Trains and Trams in Europe - 4/9 to 4/26/2017, Cogs and Racks.

Hi, While in Lucerne we took two optional tours. The first included a boat ride across Lake Lucerne to the town of  Weggis followed by a cable car ride up the mountain to the town of Rigi Kaltbad, where we had dinner.

Our trip down the mountain was by cog railway. In the photo above a train is continuing up the mountain from Rigi Kaltbad.

Here the train we will take down the mountain is arriving at Rigi Kaltbad.

Our second optional tour included a a trip into the Alps to Kleine Scheidegg on the Wengernalpbahn (WAB) rack railway line. Our trip up the mountain began at Lauterbrunnen. Our train is shown above.

Here a train is arriving from Lauterbrunnen.

About an hour later a second train arrived. These trains continued down the other side of the mountain to Grindelwald.

Kleine Scheidegg is a mountain pass situated below and between the Eiger and the Lauberhorn. The lower terminus of Jungfraubahn also is located here. This rack railway climbs to Jungfraujoch; the highest point reached by rail in Europe.

A WAB work train rests at Kleine Scheidegg station.

The Jungfraubahn uses the other side of the station (above and below).

Above and two below are views of Jungfraubahn trains on the grade out of Kleine Scheidegg.

Here a work train descends the grade into Kleine Scheidegg.

This is our train getting ready to leave for Grindelwald. Thanks for looking.

Trains and trams in Europe - 4/9 to 4/26/2017 - 1

Hi, My wife Ruthe and I along with friends Cathy and Jim Kleeman enjoyed a trip to Europe in April that included 4 nights in Lucerne, Switzerland followed by a cruise down the Rhine River to Antwerp in Belgium with a side trip up the Moselle River as far as Trier, Germany.

Our hotel in Lucerne was a block and a half from the main railroad station and Jim is a very accomplished railroad photographer so there were many opportunities to photograph trains on the trip. This blog presents a selection of photos taken in Lucerne, Switzerland.

A bridge carries Tribschenstrasse over the throat to the main station. Jim, his wife Cathy and I ventured here on the afternoon of our arrival in Lucerne. We shot a number of trains here but as the angles were all about the same I just chose the one I liked best.

On the morning of April 10 Jim and I explored the interior of the Lucerne station or Bahnhof. One of the things I have come to really appreciate about European central stations is the number that have really interesting train sheds. The locomotive hauled trains operated in push-pull fashion.

Most of the trains used a variety electric multiple unit equipment.

Here a locomotive hauled train is arriving as a switcher pull an EMU train from the station.

Later in the day Jim, Cathy and I walked out to the local transportation museum. However, as our time was limited and it was pricey we elected to skip it. I took a bus back to town and was able to photograph two trains (above and below) at the bus stop.

On returning to Lucerne I again visited the station (above and three below).

I was fortunate to get some better angles on one of the switchers working the station.

The train on the left is departing.

The locomotive on this arriving train is advertising two new base tunnels in the Alps, one of which is the recently opened Gotthard Base tunnel.

On April 12 I wandered into the station briefly and spotted what I believe to be a ballast train.

Thanks for looking.

Railfanning Florida - 3

Hi, This is the final post on the trip I took to Florida in March with Jim Kleeman. It was delayed as my wife and I spent 3 weeks in April with Jim and his wife in Europe. I hope to begin posting photos of that trip shortly.

We had been told that a Bright Line train set would test run on Friday, March 24 so we staked out a highway bridge south of the shop, which can be seen in the distance above the train. First up was a stone train which moved down to the new Bright Line station to dump ballast (above and below).

After a while #109 came south then

#950 arrived and yarded its train. At this point things were going to die on the railroad and we got tired of waiting for Bright Line. As we had reservations in Clewiston, FL for Friday and Saturday night (FEC is dead on the weekends) we decided to head that way at mid day.

The photos presented below were taken Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday. During the cane harvest, which I believe begins in January and ends in early to mid April, the cane trains run 24/7. I will provide location information as I have it and any aspects of the photo I believe are noteworthy.

St. Catherine Avenue, south loop, Clewiston, FL.

Off Evercane Road, south loop, Clewiston, FL.

South of the wye in Clewiston, FL.

US 27, Clewiston, FL (above and below).

Sonora Ave., Clewiston, FL. This was our final shot on Friday.

The cane fields are set on fire just before the cane is cut, supposedly to remove the leafy material. There is controversy as to whether this affects the taste of the sugar. The fires last about 20 minutes and produce some spectacular smoke clouds.

Evercane Road, south loop, Clewiston, FL.

Moore Haven, FL.

Miami Canal Road, south loop, Lake Harbor, FL (above and below).

Rogers Road, south loop, Clewiston, FL (above and below).

On Sunday we headed north. While crossing the Caloosahatchee Canal we noticed a pair of light engines. Because engines running in multiple are extremely rare on the cane railroads we decided to try and find out where they were going.

Not only does this line serve a number of loaders north of Clewiston, it also provides a connection to CSX at Sebring, FL. After a great deal of driving out of sight of the railroad and some searching in Sebring I spotted a headlight to the south. There were some interchange tracks and when it became obvious the power was going to make a pickup we sent south to DeSoto Road.

The pickup was a unit potash train which we followed south.

While the power completed the pickup, pumped up the air and did a brake test we moved south to County Road 17 (above and below).

We caught the train again at Lake Placid, FL (above and below) and at

Palmdale, FL before giving up the chase.

Empties crossing the Caloosahatchee Canal at Moore Haven, FL.

Three units on a cane train. This is the first time in four visits to the area I have seen multiple units on a cane train.

Miami Canal Road, south loop, Lake Harbor, FL (above and 2 below).

Thus ended our photography for a really great trip. My thanks to Jim for his outstanding navigation and for his knowledge of the FEC. Thanks for looking.