Joined up thinking gets the fans to the game

There was an interesting working on the 24th March when the WAG (Welsh Assembley Government) train made a very rare run to London (I don't believe it has ever happened before) in connection with the FA Trophy Final at Wembley where Wrexham met Grimsby Town. With the loco hauled set usually sitting spare at weekends Arriva Trains Wales used it to transport fans directly from Wrexham to Wembley Stadium for the game. Chiltern also strengthened some of their trains in connection with the match. It is nice to see that occasionally the railways can still rise to the occasion and come up with great solutions to get passengers where they want to be. As an added bonus for the Wrexham fans they also won their football match!

The train is pictured here at a somewhat less snowy than expected Haddenham on the Chiltern Mainline. 

Picture(s) of the week- 18th March 2013

Having not ventured out to the railways all month the promise of a class 31 working some of my more local lines was a temptation too good to miss- and on an evening I had no prior plans. 
31465 was turned out on UTU4- a Network Rail ultrasonic test train which made several trips between Waterloo and Clapham Junction before heading further into the SWT suburbs.
The train is seen here making it's unusual appearance at Waterloo.

Trip Report- Czech Republic- Prague and Brno, February 2013



362 174 at Prague Main Station

151 226, Praha Vrsovice

České Dráhy- Czech Railways

Saturday 23rd- Prague

Flew on 07:15 BA flight from Heathrow to Prague.
Landed about 5 minutes late due to waiting for the runway to open having been closed due to the snowfall. Upon landing the snow was very much in evidence and visibility was very very poor- looking good for a weekend of rail photography then!
Purchased my 24 hour Prague transit ticket from the kiosk at the airport and was assured that the snow would not cause a problem. Boarded #119 bus to Dejviká metro station and made my way to Praha Hl. N by way of Metro lines C and A arriving at the main station shortly before 11am.
Snow was still falling heavily (probably a good 6 inches on the ground by this point) which made photography somewhat challenging.

749 121, Praha Vrsovice

RailJet 162 114 at Praha hl.n.

Spent several hours on the main station photographing a selection of very cold looking ČD trains hauled by a variety of class 150, 151, 162, 163, 350, 362, 371 and 380. An ÖBB Taurus 1216 238 and 110 010 were stabled at the north of the station. Also in this time the ALEX train from Munich arrived behind a ČD 362.
Shortly before 1pm I boarded one of the 'City Elephant' units for the short hop to Praha Vršovice to pick up my first 'Grumpy' on the 11:18 ex Čerčany. After photing a 151 being prepared in the sidings, a diesel unit and trailer and a few more 'Elephants' 749 121 rolled through the snow on the Čerčany. Took this back to Prah Hl. N.
Photographed a RegioJet service before becoming distracted by 742 070 which had appeared. This is presumably a rescue loco fitted with a dellner coupling, and was used to attach to a dormant 'City Elephant' EMU- maybe failed due to the weather?
I don't know what this did next as a 714 022 and a set of trailers arrived on the far side of the station- I wasn't expecting to see any of these out over the weekend so made a dash over to get some photos. Again had the weather caused this to drop onto a Dobris?
Boarded 150210 for the short hop over to Prague Libeň in hope of some freight action.


742 070- a rescue mission?

Snow still falling heavily for a few freight shots here including classes 111 (banking), 123, 122, 363. Classes 703,740 and 742 were also seen shunting around the station. Libeň seems to be a good spot with some freight action (looked like it could be potentially quite busy at times) and also a good selection of ČD hauled passenger trains, many of which stop. ÖBB Taurus and RailJet also pass through. 122 049 was a pleasant surprise on a short freight- it's always quite homely to see a loco with a yellow front abroad!

714 022- an unexpected surprise!

With light now beginning to fade (but the snow easing) I boarded 4-wheel railbus 809 677 to Praha Holševice in the hope of picking up some more hauled passenger trains. Delays were mounting and it was nearly an hours wait until 162 013 pulled in with a train back to Prah Hl. N- conclusion- stick to Prah Libeň- Holeševice is not as busy or photogenic!
Popped over to Praha Masarykovo just for a look- 3 'City Elephant' units in 3 different liveries- but nothing to write home about.
Made it back to the main station in time to phot the 18:16 to Bohumin- booked for a PKP taurus loco. This produced EP09 027, but I got my Taurus shot when ÖBB 1216 227 appeared on the next train.



