Was one of the most beautiful rides of my life. ๐
Travelling around the world by train, showcasing the best of what railways have to offer! I make videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SuperalbsTravels?sub_confirmation=1
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Was one of the most beautiful rides of my life. ๐
Some of the commuter trains in Vienna use these loco-hauled rakes of double-deck carriages, some of the nicest ones out there, with a pleasant interior featuring reclining seats. And these carriages sure are tall (as you'd expect)! ๐
Let's head from Budapest to Vienna on the famous Railjet in First Class, taking around 2h40m. Decided to treat myself to lunch in the @DiningCar.at too, an organic yellow vegetable curry - always a civilised experience to dine on the rails. ๐
That's absolutely ridiculous if what you're saying is true. Nonsense like this is why railways often fail to get stuff done. ๐
A rare find, as an รBB 1116 works a domestic Hungarian InterCity train into Budapest-Nyugati. This is one of the locos allocated to the cargo sector too, making it extra special! ๐
Still plenty of older locomotives here, with some dating back to the earlyโ1960s, and just about hanging on. It goes nicely with the retro interior of these carriages, too! ๐
The locomotive scene in Budapest is often changing these days, with the addition of these rather uncommon Alstom 'Astride' locomotives, and more Vectrons now operating for MรV. ๐ญ๐บ
Arrival into Budapest-Keleti just after 9am, one of my favourite stations in the world! ๐
It was like 50% of the carriage, I think?
For sure! ๐
Exactly! ๐
Some of the many locomotives we have on the long ride from Rijeka to Budapest, with the diesel locomotive necessary due to the temporary closure of the regular route through Veszprรฉm. This 40yr old sleeper is such a beautiful place to spend the night. ๐ฅฐ
Climbing out of Rijeka on the Retro Istria Express to Budapest! ๐
Nothing beats a fresh-air window on an overnight train! ๐ฅ
Next up, the MรV Retro Istria Express to Budapest, where I'll be travelling in this beautiful 1985-built sleeper from VEB Waggonbau Gรถrlitz in East Germany. It's gonna be a scenic 14hr ride up to the Hungarian capital tonight! ๐
Another arrival into Rijeka, this horrible multiple unit on the 6hr trip from Zagreb. There is something seriously wrong with railways in Croatia, if spartan trains like this end up on such long journeys... ๐ญ
Now for a short ride with HลฝPP here in Croatia, from the comfort of a classic loco-hauled train with spacious compartments. Not seen this weird bike storage area before though! ๐
Arrived in Rijeka, Croatia! ๐ญ๐ท What a great journey with PKP Intercity. Such a complex operation, organise at very short notice. A perfect example of what can happen when the train companies really want to. ๐
Onwards to Slovenia, the fourth country of this epic train ride. Lovely to get a couple of these classic Sลฝ 363 'broken nose' locos on the train too, they're full of character! ๐ธ๐ฎ
Made it to Wien Westbahnhof, where this classic รBB electric locomotive takes over the train! ๐ We also drop off a few carriages here, continuing as just a three car rake through the alps...
We continue onwards into the Czech Republic, changing locomotive at Bohumรญn. And before bed, it's time for a meal - breakfast pancakes with beer, because everything else is out of stock (wtf). ๐
Heading further south in Poland, and it's time to visit the world-famous @DiningCar.at on PKP Intercity. It's a camembert cheese with salad for me this afternoon, delicious! ๐๐ต๐ฑ
Welcome aboard the PKP Intercity Adriatic Express, an epic 20hr trip from Warsaw, Poland to Rijeka, Croatia. This is my comfy and spacious four-bed room for the epic overnight journey through five countries... been looking forward to this one a lot! ๐๐ต๐ฑ
Warsaw's railways by sunset... ๐ต๐ฑ
Riding around Warsaw on Koleje Mazowieckie's modernised EN57 trains, easily the most common electric units in Poland. ๐ต๐ฑ
Time for a ride on a double-deck train operated by Koleje Mazowieckie. It's one of just a few double-deck trains in Poland, with this one running a Siedlce-Warszawa service this evening. Certainly an exciting livery! ๐
A meal from the @DiningCar.at, served at my seat for a small extra charge. I'll be having some traditional Polish pierogi for lunch - very tasty as always! ๐
Another ride on PKP Intercity's fantastic #Pendolino service today, from Krakรณw to Warsaw in Second Class. These are such comfortable, stylish, and smooth trains to ride, and they're the fastest in the country too! ๐
Yes, where Business Class is actually second class.
