A pair of DB diesels and a roundhouse.
DEUTSCHE BAHN 218 Class diesel-hydraulic No. 218 303-6 could be found occupying Road 8 at the Nürnberg Roundhouse, Germany, on February 15th, 2008. Inside the shed building was a whole selection of historic steam and diesel locomotives, now all sadly destroyed following a fire.
A selection of ex-Fragonset/FM Rail Class 31s.
ANOTHER ETH-FITTED Class 31/4, this one showing the scars of the FM Rail collapse in the removal of its cast cabside ‘dragon’ badge and the Fragonset lettering from the bodyside. No. 31454 Heart of Wessex wears InterCity mainline colours, which were applied to this loco and a rake of Mk. 2s after the operator gained a licence from BRB residual to use the brand. Now working for Mainline Rail, the Brush Type 2 roars through Burton-upon-Trent on July 1st, 2008.
A pair of ex-East Germany Railways 212/243 Class ’shoeboxes’.
THE HEAVY RUBBER grommets on the cab front windows of Deutsche Bahn 143 Class electric No. 143 276-4 give this particular machine a very different look to its sisters pictured elsewhere in this gallery. With its destination board displaying Dienstfahrt, the ex-DR 243 Class machine accelerates away from Uelzen Hbf, in Northern Germany, on a gorgeous April 23rd, 2008.
Some general railway views from Japan.
A SERIES 700-7000 Hikari Rail Star unit rolls into Hiroshima station on the hi-level Sanyo shinkansen route with a Shin-Osaka to Hakata service on May 10th, 2001. These eight-car, 285 km/h, trainsets are based on the current Series 700 platform and were introduced by West Japan Railways in an attempt to combat the increasing threat of internal airlines on this route.
A couple of photographs from Luzern, or if you prefer French, Lucerne.
DECORATED FOR THE Golden Pass Line, one of the great Swiss scenic rail journeys, Die Zentralbahn (also still wearing its SBB Brünig branding) HGE 4/4ii No. 101 967-8 slowly builds up speed as it leaves Luzern/Lucerne Hbf on October 15th, 2006, with a standard passenger DZB service. The ‘cog wheel’ fitted HGe 4/4ii locomotives are also used on the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn (8x ex-Furka Oberalp and 5x Brig-Visp-Zermatt), which along with the DZB machines gives a total of 21 locomotives constructed.