130 025, Praha Liben

Next entertainment was 749 107 appearing (vice 750) on the 15:46 Tanvald-Praha Vršovice. I really should have taken this to Vršovice as had I checked the diagrams I would have realised that the arrival on the 16:48 ex Čerčany would be 749 121 again- it was and I missed the photo anyway as it pulled right to the north of the station and didn't hang around!
Got a few more pictures in the station where car carriers were being shunted around night trains then headed into the city for dinner and a spot of sightseeing.
I swear this hobby causes all my 'sightseeing' photos to be taken at night!!!



123 003, Praha Liben

Overnight accommodation was at Hotel Siefert- about 15 min walk east from the main station (closer bus and tram stops). Approx £23 single booked through lastminute.com. No complaints and good breakfast.

Sunday 24th- Prague, Line 210 towards Čerčany, Brno









150 224, Praha Holsvice

Left around 7:30am from the hotel in search of the view over the viaduct to the north of the main station. Eventually found it having taken a very circuitous route! Snow falling making photography a challenge once again. Roughly a foot of the stuff on the ground now bringing it above rail height. Photographed a few trains here including the class 111 shunting a Russian sleeper car.
Noticed in the distance a 'goggle' propelling a 2 car set into Masarykovo so decided to run down the hill in an attempt to photograph it. By the time I got to the station it was nowhere to be seen, and time to head back to the main station anyway for the days moves.

162 013, Praha Holsvice

I took silenced 749 253* on the 09:24 Praha Hl.N - Čerčany  Snow still falling on leaving Prague, but miraculously clearing to sunshine(!) about an hour later along the line! Managed a few sun and snow shots during station stops and eventually bailed at Poříčí Nad Sázavou, one stop before Čerčany  A 20 minute wait later and 749 121 appeared with the 11:18 Čerčany  Praha Hl.N. Sun still shining and a gain a couple of photo opportunities manifested, particularly at Jilové u Prahy while we waited for a regional unit to pass. Snow deep enough that I had not realised I was standing on another track to take my photo!

'City Elephant' 471 042, Praha Masarykovo

Took the train as far as Praha Vršovice where 749 039 was waiting in the far platform to form the 13:15 Tanvald. Took this on the short leap to Praha Hl.N.
A few shots from a now sunny Prague main station before boarding EC173 Hamburgh-Villach 'Vindabona' 13:39 ex Prague. Roughly 3 hours were spent in a very comfortable ÖBB compartment during which time the weather descended to the point that it was raining quite heavily by the time I left at Brno.







PKP EP09-027, Praha hl.n.

Passed a selection of class 240 'Laminatka' locos in a yard outside Brno, and also nice to see the 'older' Skoda's of class 242 on passenger trains here. Photography could have been better had it not been for the gloom- certainly the station is less photogenic than Prague and also more exposed lacking the overall roof. I had about an hour here during which time 3 goggles were seen as booked. 750 712 worked 17:20 Brno - Jihlava- possibly one of the quietest diesels I have ever come across.







110 010, Praha hl.n.

754 067, sounding much meatier produced on the 17:28 Brno- Bylnice as booked with 754 075 turning up (vice 750) with the 17:52 arrival from Žd'ár nad Sázavous.
It was then a quick walk over the road from the station to pick up the bus to Brno airport for the 19:40 Whizz air flight from Brno to London Luton.
The plane eventually landed 25 minutes before we were due to take off. I think even the 35 min turn around which seemed to be advertised would have been ambitious, and we duly left around 15 mins late- we had made this up by arrival at Luton.

Overall a very satisfying first visit to the Czeck republic, and proof that you really can achieve quite a lot in a very hectic weekend.

The plan was originally to fly both ways from Prague to Heathrow- the Brno-Luton flight being an alternative when the return BA flight simply got too expensive.


