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Line 000 Praha Area |
34 Pictures - Last Updated 29/06/06 |
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Praha (Prague) is the capital of the Czech Republic and the hub of the country's rail system. A wide variety of electric locos and MUs and a few diesels can be seen in action around the city. The overall roof of the main station makes it a fine location for photography.
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Line 010 Pardubice Area |
10 Pictures - Last Updated 17/05/06 |
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Pardubice is one of the country's larger towns and is located on the electrified main line from Praha to the major cities of Ostrava and Brno. The rail scene is characterised by heavy passenger and freight traffic. Like many Czech towns, you don't have to go very far to find pleasant open countryside. |
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Line 010 Ceska Trebova Area |
28 Pictures - Last Updated 16/06/06 |
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Ceska Trebova is a railway town with a major marshalling yard, locomotive depot and locomotive works, situated at the junction of the electrified main lines to Ostrava and Brno. Just to the north, the railway threads through a range of wooded hills offering the best scenic locations on the whole line.
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Line 021 Letohrad - Lichkov |
35 Pictures - Last Updated 06/05/07 |
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It's getting difficult to find heavy diesel freights that aren't hauled by the ubiquitous (and uninspiring) class 742s. Letohrad - Lichkov was one of the principal exceptions with pairs of class 751s working trains between Letohrad and Miedzylesie in Poland. There were also a few class 749 hauled passengers and attractive scenery as well. The line is now in the process of being electrified and the freights have been diverted to run via Mezimesti.
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Line 025 Dolni Lipka - Hanusovice |
3 Pictures - Last Updated 07/07/07 |
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Since the demise of the Praha - Jesenik passenger service this scenic line has become even more of a rural backwater. At least there's still a pick up goods at the west end of the line. |
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Line 026 Tyniste n/O - Mezimesti |
12 Pictures - Last Updated 07/07/07 |
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The line from Tyniste nad Orlici to Mezimesti via Nachod was unusual for retaining a predominantly locomotive hauled passenger service into the 21st Century. During my 2005 visit there were class 714s and 742s on local passengers, a couple of class 749 worked long distance passenger trains and a handful of freights worked by classes 742 and 750. By 2007, most of the locals were railbuses and the long distance passengers were history but there were still a few interesting freight workings. The south end of the line is relatively unscenic but there are some excellent locations between Nachod and Mezimesti. |
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Line 030 Liberec - Turnov - Jaromer |
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This long cross country route runs through some excellent scenery but interesting workings are few and far between these days. Until the end of 2005 there was a daily loco hauled passenger in each direction and regular class 753 hauled freights on the section west of Turnov. The 753s are still around although nothing like as active but loco hauled passengers are now limited to railcar substitutions and the weekends only Praha - Tanvald trains.
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Line 032 Jaromer - Trutnov |
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Against the trend, this line has seen an increase in loco hauled passenger workings in recent years. The fast trains are worked by class 754s but for a year or so there weren't enough of these engines available and class 749s appeared on some workings. Like the Mezimesti line, the south end of this route is fairly featureless but there are plenty of attractive locations between Ceska Skalice and Trutnov. |
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Line 037 Liberec - Cernousy |
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The Liberec - Cernousy line is a good place to photograph diesel hauled freight trains. Liberec depot had the last concentration of operational class 753 diesels in the Czech Republic and they were kept busy hauling freight on the route from Nymburk via Mlada Boleslav, Turnov and Liberec to Zawidow in Poland. The 753s are now based at Nymburk but still work through to Zawidow every day. On its way to the border the line climbs through an attractive hilly landscape before dropping through the forests to the picturesque Smeda valley. |
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Line 086 Liberec - Ceska Lipa |
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This is one of the most scenic lines in the Czech Republic and has numerous good photo positions, particularly at the Liberec end. It doesn't see many loco hauled trains these days but it's such a scenic delight that it's worth suffering the long waits to photograph the trains that do run.
