I was sad to check out of my villa this morning. The place was such a peaceful retreat from the madness of Innotrans, and so peaceful. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought that. Last night I met a German couple who were staying there for the same reason as they were attending Innotrans too! He was a test train driver for Alstom, so we ended up having a good chat.
The weather’s reverted to type this morning with blanket sunshine and rising temperatures making it a great day to travel. Having left Werder (Havel) I made my way to Charlottenburg in style as I’m back using my 1st Class Interrail pass. Nipping across central Berlin on the S-Bahn to Ostkreuz I caught IC2175, a loco-hauled train bound for Dresden. It’s a quiet service in my coach, anyway. I’m sat upstairs in a double-deck vehicle with just a handful of other people for the 2 hour journey. We hardly belt along as there’s engineering work along the way. 125kph seems to be tops. But then I’m in no hurry…
12:45.
Here we are – and what a station!
UPDATE;
Sorry this blog ended so abruptly with my arrival in Dresden. That was because I ended up being incredibly busy and made the most of the weather. Having spent a couple of hours basking and taking photographs at the sunny Hauptbahnhof I caught a train back across the river Elbe to Neustadt, the nearest station to my hotel, where I finally managed to dump my suitcase and change into shorts and vest top which was far more appropriate for the weather. I’d no idea which of the seven differently themed rooms I was going to get where I was staying, so the space theme and circular bed were a surprise!
Heading back to Neustadt I followed up on the recommendation from a friend by catching a train to Radebeul Ost where there’s a delightful steam hauled narrow-gauge railway. I was too late to travel on the line as the service is sparse, but I was lucky to catch this loco in action.
I’d have liked to have explored more come the evening, but it had been a long day and a video catch-up with my wife Dawn was more important.
My first impressions of Dresden were very positive. I only wish I was staying longer, but I already know that I’ll be back. This flying visit was unscripted but it’s given me a useful taster of what’s on offer.
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Today’s the last day of the Innotrans trade fair and I’m back on site for a few hours just to wrap up a few more internal shots of some of the trains. The weather’s overcast and we’ve had more rain overnight, so it’s been ideal conditions for such shots. Now i’m spending a bit of time in the media centre editing pics and planning the next part of my trip which will see me heading to Dresden for one night before returning to Berlin in order to spend an evening with a friend. the next day I’ll be travelling overnight to Zurich in Switzerland, my 10th country on this trip.
I’ll be blogging more later, but first I’ll leave you with a couple of those internal shots from this morning.
This is the most luxurious train of the show. Stadler’s Flirt Nordic Express EMU.The driver’s desk1st Class has some very luxurious reclining seats. There’s a family coach which even has a Wendy house with slide!Inside the Bistro car.
In contrast, here’s details and the interior of CRRC’s commuter Vellink EMU.
1340.
Having done what I wanted to at Innotrans I left by midday. There were lots of things I never got to see (or photograph) but that’s just the way it is – the show’s so vast! Now I’m exploring railways in the ‘wild’ so to speak. First stop was Spandau, which has a great selection of Intercity, regional and local services passing through.
16;55.
I left Spandau on an ICE that took me over new lines to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. It was far quicker than relying on the S-Bahn. From the HbF I headed East to a favourite location of mine, Warschauer Straße. it’s a busy station on the S-bahn in the old East and terminus of the historic U1 line as well as a tram route. Oh, there’s also a Talgo train depot! I’ll add pictures as soon as I can. Now I’m abandoning Berlin before the rush hour ro head to Potsdam for a while to pick up some shopping and breakfast for the morrow. Werder (where I’m staying) is lovely, but shopping is limited to say the least.
Seen from the overbridge at Warschauer Straße, an S-bahn train passes another in the stabling sidings. The dome of St. Nicholas Church in Potsdam this evening. Potsdam still operates some of the the old Tatra (Czech built) trams which were a staple of the old Eastern bloc countries.
I’d liked to have explored Potsdam more as it looks to be a lovely city. It certainly has its place in history due to the famous World War 2 Potsdam conference, when Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt carved out the future political shape of Europe. A situation that lasted for more than 40 years, until the fall of the Berlin wall.
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Yesterday things didn’t quite go to plan due to the weather staying sunny all day. That and massive crowds of people meant that the idea of getting decent internal shots of some of the new trains for the Nordics, Austria and the UK went out of the window. I spent most of my time trawling the halls for interesting things to photograph instead.