749 107, Praha hl.n. 15:46 Tanvald- Praha

Complete list of photographed locos below:
ČD:

110 027

111 010
111 021
111 032+

122 049

110 010, Praha

123 001
123 003

130 025

150 202
150 210
150 213
150 214
150 226

151 006
151 007
151 008

'Grumpy' 749 253 09:24 Praha-Čerčany

151 027

162 012
162 013
162 037
162 046

162 112 RailJet
162 114 RailJet
162 119 RailJet

163 062
163 215

242 219

749 121 11:18 Čerčany- Praha, Jilové u Prahy

242 246
242 262
242 273

350 016

362 062
362 068
362 078
362 081
362 113
362 119
362 121
362 124
362 127
362 158
362 161

749 039- 13:15 Praha-Tanvald, Praha Vršovice

362 163
362 166
362 170
362 174
362 175

363 503
363 511
363 512
363 514
363 520

371 002
371 003
371 005
371 015

380 004
380 009
380 011
380 015

703 712

714 013

ÖBB 1216's, Praha hl.n.

714 022
714 220

740 732

742 070
742 184+
742 270
742 254+

749 039
749 107
749 121
749 253*

750 712


242 262, Brno

754 067
754 075

ÖBB:
1216 210
1216 226
1216 227
1216 229
1216 238
1216 240

PKP:
EP09 027

Notes:
+ photographed in yard/depot from train- may not be operational?
* Class 749- silenced
Underline- Haulage



754 067- 17:28 Brno- Bylnice, Brno

Picture of the week- 19th February

Rail action is often seems hard to come by at this time of year. One rail activity however that does increase in the winter is that of engineering works- lower demand for leisure travel at weekends during the colder months making it slightly less disruptive to passengers.
Engineering trains often bring loco hauled trains to locations that rarely see them- and there can be all sorts of traction up for grabs. 

On 14th Jan 2012, 66847 is seen at Hersham on the South West Mainline about to enter an engineering possession. Loco hauled trains here are rare and the appearance of this Colas Rail loco made the scene even more exceptional. 

Septemvri - Dobrinishte Narrow Gauge Railway

Could there be a better place to sit waiting for a train to photograph on a beautiful day? 77002 heads the 06:40 Dobrinishte to Septemvri away from Dolene on 22nd September 2012

The train destination board-
written in Cyrillic of course

I do not usually 'do' narrow gauge railways. This is probably because I have grown up in the UK where almost all of our current narrow gauge railways are run purely for tourists with a collection of 'weird' rolling stock that I am unfamiliar with. Last year I had the chance however to travel on a 'real' narrow gauge railway- that which runs from Septemvri to Dobrinishte in Bulgaria. The 760mm gauge line is over 78 miles long running up and into the Rhodope Mountains and sees trains hauled by miniature diesel locomotives hauling equally miniature coaches. The whole operation is run by the state rail operator BDZ, and while tourists certainly do use the train go get up into the mountains its primary function is most definitely to transport the local population.

Shunting locomotive 81002 with narrow gauge
stock at Septemvri

The line starts at Septemvri where it meets the standard gauge line from Sofia to Plovdiv. Septemvri is on a plateau some 200m above sea level, but the mountains are not far away. The train leaves Septemvri several times a day and veers sharply left heading straight for the mountain range. The journey is not fast, but the scenery is stunning. On hitting the mountains the narrow gauge train follows the banks of the Vestula river winding up the valley gaining height as it goes. As the train continues the valley below begins to look more and more precarious with the railway and a road both clinging to the banks of the river- often the train passes through short tunnels where the valley side is simply not wide enough to accommodate the line.

76006 pauses at Varvara, the first stop on
 the route from Septemvri

At Dolene, after around an hour and 20 minutes on the train (the whole journey to Dobrinishte takes around 5 hours), the railway parts company with the Vestula river. I also leave the train at this point- there are only two trains left in the day which head back to Septemvri and I want to be sure to get a photograph of the train  which would shortly pass mine heading in the other direction.
The train departs after we have disembarked and continues to climb, now doubling back on itself on the other side of the valley. It will continue through Vallilingrad (one of the largest towns on the route) and many other small halts including Avramovo (the highest railway station on the Balkans at 1,267m) to reach Bankso (a popular ski and mountain resort) and finally a few miles later Dobrinishte.

