Tag Archives: rail operations

Catching the train deep under the Apennines

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Marcus Wong

A major link in the Italian rail network is the 18.5 kilometre long Apennine Tunnel, passing under the Apennine Mountains to connect the railways of north Italy with those of Tuscany and central Italy. But it is notable for more […] Continue reading →

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Turning a locomotive on a reversing star

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Marcus Wong

There are many ways for a locomotive to be turned – reversing loops, turntables, and triangular junctions. But there is one bizarre track configuration that can also do the same job – a reversing star. Google Maps How they work […]

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Moscow Metro curved, side and triple track stations

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Marcus Wong

Each of the 232 stations on the Moscow Metro might have a unique look, but there is one design feature the majority share – two tracks flanking a central island platform. But how about the exceptions? Adopting a standard Russian-language […]

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Switching from right to left on the Wiener Straßenbahn

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Marcus Wong

Trams on the Wiener Straßenbahn run on the right hand side just like every other road vehicle in Austria, but there is one exception – the elevated tracks of line 26. Opened in 2013, the 4.7 kilometre long extension of […]

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Trams and freight trains share the road in Bremen

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Marcus Wong

I’ve written about freight trams before, but in the city of Bremen in northeast Germany freight there is something a little different – a freight siding that shares the tram tracks. Photo by Spoorjan, via Wikimedia Commons The freight siding […]

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How do trains change to daylight savings time?

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Marcus Wong

Timekeeping is something that railways take seriously – but what happens to trains when the clocks changes from ‘normal’ time to daylight savings, and an hour is either lost or gained? Germany Deutsche Bahn cancel trains due to run in […]

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Builder’s plates on Russian-built trains

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Marcus Wong

A builder’s plate indicates who built a particular piece of machinery, as well as the the model number, serial number, and date of manufacture. Here are some examples from the rolling stock of the railways of Russia and Ukraine. ЭД4МК […]

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Sacrificial buffer stops at Munich Hauptbahnhof

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Marcus Wong

Across Europe a common theme at major railway stations is dead end platform tracks ending at buffer stops, with the main passenger concourse behind. But there was one thing I didn’t realise – sometimes the buffer stops are designed to […]

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Russia’s ‘robotic fire-fighting train’

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Marcus Wong

As well as ‘conventional’ fire-fighting trains used to put out the flames anywhere conventional fire trucks can’t reach, the Russian Railways have also started rolling out a fleet of ‘robotic’ trains that can be used to fight fires in railway […]

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Track laying trains of Russia

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Marcus Wong

My my journey across Russia by train I came across a curious looking piece of equipment parked in a siding – a track laying machine. Called a Путеукладчик in Russian, here is a similar machine at work laying track for […]

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