Today’s different. we had rain overnight and the skies remain cloudy, so I’ve made a start at getting pictures. Innotrans will quieten down a lot today – as you can tell by the amount of suitcases left in the luggage area in the main foyer! This afternoon I’ll be heading out to Spandau for a couple of hours on a press trip with Siemens to have a look at an autonomous train they’re testing.
In the meantime, here’s a new selection of pictures from yesterday and today, including from an event this morning when Siemens handed over one of the new London Underground trains to Transport for London.
Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility presents a momento made from the same material as the trains to Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London.Inside the new tube trains for the Piccadilly line. Hyundai Rotem unveiled this striking new high speed train model.Two new OBB Railjet trains were on show, one from Siemens and one from Stadler. This is the interior of the 200kph Stadler KISS
I’ll be adding more later…
21:45.
A small update as it’s been yet another very busy day. Thanks to Siemens a few of us got to ride on and learn about theur autonomus train project. It’s an interesting idea that’s been three years in development. It’s also worth a blog in its own right because it’s a complex project. Here’s the train out at Spandau. Observant eyes may notice that this is the Mireo that aas bult as a hydrogen powered train.
Now it’s days end and I’m kicking back at my villa in Werder. I’ll be back at Innotrans for the final day first thing tomorrow as I have a lot of interesting pictures to add, which include the excellent new train for Norway, which is being built by Stadler.
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I’m back at Innotrans this morning on a lovely crisp and sunny day. In fact, for some of what I want to do it’s just too sunny! I’ve been concentrating on outdoor shots and mooching around the vast number of halls here. But there’s some really exciting new train interiors to take a look at and photograph, but that’s best done on quieter days and when the sun isn’t streaming through the train windows. As the weather’s due to cloud up later today that’s what I hope to do. In the meantime, here’s a few more pictures form yesterday.
People flood off the S-Bahn at Messe Sud on their way into Innotrans. There will be more than 300,000 people attending over the course of the event.Trains of many colours…As well as real trains there’s plenty of models too – like these 400kph Chinese bullet trains from CRRC. The UK had its own pavilion here at Innotrans, but other British companies could be found elsewhere too – like Rosehill polymers from my own town of Halifax, West Yorkshire!The world’s press and media are out in force at Innotrans. We have a base to work from in hall 6.3.At the end of day 1 some company’s lay on a free bar and food for people attending the event. this is the bar at Fraauscher (part of Wabtec)Frauscher even laid on a band!
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Today Innotrans opens its doors to the world’s rail industry and the madness begins as 1000s of people flood in to look at what’s on offer. Enormous amounts of shoe leather will be expended over the next few days as people tramp the halls or view the outdoor exhibits. I’ll be blogging on and off throughout the day as I visit old friends and colleagues from various companies whilst catching up on new technologies.
Some of the stands here are huge (and expensive). Stadler’s is mid-range…Dual power locomotives are much on show at the moment. Here’s CZ Loko’s ‘dual shunter 2000’ which rather puts the humble British Class 08 to shame…
14:25.
It’s only early afternoon and I’ve already banked 17,000 steps today! Here’s a few more pictures for your delectation.
CRRC launch 4 new trainsSiemens have several stands here but their main one’s the size of a village!A model of the Velim test track.Looking down on the main outdoor exhibit area.
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My plan to blog throughout this trip fell at the first hurdle. Whilst I’m in 1st Class on the Polish run ‘Berlin – Warsaw express’ there’s no wifi on board. Well, unless you use the buffet and on this train laptops are banned from there! Admittedly, it is a little more swanky than the last PKP catering vehicle I was in where they were allowed. This one has padded seats but no places to perch that aren’t sit down tables for dining. Ah, well. I’ll do what I can on my phone. As I’d not had chance to try Polish food and this was my last chance I treated myself to the Pierogi (stuffed dumplings) which were really rather good.
Lots of seats for eating, but nowhere to perch if you’re just having something to drink.
I’m not staying on the express all the way to Berlin. I’m not in that much of a rush so I’m going to change a couple of times, first at Rzepin, then at Kostrzyn. This will allow me to sample a few different trains en-route to Berlin-Mahlsdorf. Not that it’s the end of the journey as I’m actually staying just outside Potsdam. When Innotrans is on Berlin hotel prices go through the roof but if you’re prepared to be flexible and travel a little you can get some far better deals.
Right now I’m two hours into the first train journey, which is fine, apart from the lack of wifi – and tables. I’m seated in an old-fashioned compartment. Well, the coach itself is very modern, it’s merely the seating layout. The UK did away with compartment stock donkeys years ago. But they’re still popular in Europe.
