-Est high speed line from Paris Est to Strasbourg. |
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Saturday 30th September 2017
| Konstanz | 09:23 | RE 5218 | SBB thurbo EMU 738 + 752 | |
| Romanshorn | 09:39 | 10:01 | 'S7' | SBB thurbo EMU 727 + 748 |
| Rorschach | 10:20 | 10:40 | RE 4867 | SBB EMU 511 038 via St Margrethen |
| Buchs SG | 11:14 | 11:54 | RJ 165 | ÖBB Railjet EL 1116 201 |
| * Feldkirch attach ÖBB Railjet EL 1116 153 as far as Wien Hbf | ||||
| Via Arlberg- Innsbruck - Rosenheim avoiding line - Salzburg - new line Linz - Rohr - old line via St Polten - new line to Tullnerfeld - Wien Meidling - Wien Hbf | ||||
| Budapest Keleti pu | 21:16 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: sections of new westbahn and the new Wien Hbf. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Hungaria City Center, Budapest. | ||||
| Notes Covering some new bits of the new westbahn and through the new Wien Hbf. |
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Sunday 1st October 2017
| Budapest Keleti pu | 08:20 | 12343 | MÁV EL 431 101 + 3C | |
| * Ferencváros | 08:27 | 08:41 | detach 431 101, attach MÁV EL 432 236 on rear; reverse | |
| Via Kőbánya-Kispest (08:50) - Cegléd (09:28) - Kecskemét (09:47/09:49, cross northbound train) - Kiskunfélegyháza (10:05/10:14) - Kiskunhalas east-south avoiding curve (10:53) - Kelebia (11:15/11:49, cross freight) | ||||
| * Subotica | 11:55 | 12:26 | SV EL 441 710 | |
| Beograd | 16:22 | Today's photos | ||
| New non-passenger track today: Kiskunhalas east-south avoiding curve. | ||||
| Overnight: Belgrade City Hotel; opposite station. | ||||
| Notes Originally just planned as the easy way to get from Budapest to Beograd; however I realised that it was going to be diverted away from the direct route and via the non-passenger Kiskunhalas east-south avoiding curve. After checking into the hotel I walked up to the new Beograd Centar station site to have a look around and take some photos. |
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Monday 2nd October 2017
| Beograd | 06:20 | 791 | SV EMU 413 030 + 413 029 | |
| Via Rakovica - Mladenovac - Velika Plana - Lapovo - Jagodina - new line avoiding Cuprija - Stalać - Crveni Krst | ||||
| Niš | 10:38 | arr 92 late | ||
| Niš | 12:10 | 7843 | SV DMU 711 059 | |
| Prokuplje | 13:39 | |||
| Prokuplje bus station | 14:35 | service bus | ||
| Kuršumlija bus station | 15:26 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: new line avoiding Cuprija. | ||||
| Overnight: Motel Joksim, Kuršumlija | ||||
| Notes Today was all about getting into position for tomorrow's run from Kuršumlija to Merdare; to do this it is necessary to overnnight either in Prokuplje or Kursumlija: I chose the latter. Getting the new alignment at Cuprija was a bonus. |
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Tuesday 3rd October 2017
| Kuršumlija | 06:10 | 7821 | SV DMU 711 059/060 dep 22 late | |
| Merdare | 07:22 | 08:05 | 7830 | SV DMU 711 059/060 arr 20 late |
| Via Kuršumlija (reverse, 09:05/09:26) | ||||
| Prokuplje | 10:29 | 10:35 | 7842 | SV DMU 711 013/014 |
| Niš | 12:04 | 15:25 | 2902 | SV EMU 413 002 |
| Lapovo | 18:08 | 18:50 | 3813 | SV DMU 711 043/044 arr 14 late / dep 8 late |
| Kraljevo | 21:44 | arr 10 late Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: Kursumlija - Merdare. | ||||
| Overnight: hotel ?, Kraljevo | ||||
| Notes The main reason for this outward itinerary: the branch from Kursumlija to Merdare, which I had failed to do (even then, only as far as Kosanička Rača) in 2004. An excellent "recovery". The heading towards Podgorica via hte only feasible route, overnighting in Kraljevo. |
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Wednesday 4th October 2017
| Kraljevo | 10:55 | 4842 | SV DMU 711 063/064 | |
| Požega | 12:18 | 12:28 | 431 | SV EL 441 708 + 441 753 dep 34 late |
| * Užice | 12:55 | SV EL 441 708 only dep 43 late | ||
| * Bijelo Polje | 18:06 | ŽPCG EL 461 043 | ||
| Podgorica | 20:09 | arr 12 late Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight: Ramada Hotel Podgorica (PTG hotel; 4 nights). | ||||
| Notes Kraljevo to Podgorica via the only possible route. |
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Thursday 5th October 2017
| Podgorica | 13:00 | 6103 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 | |
| Bar | 14:10 | 15:05 | 6102 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 |
| Sutomore | 15:20 | 17:04 | 12432 | ŽPCG EL 461 041 |
| Podgorica | 17:48 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight: Ramada Hotel Podgorica. | ||||
| Notes PTG Trip Day 1. The morning was spent looking around Podgorica depot and also a visit to the signal box. In the afternoon we visited Bar, and stopped off at the seaside resort at Sutomore on the way back. |
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Friday 6th October 2017
| Podgorica | 08:05 | 7100 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 | |