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Line 120 Praha - Rakovnik |
5 Pictures - Last Updated 29/06/06 |
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This is one of the few remaining diesel worked routes from Praha and serves the steel town of Kladno on its way across the country to the provincial town of Rakovnik. Many passenger services are worked by class 714 diesels and the line is a favorite for special trains from Praha. |
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Line 140 Karlovy Vary - Chomutov |
24 Pictures - Last Updated 03/11/07 |
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This was the last diesel worked trunk route in the Czech Republic but it's now electrified. Most of my pictures were taken in diesel days before the railway has lost much of its character. The line follows the winding Ohri valley from Klasterec to Vojkovice but then takes a shortcut over a range of hills to Karlovy Vary. Until the electrification work got underway it was a superb line to photograph with double track, semaphore signals at several stations, gorgeous scenery, regular 749 hauled fast passengers and 751 worked freights. |
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Line 180 Plzen - Domazlice |
21 Pictures - Last Updated 18/05/06 |
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Plzen's blue, white and yellow class 754s are extremely photogenic and do most of their work in the gently undulating Sumava countryside between Plzen and Domazlice. The line continues over the border to Furth im Wald in Germany and sees several international passenger trains every day. |
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Line 210 Praha - Dobris / Cercany |
6 Pictures - Last Updated 03/11/07 |
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The line from Praha to Dobris and Cercany runs along the scenic Vltava and Sazava valleys, a popular area with Praha residents keen to escape the city at weekends. Summer Saturdays and Sundays see additional passenger services, longer trains and more loco haulage with class 749s hauling rakes of double deck stock on several Cercany services. |
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Line 231 Praha - Nymburk - Kolin |
4 Pictures - Last Updated 19/05/06 |
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This line isn't scenic but it is extremely busy in the Podebrady area with fast passengers on the Praha - Hradec Kralove and Kolin - Usti nad Labem routes, local passengers from Praha to Kolin and lots of freight traffic working in and out of the major yards at Nymburk and Kolin. Most of the DC electric classes can be seen working here. |
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Line 240 Brno - Jihlava |
28 Pictures - Last Updated 17/05/08 |
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A superb cross country route that winds it's way across the grain of the landscape west of Brno. The line follows a sawtooth profile with plenty of curves and gradients and several major bridges, all set in the attractive rural Moravian landscape. Brno based class 754s work the fast trains and a good proportion of stopping passengers as well. The remaining locals were shared between class 742 locos and veteran class 850 railcars until the end of 2005 but an influx of class 854 units has diluted things a bit. There is a little freight traffic, particularly at the west end of the line. |
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Line 250 Brno Area |
12 Pictures - Last Updated 20/05/06 |
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Brno is the second city of the Czech Republic, the historic capital of the Morava region and a major rail centre. Double track main lines, electrified at 25 kV AC, head north to Ceska Trebova, north-west to Zdar nad Sazavou and Kolin and south to Breclav and on towards Wien and Bratislava. There is also a single track electrified line north-east to Olomouc and Prerov. The main diesel worked lines west to Jihlava and east to Veseli nad Moravou see a good number of loco hauled services. Brno's class 754s are the most colourful in the country and many are spotlessly clean. |
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Line 250 Breclav - Havlickuv Brod |
9 Pictures - Last Updated 20/05/06 |
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For many years this was the principal passenger and freight route from the Austrian and Slovak borders near Breclav to the Praha area and beyond into Germany. In 2000, when electrification of the Ceska Trebova line was complete, the fastest passengers were diverted onto that route north of Brno but the bulk of freight traffic remained on the line via Zdar nad Sazavou. South of Brno the route is flat and uninspiring but the section to the north-west runs through superb hilly country and crosses several major viaducts. |
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Line 251 Tisnov - Zdar nad Sazavou |
15 Pictures - Last Updated 17/05/08 |
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The passenger service on this quiet backwater is unusual in being almost 100% loco hauled, probably due to the fearsome gradients on many sections. At weekends the usual class 714s are supplemented by a couple of class 750 or 754 diesels on rakes of main line coaches bringing some welcome variety to the line. This is another railway that runs through delightful scenery with plenty of good photo positions. |
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Line 290 Olomouc - Sumperk |
4 Pictures - Last Updated 18/05/08 |
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The Olomouc end of this line is operated by a mixture of class 749 diesels and veteran class 851 railcars. It's none too scenic but the countryside is quite pleasant. The Sumperk end is more scenic but there are fewer trains and many of them are worked by 4-wheel railbuses. These pictures were taken between Olomouc and Unicov in April 2008.
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Lines 291/2 Hanusovice - Zabreh n/M |
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This scenic line runs down the broad Morava valley from Hanusovice, junction for the mountain line to Jesenik, to the regional centre of Sumperk and the main line junction at Zabreh nad Morave. Many passenger services are worked by vintage railcars of classes 831 or 851 with some fast trains worked by class 749 diesels. There are several freights on most days worked class 751 diesels. |
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Line 292 Hanusovice - Jesenik |
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The line from Hanusovice to Jesenik runs through some of the finest scenery in the Czech Republic, climbing over the Jeseniky Hory mountains on the way. It also features an eclectic mix of motive power including locos of classes 749 and 751 in a variety of liveries and older railcars of classes 831 and 851. This is another photogenic line with a good variety of excellent photo positions. |
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Line 295 Lipova Lazne - Javornik v/S |
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A rural and scenic branch line with a difference. Passenger services are worked by class 810 railbuses as might be expected but the pick-up goods trains feature class 751 diesels. No prizes for guessing which trains are featured here. |
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Line 301 Olomouc - Nezamyslice |
7 Pictures - Last Updated 03/11/07 |
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The countryside around Olomouc could never be described as scenic but it is quite pleasant with open farmland, sleepy villages and gently rolling hills in places. The big attraction here was the introduction of veteran class 141 electric locos on most local passenger trains at the end of 2006, many years after they lost most of their booked line work elsewhere. |
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Line 323 Ostrava - Valasske Mez. |
11 Pictures - Last Updated 18/05/08 |
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The Ostrava end of the Valasske Mezirici line probably sees more diesel hauled trains than any other route in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately the best scenery is at the other end of the line. The section between Frydlant nad Ostravici and Frenstat pod Radhostem has a reasonable level of loco haulage and a number of excellent photo positions and was where I went to photograph class 754s in April 2008. |
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Line 340 Brno - Veseli nad Moravou |
17 Pictures - Last Updated 17/05/08 |
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With the electrification of the Karlovy Vary to Chomutov line, this line became the last double track, diesel worked route in the Czech Republic. Much of the line runs through a relatively flat landscape but the section from Brankovice to Kyjov runs through attractive hilly country. The passenger service is shared between class 754 diesels and class 842 railcars. The fleet of class 754s is the most colourful in the country and most engines are kept very clean. Freight traffic is virtually non-existent. |
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