The trip’s traversed gently undulating farmland via a couple of main railway junctions. I’m beginning to miss hills, I haven’t seen any on this trip at all so far. The most popular crop I see out of the train windows seems to be maize. It’s everywhere, but I’m unsure if its grown for human consumption or as animal feed although to be honest – I haven’t seen that many farm animals.
15:30.
I abandoned my swish 1st Class train at a small station called Rzepin. The station may be quiet but it’s an important railway junction with wide fans of freight sidings and a locomotive depot full of shunting engines – the sort of thing that’s unheard of in the UK nowadays. The depot still retains a turntable and small roundhouse. This trip on a regional EMU to Kostrzyn takes a little over 30 mins. Even though it’s a quiet rural train stopping at all stations I had my Interrail ticket and passport checked. The passport check was to confirm the validity of my ticket.
16:25.
Phew! Made it…
My inbound stopper was late and with a tight connection I didn’t even have time to grab any pictures. Kostryzn station’s on two levels and the Berlin train goes from ‘upstairs’ but you have to go up and down a footbridge first!
16:50.
We’re now heading along a single track branch line towards Berlin, passing through semi-derelict stations, some with enormous defunct buildings that have outlived their usefulness, like Munchenburg. Others have history boards which remind me of the work community rail volunteers do back in the UK.
21:30.
Our trip into Berlin was greeted by black skies and a torrential rainstorm that lasted just a few minutes before the skies cleared back to blue. I wasn’t sad to leave the train as the air cobditioning had been struggling for most of the trip, making it a sweaty one. Due to engineering work on DB’s central corrider through Berlin from East to West I had to make the entire journey to Charlottenburg from Lichtenburg by S-bahn. Only then could I catch a ‘proper’ train for the last 35 minute trip to Werder, where I’m staying. I have six nights in an extremely nice villa – but there’s no wifi, so you’ll have to wait for pictures until tomorrow. Well, apart from this one!
I think I’ll have coffee on my private balcony in the morning. It’s through those curtained doors.
Tomorrow I’ll be at the Innotrans preview, but before I do I’ll flesh this blog out with a few more pictures. We’ll be finished early in the afternoon, so I’ll post pictures of what’s on show as soon as I can. The full show begins on Tuesday, which is when the madness starts…
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I’m staying in Warsaw until 11:00 tomorrow when I move on to Berlin, so I have a full day to explore the city. The weather’s gorgeous with clear blue skies. The temperature is due to hit 21 degrees, so I’m out exploring. My first destination was the old town which was half an hour’s walk away. That time wasn’t wasted as I got to see the more of the modern city. I have to say, I’m impressed with Warsaw. The quality of its transport infrastructure puts many UK cities to shame. Especially the provision for cycling. But then, that’s been 6. 3off the idea that the only way to get around it by car – and they’re all much nicer places for it. Unfortunately, there’s still a mindset in Britain that car’s should come first and any attempt to provide safe and attractive options for pedestrians and cyclists is an ‘attack on the motorist’.
5i made it to to the old town early, so as to avoid the tourist hordes. Most bars and restaurants were still closed which gave me the opportunity to take pictures of nearly empty streets. The architecture and artwork of the old town is gorgeous, even more so when you realise that it’s been painstakingly recreated. During world war 2 the old town was razed to the ground by the Nazis in retaliation for the Warsaw Uprising. 85% of it was destroyed. There’s many plaques on buildings explaining their significance during t53hose awful, brutal times. I’ve a whole selection of pictures to edit when I get the time, but here’s a few for now.
After experiencing the darker side of human history I encountered something completely different. I hadn’t realised, but Warsaw was hosting the annual international tram driving competition. Imagine ‘it’s a knockout’ with trams! Teams form 26 countries (including the UK, who sent a team from Croydon) compete on various challenges which show off their skills in driving trams. It’s wonderful. Warsaw had turned it into a big event with displays of old trams and buses and lots of family activities. Thousands of people turned up.
Tram skittles!
the event was so much fun that I changed my plans to hang around, watch and take pictures. Next year the event is in Luxembourg in July.
Right, that’s all for now. The flaky wifi here in the hotel won’t let me add more. I’ll (hopefully) blog from the train to Berlin tomorrow.
