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| 2044 013 slogs up the hill from Split at Sadine with train 1220 the very delayed 15:33 RegioJet to Prague. 06/07/2022 |
A fairly last minute trip based around the RegioJet holiday train to Croatia and the fact that I found a good flight home. Hopefully nothing too ambitious for a nice few days away to eastern Europe… or at least that is what I thought!
Monday 4th July
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| 2016 059 inbound from Marchegg at at Wien Stadlau. 04/07/2022 |
Flew from Gatwick to Vienna with Wizz air- Knew the
flight was going to be 45 minutes late before leaving home and to be fair, this
is about the delay it kept. Having read about all the airport farces, we got to
Gatwick in plenty of time, and the delay allowed us to catch a pair of 47’s
heading to Eastbourne before heading through security. The whole affair was
painless and even after a Weatherspoons breakfast there was still time to kill
before the flight.
Following the FFP2 farce last year we made sure we had some this time, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
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| CD Cargo 230 095 leads a classmate through Bratislava. 04/07/2022 |
While it wasn’t planned, an on time flight and quick passport grip at Vienna might have dropped us on to the recently reported RegioJet with the hired in 1142, of course with our delay this was well missed and it was getting on for late afternoon by the time we arrived in Vienna, to find that contrary to the weather forecast it hadn’t yet clouded over.
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| RegioJet 388 216 from Prague has terminated at Bratislava main station. 04/07/2022 |
A trawl of the online journey App’s revealed that nice
and easy journey to Bratislava (and out of Mask land) was not going to be as
simple as we had hoped- the diesel line via Marchegg was part buses (and many
trains didn’t even have a bus connection), so after a quick spin on a pair of
diesels it was time for ‘plan B’ to avoid the bus.
Plan B turned out to be the RailJet to Breclaw for a
RegioJet on to Bratislava. I was already finding all these various ‘jets’
confusing but booking the latter was simple and at less than €10 each it seemed
a good idea to treat ourselves to ‘business’ class with free Champagne. By now
the forecast cloud had arrived and after watching a pair of CD ‘Laminatkas’
with a freight through Bratislava it was time to switch to shorts and head into
town for dinner and an ice cream.
Tuesday 5th July
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| 757 016, wearing the new ZSR livery approaches Bratislava Vinohrady with a service to Prievidza. 05/07/2022 |
We had known the forecast for today was poor almost since
booking the trip about two weeks prior, so it was something of a pleasant
surprise to wake up and find it wasn’t raining!
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| Diesels at Bratislava main station. 05/07/2022 |
It soon started and accepting it was not going to be a
day of amazing photography it was time to plan a few loco moves. The Bratislava
754’s on the line to Komarom seemed a good target, but strangely did not appear
in any rail planners today. They were there for Monday, they were there for
Wednesday… Of course- we had done it again and landed up abroad on a Bank
Holiday – ‘Saints Cyril and Methodius Day’ for those who weren’t sure.
‘Goggle’ 757 016 was taken towards Prieviedza before we resumed our journey north to Brno to play on the 242’s and ultimately intercept the RegioJet.
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| 380 002 arrives at Bratislava bound for Prague. 05/07/2022 |
Czeck Skoda 380 002 was the traction north and we made
ourselves comfortable in the restaurant car and enjoyed some Shnitzel while
finding entertainment at American tourists who couldn’t work out how to store
their bags and then realised that this wasn’t 1st class anyway.
Purchasing one of the local transit tickets (since FIP is
not valid on local services) for a princely sum of Kč 190 it was then onto the
242’s for a run up to Hradčany (which is not a good location to leap) and back
down to Hustopeče u Bruna where 263 002 running in heritage livery as S499 2002
backed onto the train and the rain started falling more heavily!
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| 242 204 pauses at Hradčany with a local service towards Tisnov. 05/07/2022 |
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| S499 2002 after runing around its train at Vranovice ready to head back to Hustopeče u Bruna following a blockage of the line ahead towards Brno. 05/07/2022 |
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| 242 261 shunting at Brno hl.n. 05/07/2022 |
While it had shown signs of improvement the light was
still very poor and after a quick supply trip into town it was determined that
the best option was to head for a beer and dinner.
