China : November 2005
30/11/05 15:56
A visit to several recently discovered steam worked industrial systems in Xinjiang and Gansu provinces in the north west of China, including the massive opencast coal mine at Sandaoling where over 30 steam locos were in daily use.
go to report Czech Rep : Sep/Oct 2005
31/10/05 15:53
Diesel hauled freight trains are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the Czech Republic but two lines to Poland still carry fairly heavy traffic hauled by double headed diesels. This report details a two week photographic trip to the Letohrad - Miedzylesie line and the Liberec area in early autumn.
go to report China : September 2005
30/09/05 15:48
The Daban to Chabuga section of the JiTong Railway was still steam worked in September 2005 but the diesels started to take over at the beginning of October. This report covers my last trip to see steam on this wonderful line, the last steam worked main line on the planet. We also spent a few days on the excellent Huanan narrow gauge railway in north-eastern Manchuria.
go to report Czech Rep : July 2005 (2)
31/07/05 15:45
The Brno - Jihlava line is notable for its frequent loco hauled passenger trains and excellent scenery. Brno's colourful fleet of class 754s share passenger duties with class 742s and a selection of railcars, some more acceptable than others.
go to report Czech Rep : July 2005 (1)
30/07/05 15:31
Sometimes the weather stays dull and wet for days on end and there's nothing to do but travel around, exploring new lines and seeking out new photo locations, while waiting for the clouds to clear. This was such a trip.
go to report Czech Rep : June 2005 (2)
30/06/05 15:28
Plzen's blue, white and yellow class 754 diesels can be found working passenger trains on the line to Domazlice. The line's north-south orientation and the concentration of traffic early and late in the day make it an ideal candidate for a midsummer trip.
go to report Czech Rep : June 2005 (1)
29/06/05 20:32
A wet weekend attempting to photograph trains in Praha. In spite of the poor weather, a few breaks in the cloud did permit a number of reasonable photos, particularly around Praha hlavni nadrazi (main station) with its superb overall roof. In total, more than ten classes of diesel and electric were seen in and around the city, varying from the latest pendolino EMUs to the ageing class 141s.
go to report Czech Rep : May 2005
31/05/05 20:29
A return visit to the Liberec area to see the last concentration of class 753s at work on freights to Zawidow in Poland.
go to report Czech Rep : Apr/May 2005
30/05/05 20:26
A longer trip to three different, scenic, diesel worked lines in the Czech Republic, starting in the north with the last class 753s working freights in the Liberec area. Then came a visit to see the class 714 and 742 hauled passengers on the Nachod to Mezimesti line, further east, and finally the colourful class 754 worked passengers on the Brno - Veseli nad Moravou main line in the far south.
go to report Czech Rep : April 2005
30/04/05 20:13
A short trip to the Tisnov area west of Brno, covering the diesel worked line from Tisnov to Zdar nad Sazavou via Bystrice nad Pernstejnem and the electrified Brno to Havlickuv Brod main line.
go to report China : Feb/Mar 2005
31/03/05 20:11
This report covers a short trip to some of the best steam worked industrial railways in the North East of China during early March 2005. We visited Meihekou, Jixi, Dayan and Jalainur. Winter in the North East can be unbearably cold but spring tends to be warm and wet. For a brief period in between it's not too cold but still bright and sunny. Fortunately, our trip coincided with this transition and we enjoyed virtually unbroken sunshine for the duration.
go to report China : Jan/Feb 2005
28/02/05 20:08
Bryan Acford reports from his 20th Anniversary trip to China, visiting Pingdingshan, Yuzhou, Xingyang, Tiefa, Lindong, Yuanbaoshan and Pingzhuang.
go to report China : Dec 2004/Jan 2005
31/01/05 20:04
This was a short trip to Central China where several of the operations in the Xuzhou area sounded interesting. We were attracted partly by the presence of high deflector QJs as well as locos from the final batch of 20 built in 1988. There were risks of course, not least from creeping dieselisation. However, the situation was far worse than we had anticipated.
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