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Sadly, the weather’s let me down today. I’ve been really lucky everywhere I’ve been up to now, there was an evening shower in Tallinn, but the next day was fabulous. I was looking forward to exploring Vilnius this morning, but the weather’s been crap. It’s been raining since I woke up at 07:00 so I decided to make the most of the facilities where I’m staying (I have a great room with a desk and a kitchenette) to catch up on editing some of the pictures from the last 9 days travels.
I’ve now cleared my French collection, which can be found on my Zenfolio picture website. The railway ones are here and the travel ones here.
The weather’s slowly clearing. The forecast is that the rain will stop by mid afternoon, which is when I’ll head off into the old town. I did nip out to the station earlier to have a quick look at the adjacent railway museum and check out picture opportunities before I leave for Warsaw on the 12:20 tomorrow. Here’s a couple of pictures for now.
It’s fair to say that (being outdoors) some of the exhibits at the railway museum are looking a little the worse for wear. Like this ChME3 class heavy shunting locomotive! At the station I found this ER20 class “Eurorunner” from Siemens. Originally bought to work freight trains, they now find themselves on passenger services, like this one – the 12:35 to Klaipėda.
OK, the rain seems to have stopped, so I’m off exploring…
18th September update.
I was conned! the rain didn’t clear up until nearly 16:00! Still, I had chance to explore more of the railway station before heading off into the old town, brolly in hand. Vilnius is quite hilly, which makes walking more exerting than in Riga, but it’s rewarding because (like Tallinn) you never know what you’re going to find when you peek round corners and into doorways. There’s a lot of restoration work going on in the old town, parts of which can be quite rundown. Even so, it’s an attractive town with some great architecture. It didn’t really come to life until after 17:00 when – with the rain having stopped – all the restaurants and bars but their tables and chairs out in the streets. There was even a huge screen in one square that was showing opera in the evening.
Here’s a few pictures.
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Right now I’m on my way from Tallinn to Riga by train with one change at a place called Valga.
I was up early this morning to make the most of my last few hours in Tallinn. Breakfast was included at my hotel, so I was filling up on rice, eggs and a bean stew just after 07:00 in a cast but empty room.The weather had changed today. We had bright sunshine and cloudless skies which I was determined to make the most of – as you’ll see in pictures I’ll post later. Here’s a tip. If you want to experience Tallinn at its most peaceful and get pictures that do it justice -get out early. The tourist hordes start appearing by 8AM. Before that you almost have the streets to yourself.
I wandered for a couple of hours with no real plan where to go, other than on a whim. It was brilliant! I love exploring like thia as you’ve no idea what you’re going to find.
My train left at 10:18 but I made sure I was there in plenty of time to get a few pictures. The Valga service is worked by a modern Stadler built diesel unit which is more configured for local services with 3+2 seating and no plug sockets, although it does have wifi. It’s perfectly comfortable – just Spartan. Seat reservations are required but pointless as the cars aren’t numbered and nor are the seats.
I’ve saved a day on my Interrail pass by buying a local 2nd class ticket which works out cheaper. There’s not much difference between 1st and Standard Class on these trains anyway.
The trips been interesting as I’ve been able to see Rural Estonia. It’s heavily wooded and the variety of trees would keep a tree spotter very happy as it’s not just fir plantations, there’s plenty of deciduous trees like silver birch too. Housing is quite scattered with traditional wooden bungalows contrasting with small villages where the homes are more substantial. It’s quiet everywhere.
The railway’s seeing a lot of changes. ‘Rail Baltica’ construction work is obvious near Tallin, whilst the existing line’s seeing rural stations having platforms extended. Other locations are getting stations for the first tine.
One stop was Tapa, ehich vontained a preserved Soviet era steam loco and decaying station buildings. Akso, acres of empty freight sidings which presumably would have been full of freight traffic to/from Russia before Putin’s ‘3 day war’ in Ukraine which has now lasted longer than the ‘great patriotic war’ against Nazi Germany. Tapa still boasts a wagon repair shops and train stabling, which mark its importance.
12:15.
Since we called at Tamsalu we’ve been crawling along. Some times no faster than walking pace. This single-track section of line’s being electrified and having new signalling installed, which is affecting performance. I only hope this has been factored in to the journey time!
13:00.
We’ve made it as far as Tartu, which is as far as the new Southwards electrification will reach. A lot of passengers detrained here, which led to a pleasent discovery. This train does have plug sockets! They’re under the small tables in seating bays of four on the raised floor areas of each vehicle. That’s a relief as my phone battery was down to 50%.
15;05.