Now it was time for our RegioJet, the sun (as forecast)
finally came out- we knew the train was late so managed a few photos around
Brno station in the dying light.
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| 754 068 makes a nice surprise arriving in the first (and last) light of the day approaching Brno hl.n. 05/07/2022 |
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| RegioJet 386 201 arrives into Brno hl.n. 05/07/2022 |
Wednesday 6th July
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| 1142 015 waits departure for Vinkovci at Zagreb hl.n while the RegioJet waits the road to Ouglin. 06/07/2022 |
I wake up and find the train still. We are at Nagykanisza in Hungary, not far from the Croatian border. I had initially assumed this was the border, given the extended stop, but this is some way away at Gyékényes a little further on. So why have we stopped…? (Update thanks to Mike Turner, it would appear that we had stopped for the removal of a pair of PKP Cargo class 740's which drag the train from Zalaszentivan to Nagykanisza, the route not yet being electrified- if only we had know!).
These delays take on a particular frustration as I am acutely aware that every minute lost on this journey increases the chances of a bus from Ouglin!
We are on the move again before long continuing slowly
along the single track route towards the border.
An announcement is made shortly before Gyékényesat around
03:00 advising that the border formalities are about to commence. Passengers
were asked to fill in their details digitally before boarding the train and the
visits by both Hungarian and Croatian border guards are fairly quick and
efficient. Most passengers simply present their ID cards, but us Brits now have
no chance of being denied a passport stamp! The stop overall is around 60
minutes, and with this being high summer the sun is starting to rise as we
cross over the Drava river into Croatia. I have not slept much so pull the
curtain back across and attempt some sleep- the worry about buses is an
additional factor keeping me awake on this train!
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| Shortly after departure from Ouglin, the RegioJet, now with 2044 018 in charge pauses at Josipdol to pass an IC unit. 06/07/2022 |
I next awake at Zagreb where the train is once again inexplicably at a stand having arrived merely an hour late. After a frustrating 30 minutes we are on the move again, and heading down onto the scenic line towards Ouglin and Rijeka. I can see the loco some 14 coaches away has changed and is now a red Croatian 1141. While I assumed there would be time to check it’s identity during the shuffling round at Ouglin I decided for safety to walk the length of the train and identify it as 1141 308.
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| 2044 018 performing on the Lika line. 06/07/2022 |
It is a good thing that I did walk down, as once we arrive at Ouglin everything happens very efficiently. Finally I am happy that we are not about to be bussed as only those with pre-booked bus connections from Ouglin are advised to disembark. It takes a minute or two to realise that our part of the train is not going to be on the platform and passengers start leaving as 2044 018 backs on to our end (now the front) of the train. This is what we had come for!
The windows are open and we enjoy the 2044 on this wonderful journey, though not before another extended pause (again around 30 minutes, not that it mattered so much now) at Josipdol to pass a tilting IC in the other directly. I upset the crew by getting off for a picture.
Back on the move and there is plenty of scenery and gradients to enjoy. My only previous journey on this route was overnight and it vastly surpasses expectations. We have another delay of 20 minutes or so at the once busy junction town of Knin. Time to take a look out the window at the forlorn and broken OHLE equipment associated with the once electrified railway which reached here from present day Bosnia, without a passenger service since the hostilities here in the early 1990’s.
It is time for another €2 bottle of wine as the train
continues up and over gradients and our attention starts to shift towards our
afternoon activities. The plan is to photograph the three daylight evening
departures but it is becoming increasingly apparent that we will no longer
connect into the train from Split to Perkovic to get us to the spot we want.
The only option will be to bail off at another station between Perkovic and
Kastel Stari to pick up the unit back down if our train happens to stop.
It didn’t take long as we are looped at Labin to allow
the afternoon IC to pass. I ask one of the stewards if we can leave the train
here. ‘No- this is not a stop’. Fact is however, the train had stopped and we
really needed not to be on it any longer! I bid farewell to the guy in my
compartment, leaving him to enjoy the last of the run to Split before he then
cycled 50k to his final destination (I’m not sure who thought the other was
most mad!), and we make for the doors.
