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Austria |
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Austria has long been a natural target for the railway photographer. Its steam locomotives were very distinctive and pockets of steam operation lasted well into the 1970s, its electric locomotives worked to a grand old age and usually outlasted their contemporaries in other parts of Europe and the scenery was magnificent. In recent years most of the variety has been swept aside but the scenery is still superb. Most of my Austrian material is on film and will need to be scanned before it can appear here. In the meantime, here are a few digital images from a 2003 trip to the Brenner Pass. |
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China |
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China was the last country in the world to run steam on the main line and still operates a significant number of steam locos in industrial service. There are pictures and reports from numerous trips over the past few years with a few added from earlier trips for good measure. Diesels and electrics are covered as well and there are profiles of the principal steam and diesel classes. |
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Czech Republic |
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The Czech Republic is one of Europe's smaller countries but it's railways are among the most interesting. In an era of demanning, multiple units and standardisation, it's a pleasure to find a railway with manned stations and locomotive hauled trains, a great variety of motive power and an almost infinite multiplicity of liveries. The landscape is extremely attractive with plenty of hilly country, forests and picturesque villages. Photos from my recent trips to the Czech Republic are displayed here together with many trip reports.
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France |
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France has never been a favourite destination but a recent trip to the Mediterranean coast, just north of the Spanish border, did yield a few good pics. |
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Germany |
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Germany was my first overseas gricing destination but hadn't been on the agenda for several years. There are still a fair number of loco hauled trains, so return visits in 2006 and 2007 were long overdue. Photos from earlier trips will be added as time permits. |
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Slovakia |
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Another small central European country with an interesting rail system. Although both the Czech Republic and Slovakia share a common railway heritage, there are significant differences in some areas such as liveries and the rates at which some of the older classes have been withdrawn. One thing that the two countries do share is a very attractive landscape. These photos are from a 2003 trip. |
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Spain |
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Spain used to be home to an incredible collection of charming narrow gauge lines but most have now closed or lost much of their appeal through modernisation. The Soller Railway on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca is an exception and still retains its unique character and its 1920s traction. At the other end of the spectrum, the main lines around Murcia feature big diesels on Talgos and heavy freights. |
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Switzerland |
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Switzerland is famed the world over for its beautiful alpine scenery and its excellent transport system. The railways are a real delight with a huge variety of guages, railway companies, locomotives and liveries all running through the picturesque Swiss landscape. |
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Turkey |
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Turkey is a fascinating country with both European and Asian influences contributing a unique culture. The railways are also the result of numerous foreign influences and in the last days of steam, locomotives from America, Belgium, Britain, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany and Norway could be seen working side by side. The current scene is a lot more uniform with EMD products working most main line services. Most of my Turkish material is on film and will need to be scanned before it can appear here. In the meantime, here are a few digital images from a March 2006 trip to see the total eclipse in Kapadokya. |
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UK |
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Britain's railways have become progressively less interesting over recent years but it wasn't always that way. Most of my British material is on film and will have to be scanned before it can appear here but I did take a number of digital images before giving up on the British scene and becoming a regular visitor to the Czech Republic. |
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