Henschel-built 75006 departs from Dolene for Dombrinishte

The line has a small fleet of diesel locomotives of two classes- Class 75 built from 1965-66 by Henschel in Germany and Class 77 built in 1988 in Romania. In addition the line has one active steam locomotive used for tourist trains, and one serviceable shunting locomotive based at Septemvri.
 

This railway is nothing like the tourist narrow gauge railways I care so little for in the UK and is a fascinating real working railway. It's future however is not assured. The service has been cut several times in recent years, and with BDZ effectively bankrupt one cannot help but wonder how long this railway can cling on to it's existence. It may be a lifeline for the the local people, but it is clear that this operation is not a profitable asset. I thoroughly recommend a ride on this railway- and do hope it will continue to run for many years!

75004 arrives at Dolene heading back down to Septemvri

London Underground 150- A celebration with Steam!

It feels like barely a year goes by without some sort of 'Big' anniversary. Many of the older diesel locomotives have recently celebrated their 50th birthdays, and there was of course the GWR 175 celebrations not so long ago in 2010. Some of these celebrations are marked with big events, others less so. It is pleasing therefore that a very worth landmark this year is being celebrated in style- 2013 marks 150 years since the opening of the Metropolitan Railway. 150 years ago on 9th January 1863 the first underground journey in the world was made between Paddington and Farringdon. The London Underground was ultimately born, and things have never quite been the same since. Today the system carries millions of passengers every day and the idea of an underground railway has been duplicated the world over.

To celebrate the occasion London Underground in partnership with the London Transport Museum have organised a number of events across the year. Surely the most spectacular will be the first- Steam is to return to the original underground tunnels of the Met on a passenger train with a locomotive and coaches which would have worked the service 100 years ago!
The event has been some time in the planning- the locomotive 'Met No.1', built in 1898 has been overhauled for the event and an original 4 wheel 1st class coach has also been extensively restored. Four further original Metropolitan coaches- the 'Chesham' set have been moved from the Bluebell Railway to London and work has also been carried out on original electric locomotive No.12 'Sarah Siddons' which will assist the train. Behind the scenes there have been tests and mountains of paperwork to enable this ancient train of wooden-bodied coaches to once again steam under London's streets.
The final test run took place in the early hours of 10th January with the full train consisting of Met No.1, a milk van (in use as a support coach), 5 coaches and 'Sarah Siddons' running from Lillie Bridge depot to Kensington Olympia, from where a full trip was undertaken to Moorgate.
The train departed from Lillie bridge shortly after 1am and continued to Olympia for an 1:30am departure, picking up invited guests at Earls Court en route.
Eager to avoid the expected crowds gathering for photographs on the advertised runs I made a trip out to Kensington Olympia to record the events. The train looks absolutely stunning and it is a credit to all parties that this incredible event is running. All now appears to be on course for the public to witness the return of steam to the London Underground.

Special heritage steam trains will on London's sub surface lines on 13th and 20th January 2013.

'The Solent Witness'

66007 arrives at a very dull Woking station.

I don't seem to make it on to all that many railtours these days. I guess there are a number of reasons- the cost, early starts, late running, high chances that the train won't actually do what it was advertised to, condition of the rolling stock- to name but a few.
However it was the week between Christmas and New Year and UK Railtours 'Solent Witness' seemed to tick all of the right boxes. It was local, started and finished at reasonable times (definitely a good thing for short winter days), had an interesting itinerary and was being run under the banner of a reliable and reputable operator.
Friday 28th December 2012 dawned wet. No surprises there then. At Woking there was barely enough light to photograph 66007 at the head of the train of Mk1 and Mk2a stock. I met my friends and we settled into our bay of seats for the journey down to the South West.

Cars for export are unloaded from WIA car carriers
at Southampton Eastern docks

The big surprise of the day (for me at least) was that passengers were allowed to disembark the train at our stop at Southampton Eastern Docks. UK Railtours and Associated British Ports should be acclaimed for allowing this as it was a most welcome break from an entire day on the train- quite aside from being an unusual and fascinating location to take some photographs and observe the surroundings!

