Wednesday 28 November 2012

Belgium Railway Class BR 64, Locomotive No 64250, Belgium.


Class 64 type locomotives built by Deutsche Reichsbahn were developed from 1926 onwards and built between 1928 and 1940. After the 2nd World War 393 locomotives were still in service of which 278 were in West Germany and  115 in East Germany. Some remained in Austria, Poland and Belgium. Twenty Class 64 locomotives have been preserved world wide of which  six are operational. No 64250 is with the Chemin de Fer à Vapeur des 3 Vallées  in Mariembourg, Belgium
 



Monday 26 November 2012

The Trams of Lisbon, Portugal.






The Lisbon tramway network serves the municipality of Lisbon. In operation since 1873, it presently comprises five urban lines, and is primarily a tourist attraction. Lisbon possess a delightful tram network though many of the routes have been upgraded to soulless modern trams there are still many tradition trams which bump and screech around the network. It is a true experience of Lisbon to see the city by one of these quaint old trams with their wooden interiors and lurching motion. The main routes are either east or west from Baixa; east goes up hill past Castle of Saint Jorge to the district of Graça while west follows the river Tejo towards Belem. On this post card you see the different trams of the Lisbon tramways.

Friday 23 November 2012

Alta Velocidad Española (AVE), Spain.




Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) is a service of high speed trains in Spain operated by RENFE, the Spanish railway company at speeds up to 310 Km/h. The name is literally translated from Spanish Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High Speed), but its initials are also a play on the word ave, meaning "bird". As of December 2011, the Spanish AVE system is the longest HSR network in Europe with 2,665 km of track. Unlike the rest of the Spanish broad gauge network, the AVE uses standard gauge, permitting direct connections outside Spain.

Madrid Atocha Railway Station, Spain.



Madrid Atocha is the largest railway station in Madrid.  It is the primary station serving local trains, Intercity Trains and Regional Trains from the South and AVE high speed trains from various parts of Spain.  The original station at the present site was built in 1851. It was re-built in 1892 after it was destroyed by a fire. In 1992, The station now consist of a  concourse with shops, cafés, and a nightclub. The concourse has a stunning 4,000 m² covered tropical garden which is seen on this postcard.

On March 11, 2004, packed arriving commuter trains were bombed in a series of coordinated bombings, killing 191 people and wounding 1,800. The official investigation by the Spanish Judiciary determined the attacks were directed by a terrorist cell
 

Tr1 Type Locomotive No 1088 Risto, Finland.





Locomotive Risto number 1088 is a Tr1 type locomotive was built in 1956 along with 67 other locomotives between 1940 – 1957. Though many Tr1 locomotives have survived, none is currently running.  Tr1 locomotives were removed from traffic in 1970’s.  

locomotive 1088 Tr1 "Risto" conducted the first test drive 14th February 1956. It pulled freight trains for twenty years until withdrawn from service. The locomotive is now preserved at  Toijala in Finland.