Hahahaha ยฃ450 for a 3hr train ride ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
Yeah, anyone could go! :)
How can they mess it up so much? ๐
It was! ๐
That's a generous description.
๐
Exactly, nobody wins from a 25 minute gap.
I usually am.
Unfortunately, that's right! ๐
๐๐๐
That would have been cool! ๐
Nope, not this time (due to personal illness).
Not what I expected from somewhere so obsessed with frivolous lawsuits and health & safety! ๐คฃ
I doubt there will be any saved, sadly. It's a real shame, but then the entire story was a shame too...
Such an awful shame. ๐
Keeps things organised in an emergency. Hope the train isn't sideways.
Me too!
Thanks!
Another great railtour after visiting #TheGreatestGathering in Derby, making for a rare chance to ride behind a UK Class 69 locomotive! ๐ Riding in these old Mk2 coaches was a great experience, a smooth and quiet ride isn't something you often see in the UK anymore...
A few more pics from #TheGreatestGathering!
Lovely to get early access to @Alstom.bsky.social's #TheGreatestGathering event at Derby Litchurch Lane, it was interesting to see inside a train factory and there were also many beautiful UK locomotives on show! ๐
A great railtour the other day, as I took a Class 390 from Crewe to Derby hauled by a Class 57. Safe to say, it's not too often you get to see a Pendolino in this part of the country, so it was a very fun trip. Also covered the rare track around Lichfield, and the line into Derby Litchurch Lane.
Flying back Istanbul in a very comfy declassified Business Class seat with #TurkishAirlines! As we descend, we get a glimpse of the now closed Atatรผrk airport, to then fly a quarter of the way to Bulgaria and land at Istanbul's horrific awful new airport. ๐ฅด
And we made it to Kars, running exactly 120 minutes late! What an incredible journey this was, well worth a go if you can get the tickets. I recommend travelling in summer for the long days. ๐
Sunset on the approach to Kars... ๐น๐ท
Erzurum, our last major stop. And is that a British track machine from Colas Rail? ๐
Arrival at Divriฤi, where the electrification ends and our locomotive gets a refuelling. The scenery around here is some of the best I've seen anywhere in the world - what a truly legendary rail journey! ๐
Good morning from the centre of Turkey, where our journey towards the scenic highlights continues! ๐น๐ท
My bedroom aboard the Doฤu Ekspresi, to Turkey's far east. It's nothing special, but at around ยฃ85 I'm pretty happy. ๐ด
A visit to what is possibly the worst @DiningCar.at I've ever experienced! While the man at the counter was absolutely fantastic, the food was not... No full meals are available, so I went for the "three cheese sandwich" (!), while @paullucas.bsky.social had the cat food. ๐ญ
Time for one of the world's most epic train journeys, the Doฤu Ekspresi to Kars in Eastern Turkey! ๐น๐ท I've got a private couchette for this 26 hour ride through some of the most incredible scenery this country has to offer. This is going to be a great ride. ๐
Marmaray is bleak, and so is Sirkeci "Tram".
Four light meals, because you are substantial. ๐ฌ
Unfortunately my return working is over 3 hours late, so it's back to Ankara on this Baลkentray commuter train with unusually high windows. โน๏ธ
A few loco rides this morning, first up a very noisy "Kennedy" diesel locomotive from the 1980s, complete with a glowing silver underframe - what an absolute stunner! ๐
Staying in the coolest hotel in Ankara tonight, it's actually situated inside the station! Downstairs are high-speed trains, upstairs are comfy beds. ๐ด
Scenery from the Turkish YHT train... ๐น๐ท
bleak
Time for a ride on Turkey's incredible high-speed train, as I take the YHT Velaro from Istanbul Sรถฤรผtlรผรงeลme to Ankara YHT. Booked out a VIP compartment for this 4.5hr journey too, it's gonna be a great trip! ๐
Implying that our train has sleeper cars. ๐ฅบ๐
Sรถฤรผtlรผรงeลme Station, Istanbul It's certainly a lot better than when I last used it, with a large food court and a proper waiting area. Great to finally see transport in Istanbul improving a little... ๐
And to finish the day, a nice ride on the ferry at sunset. Great to be joined by my good friend @paullucas.bsky.social for the exciting adventures over the coming days. ๐
This used to be the route of the famous Orient Express and so many more incredible trains - now it's this... These basic commuter trains run every 25 minutes, which is a really annoying schedule to plan around. What a sad mess! ๐ญ
The line out of Sirkeci nowadays, it's a single-track route with the space formerly used for the other track now an almost entirely unused cycle path. Even the stations have two platforms, but only one track. ๐
Once one of the most iconic stations in Europe, ฤฐstanbul Sirkeci is now a shadow of its former?self, with the only remaining service here being a commuter train every 25(!?) minutes. It really is disgraceful to see such a historic place in such a sad state. ๐ญ
Just some of the many modes of transit you can use here in Istanbul... ๐น๐ท
It's been a wild ride... ๐ฅน
The beauty of ฤฐstanbul Haydarpaลa station, seen from a passing ferry. This iconic station was closed 12 years ago with the arrival of the Marmaray tunnel, leaving the high-speed trains terminating at ฤฐstanbul Sรถฤรผtlรผรงeลme. Let's hope it opens back up soon... โน๏ธ
One of the greatest railway journeys of all time.