Despite the engineering work along the line we arrived in Valga spot on time. Our connecting train had arrived in the platform a few seconds before! The cross-platform interchange was easy. My new conveyance is rather more upmarket than the last as it has at seat catering services and is altogether more plush, with more tables (including backseat ones). I took advantage of the menus offered to me by one of the two young lady hostesses to order a black coffee (not bad) and a cinnamon bun. It set me back a grand total of three Euros fifty!
From this Estonian unit to…– this Lithuanian one, which works the international service from Varga through Riga to Vilnius.
Whilst this train’s more upmarket, I’m not sure about the ride quality. I’m sat in the same position I was on the earlier train and this one’s ‘hunting’ a lot. The 730m type are built by PESA of Poland whilst my earlier train was built by Stadler of Switzerland. Of course, the problem could just be the track. I can’t judge if Latvian railways have had the same level of investment that Estonia is seeing.
Another difference is that this train seems to be an ‘all stops’ service, which isn’t a problem. In some ways it makes it more interesting – as does the weather, which has turned into a mix of sunshine and showers! The countryside’s becoming more diverse too. It’s still heavily forested, but far more undulating, causing the railway to twist and turn.
23:00.
It’s time to close this blog. I’m now in Riga which is a world away from Tallinn, but fascinating in another way. I’ll explain more in tomorrow’s blog. I’ve two nights here, which is a luxury. Admittedly, the place I’m staying in isn’t luxurious – but it has a washing machine! I’ve now got a weeks worth of dirty clothes clean – even if my room resembles a Chinese laundry. I’m really looking forward to having time to explore tomorrow, knowing that I’m prepped for the next leg of the trip. In the meantime here’s the first few pictures from Riga.
These Soviet era diesel trains are still in use on some services. The DR1 design dates back to 1963 although this unit wasn’t built until after the collapse of the soviet union. The sides of the DR1A catch the evening sunlight.The eastern bloc feel continues on the streets where these Tatra T3 trams (a design dating back to 1960) are still in operation.
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The ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn was a great way to travel and a fascinating experience in people-watching. This wasn’t just a ferry, it’s more a cruise. There were live shows aboard, multiple restaurants, a piano bar and a massive duty-free shop which was doing a roaring trade as Swedes stocked up on cheap booze. Mind you, it wasn’t just Swedes or Estonians aboard. I was surprised to find groups of Chinese, Japanese and even Indian tourists travelling.
I didn’t join in the partying. Instead I retreated to my cabin for a good night’s sleep. The ferry was large enough that there was no pitching and rolling or feeling of being out at sea so a good night’s sleep was easy.
The Baltic Queen in Tallinn.
We arrived at Tallinn at 11:00. Sadly, the sunshine that’s followed me most of the trip decided to abandon me today. Tallinn had seen a downpour and residual but intermittent rain remained. For some that was no bad thing because when I walked into town I encountered the runners of the Tallinn marathon!
Marathon running. Not something you want to be doing in blazing heat.Encouragement. I’m not sure of the relevance of the dinosaur tho’..
As I had a couple of hours to kill before I could check into my hotel I watched the runners, many of whom had clearly come from all across Europe to take part. Next, I popped over to the railway station to check out the place before catching my train tomorrow. Sadly, Estonian railways has modernised their fleet in recent years. All that was around were modern diesel and electric multiple units. Good for passengers, but not so interesting from an enthusiasts perspective.
Passenger operator Elron uses modern Stadler ‘Flirt’ trains in Estonia.
Finally, it was time to get to my hotel in the old town, and it didn’t disappoint. The St Olav hotel’s a refurbished neoclassical building dating from 1437 with a quirky interior but comfortable rooms. It’s a great base from which to explore the old town, which is delightful.
You can’t beat a quirky vintage hotel.My room
I’ve enjoyed exploring Tallin, a medieval town with amazing buildings and streets which are full of nooks and crannies. Unsurprisingly, it can get very busy during the day with tourists – especially when cruise ships are visiting, but in the evening it’s much quieter which makes it a great time to explore. Here’s a few shots from my wanderings.
Not a menu for veggies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somewhere with Elk on the menu before.A backstreet Italian restaurant. The rain returned this evening. Which always makes for good reflective pictures, especially now the streets are quiet. The remains of the old city walls.
I’ve enjoyed my day in Tallinn, it’s a gorgeous place rich in history. I’d certainly come back, but tomorrow I’m on the move again. This time to Riga in Latvia.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