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| 2063 003 hauls train 60340 from Solin towards Knin up the gradient approaching Labin. 06/07/2022 |
The unit passes and 2044 018 is photographed departing Labin with two less passengers. We’ve over an hour to wait now until our train down the hill, so with no gen or expectation we walk up to the spot here we had used previously just in case a train should come this way. It is really hot now and I use my umbrella to provide some shade. I am also perilously low on water since my plan to top up in Split has been abandoned. Arriving at the spot we find two photographers already there; ‘Are you here for the freight?’ Well, we were now and within about 10 minutes 2063 003 grinds up the hill on a train of tanks. What an excellent start!
Back to the station for our train and to (successfully) persuade the red cap to let us top our water we are now headed for Sadine. There are a few shots here, but unfortunately the cloud we could see starting to build from Labin is covering them all. There are many other photographers dotted around this landscape, easily double figures, waiting for the first train, expected to be the RegioJet and all keeping their fingers crossed that the cloud clears in time.
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| With Split harbour in the distance 2044 028 climbs the Dalmation hills at Sadine with train 1152 to Bratislava. 06/07/2022 |
The cloud does clear and 2044 013 makes a fine site
heading its late train bound for Prague.
Moving round the corner we are then treated to 2044 028
on the Bratislava train before finally catching 2044 020 with the Budapest in
the very last throws of the light before the shadows hit the railway- the 35
minute delay on this one really not helping!
All three trains photographed, and all cab leading the
various photographers dotted around the landscape are happy.
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| The final daylight train of the day, 2044 020 with the 'Adria' from Split to Budapest. 06/07/2022 |
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| 2044 017 waits departure for Osijek from Split. 06/07/2022 |
Dinner was excellent and it was ultimately decided to
save a long walk and wait that Uber would be our conveyance into town. Back at
Split station it was now 2044 017 occupying the platform with the overnight to
Osijek. At 22:03, the booked departure there is still no sign of the unit we
should have been on to connect into it. You can’t get back from anywhere off
this train, so we’re just going for the desperate move through the tunnel to
Split Predgrade- which was obviously excellent from the front coach!
The signaller checked its progress of the unit on
Croatian Trust and reported that it was still 15 mins or so away, but would get
us back to town and to a bar. Despite a tired slight lack of enthusiasm on my
part we all agreed to get up early again in the morning to photograph the
inbound Osijek.
Thursday 7th July
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| Shunting at Solin with 2132 304. 07/07/2022 |
Up as planned for the morning local to Perkovic which we
took to Kaštel Sućurac, spotting 2063 014 and a pair of 2062’s in the yard
at Solin in the process, before then walking back to our photospot. We already knew that the sleeper was 53
minutes late from the departure board at Split, so it was another fairly
lengthy wait in the sun.
The train eventually arrived with a double headed pair (running
cab to cab) in the form or 2044 018 and 021. Since 18 hadn’t gone north
overnight I suspect this may have been added at Perkovic as has been reported happening
a few times recently.
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| 2044 018 leads 2044 021 with the late running 1782 form Osijek to Split seen on the appraoch to Solin. 07/07/2022 |
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| The RegioJet is covered by bus once again. 07/07/2022 |
We hung around just in case the 2063 should chose to make
an appearance- it didn’t, and with no RegioJet either it wasn’t the most
productive couple of hours.
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| 2044 014 waits its next duty at Solin. 07/07/2022 |
With our flight from Split looming it was a quick and easy Uber move from Kaštel Stari to the airport where we were through check-in and passports in about 10 minutes. The flight home was a very reasonably priced BA Cityflyer service to London City, which had frankly made this trip possible.
Aside from being a generally great option to get home
(despite the 50 minute delay) it was lovely to receive a complimentary food and
drink service (when did you last get one of those!) and the 30 or so passengers
had a top flight. The crew did remark that the route had only just started flying
and the outbound flight was full- maybe we just got lucky here!
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| One of HZ's tilting IC units climbs up the hill at Kastel Stari - our last shot of the trip. 07/07/2022 |
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