Time to fly to #Istanbul with #BritishAirways! ๐
And arrival into #Miami around 50 minutes late. Great journey on @Amtrak.com, it's certainly a pleasant and more relaxed way to travel around the USA... ๐
Time for a nice continental breakfast in the @Amtrak.com @diningcar.at, as we slowly make our way south and into Florida.
Time for bed on the @Amtrak.com #SilverMeteor... ๐ด
Arrival at Washington DC, where our long-distance @Amtrak.com train changes power from an electric ACS64 locomotive to two P42DC diesel locomotives. We've still got a long way to go though! ๐
Time for the @Diningcar@rail.chat on @Amtrak.com! It's some sort of pasta dish and a slice of cake for me today, which was pretty nice. ๐
One of the many sights on this sunlit evening is the old Amtrak Turboliner, a gas turbine powered unit, painted in a very smart and modern livery. Sadly, after withdrawal in 2003, the trains never properly re-entered service... โน๏ธ
Now for an iconic @Amtrak.com sleeper, I'm on the #SilverMeteor in the comfort of a Viewliner II Roomette. It's gonna be a great 28.5hr trip down to #Miami I think! ๐
The next generation of the @Amtrak.com #Acela... ๐
A complimentary meal from the @Diningcar@rail.chat is included on the @Amtrak.com #Acela, and I went for a cheese and fruit plate. I have to say, the presentation is excellent, some real attention to detail on the service. And it tasted pretty good too! ๐
The @Amtrak.com #Acela train, still the only true high-speed train in the USA. And I'm riding it in First Class up to New York City today, a true privilege before these older trains get replaced in a few months (or whenever the new trains start)! ๐
On-time arrival into Washington DC, and what a privilege it was to meet #TrainsAreAwesome here, thanks for showing me around! ๐ His channel is well worth a look for transit content, check it out here: www.youtube.com/@Thom-TRA
Time to ride @Amtrak.com! This is the #NortheastRegional, a classic InterCity train connecting the US East Coast's major cities, today hauled by an ACS-64 electric locomotive from Siemens. I don't usually do early mornings, but with that view, I'm sure glad I did! ๐
The Moynihan Train Hall at New York Penn, one of the world's most beautiful train stations... ๐บ๐ธ
I have a strange feeling this door is not supposed to be open... ๐ค
Time for an afternoon riding #njtransit's loco-hauled trains around. They really need to do something about those windows though, it's terrible! ๐ญ
And we made it to New York City! Now time to take a double-deck @njtransit train into Manhattan... ๐บ๐ธ
Funny little jetbridge for my propeller plane today! I guess it's a propbridge.
Time to fly to the USA on this mysterious white plane with no sink! ๐ No prizes for guessing where I'm flying into... ;)
And we arrived in #Halifax after 22 hours, we even came in 20 minutes early. What an incredible journey with #ViaRail #TheOcean on an incredible carriage! I won't be forgetting this one in a hurry. ๐ฅฐ By the way, check out the customly-built steps to account for the low-platforms here in Canada...
It's not just imported British stock on #ViaRail #TheOcean either, with some classic 1970s Chรขteau series cars too. It's a very unusual layout nowadays, but very cool to see, I'd love to try it out one time... ๐