| Nikšić | 09:11 | 09:25 | 7103 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 |
| Podgorica | 10:31 | 10:47 | 6155 | ŽPCG EMU 412 049+050 |
| Bar | 11:59 | 12:10 | special | ŽPCG DL 643 051 |
| Via reversal in headshunt - carriage/loco depot (12:25/~12:55) | ||||
| Bar | 13:07 | 15:05 | 6102 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 |
| Virpazar | 15:41 | 18:51 | 6104 | ŽPCG EMU 412 050+049 |
| Podgorica | 19:24 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight: Ramada Hotel Podgorica. | ||||
| Notes PTG Trip Day 2. Morning train to Nikšić and back; then to Bar where a special train had been arranged to the loco depot and carriage shed. In the afternoon we had a look around Virpazar, a pleasant village on Lake Skadar. We found some traces of the former 750 mm gauge railway that ran to Virpazar from Bar over the mountains via Sutorman; that had been open from 1908, closing in 1960 the year after the present standard gauge line (with its long tunnel under the mnountains) was opened. |
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Saturday 7th October 2017
| Podgorica | 06:28 | 6100 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 | |
| Bijelo Polje | 08:15 | 09:30 | 6103 | ŽPCG EL 461 039 arr 15 late / dep 6 late |
| Podgorica | 11:56 | 12:45 | 7102 | ŽPCG EMU 6111/4111 104/5/6 arr 30 late |
| Nikšić | 13:51 | 17:00 | 7107 | ŽPCG EMU 6111/4111 034/5/6 |
| Podgorica | 18:06 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight: Ramada Hotel Podgorica. | ||||
| Notes PTG Trip Day 3. A day out to cover the main line towards Serbia, to the border station at Bijelo Polje, and where a fair bit of snow had fallen overnight. Then a repeat visit to Nikšić to have a better look around, including the disused narrow gauge route towards Hum. |
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Sunday 8th October 2017
| Podgorica | 08:40 | 6153 | ŽPCG EMU 412 046/045 | |
| Aerodrom | 08:48 | |||
| Podgorica (TGD) | 13:25 | YM160 | Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100 40-AOM (retimed from 11:40) pushback 13:24, take-off 13:31 | |
| Frankfurt (FRA) | 15:30 | landed 15:28 on runway 25L; on stand 15:37 | ||
| Frankfurt am Main Flughafen | 16:52 | ICE 611 | DB EMU 403 558 + 403 532 | |
| Mannheim Hbf | 17:28 | 17:40 | DB EMU 425 083 arr 7 late; via Hockenheim | |
| Karlsruhe Hbf | 18:40 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel in Karlsruhe. | ||||
| Notes Getting back home from Montenegro was going to take too long by train alone so I flew part way: though Podgorica has a station called Aerodrom it's a good few km walk; there was no hurry as the flight had been retimed..... standard routing from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe. |
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Monday 9th October 2017
| Karlsruhe Hbf | 08:05 | 'S8' | Karlsruhe tram 879 | |
| * Albtalbahnhof | Karlsruhe tram 879 + 923 | |||
| Durmersheim | 08:26 | 08:46 | 'S7' | Karlsruhe tram 835 dep 5 late |
| Rastatt | 08:56 | 09:23 | RE 63369 | DB EL 146 115 arr 5 late / dep 8 late due to late ICE |
| Offenburg | 09:56 | 10:07 | RE 17021 | DB EL 146 110 arr 9 late / dep 5 late |
| Müllheim (Baden) | 11:34 | 11:40 | RB 87484 | SNCF DR X73906 |
| Mulhouse | 12:05 | 12:57 | TGV 9218 | SNCF TGV 4115 |
| Via Altkirch - Belfort-Montbéliard TGV - Besançon Franche-Comté TGV - Collonges - Dijon - Pasilly - Moisenay - LGV Jonction - Coubert | ||||
| Paris Gare de Lyon | 15:37 | 16:54 | RER 'A' 'FACA' | SNCF EMU ? |
| Paris Gare du Nord | 17:03 | 18:13 | RER 'B' | SNCF EMU ? |
| Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle 2 - TGV | 18:53 | |||
| CDG terminal 2E / K gates | 19:39 | |||
| CDG terminal 2E / L gates | 19:41 | |||
| Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) | 20:55 | BE 3132 | Embraer 175 G-FBJ push-back 20:55, take-off 21:18 from runway 27L | |
| Manchester (MAN) | 21:25 | ??:?? | landed 21:23 on runway 23R, on stand 21:30 / taxi | |
| Timperley | ??:?? | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: Müllheim (Baden) - Bantzenheim (- Mulhouse); (Mulhouse -) Belfort-Montbéliard TGV - Besançon Franche-Comté TGV - Collonges; Moisenay - LGV Jonction - Coubert (- Gare de Lyon). | ||||
| Notes This morning I spent some time in the centre of Karlsruhe photographing trams; then at Durmersheim photographing high speed trains and trams running under semaphore signals; then via Müllheim (Baden) to Mulhouse to cover this border crossing re-opening - I had been as far as the border on the French side many years ago on a railtour. Mulhouse to Paris on the relatively new high speed line. Home from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. |
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Summary
A very pleasant and fruitful holiday leading into the PTG trip which I knew would give me almost no required track, but it's a lovely country with all train services worked by electric trains! Fitting in Kursumlija - Merdare filled a long-standing gap in Serbia.