66201 stands at the platform at Southampton Eastern Docks

66201 lead the railtour back out of the docks before we headed to further short freight branches around the Solent- those to Southampton Western Docks, Fawley and Hamworthy Goods being traversed. Most of these lines are busy with freight traffic and it was fortuitous that a day could be found to travel over all of them. The exception is the line to Hamworthy Goods which has not seen little traffic in recent years. A stone flow which used only a short length of the branch is reported to have now stopped running, while there have been no trains along the whole branch for some time.

The cruise terminal building seen from the train at
Southampton Western Docks

With all our freight track covered for the day it was time to re-trace ourselves back up the South West Main Line to return home. The train was well run, maintained (quite warm at times in fact) and within a couple of minutes of it's booked time for the entire journey. All I could ask of UK Railtours is some advanced notice in future that hot food was to be available to Standard class passengers- had I known about the very tasty curry and chili on offer I would not have made sandwiches the night before!

A wet end to a wet year!

Ex-works 60092 pauses at Clapham Junction with the
 Euston-Grove park section of the tour.

As we enter the final weeks of 2012 and begin to wind down towards Christmas there was one railtour which stood out as a 'must see' in December. Pathfinders 'The Thames Angerman' was due to bring a Colas rail 56 to London- a machine very rare in these parts. Partnering the train would be  a class 60- also thin on the ground these days.
The morning dawned wet and the weather was clearly set in for the day. Never the less, it would have been a shame not go head out for this Christmas excursion, especially since the allocated class 60 had been released in a fresh coat of DB Red just days before.

Enthusiasts look on as 56094 puts on a fine performance climbing towards Lee on the Sidcup loop.

60092 arrives into Waterloo with the final portion of the tour which it would lead, that from Angerstein Wharf.

May I wish a Merry Christmas to all who have read this blog over the past year. While I can't promise any trips across the world for 2013 I do have some interesting ideas on the horizon!

Picture of the week- 9th December

With a beautiful sunny winters day and a travelcard at my disposal (I needed to be in London for the evening) it would have been foolish not to put it to good use. A location I have not visited for a couple of years was the venue for this shot- close to Latchmere Junction where the West London Line dives under both the South West and Brighton Mainlines.
The train, photographed on 8th December was a Northern Belle excursion which has just deposited its passengers at in London for the day and is running empty from Kensington Olympia to Stewarts Lane.
47853 which leads the train is one of the two most recent additions to the DRS fleet and has been fitted with class 57 style cooler groups which can be seen on the roof behind the cab.
The scene was perfectly completed by a passing class 442 on the Brighton Main Line.

Tornado Blues!

On a chilly 1st December 2012, 60163 'Tornado' performed one of it's first duties in it's fresh coat of BR Blue. Tornado is seen here approaching West Drayton on the Steam Dreams charter from Ipswich to Bristol. This is probably the first location on the itinerary where a picture is possible away from the overhead wires, which finish just around the corner at Airport Junction where the electrified branch to Heathrow Airport diverges from the Great Western Mainline.

North Wales Coast

57314 hauls Pendolino 390045 towards Conwy on a dismal 24th November 2012

The line from Chester along the North Wales Coast to Holyhead certainly ranks among my favorite railways. For long stretches it runs right alongside the Atlantic ocean offering wonderful sea views. Looking south the peaks of Snowdonia can be seen on a clear day. It also witnesses a string of historical sights from bridges to Castles. 

37605 is returning the North Wales RHTT to Crewe at
Penmaenmawr on 14th November 2008.

From a photography perspective there are many great locations from where the trains can be seen within the landscape with stunning backdrops of either the coasts, mountains or indeed passing the famous Conwy Castle.

A full Virgin set, 57304 hauls the afternoon train
back from Holyhead, 14th November 2008

The passenger service on the line is approximately hourly west of Llandudno Junction (with more frequent trains east of this point which serve Llandudno and/or Blaenau Ffestiniog. Local trains are formed of diesel units primarily from classes 158 and 175, calling at most stations on the route, including several request stops. In addition there are also intercity services provided by Virgin Trains. These are in the hands of class 221 'Super Voyager' units with the exception of one train each week where a class 57 hauls a 'Pendolino' along the coast. The Welsh Assembley Government train also runs one return trip each weekday from Holyhead to Cardiff.

A class 175 unit skirts Conwy Castle on 24th November 2012.

 Freight action on the North Wales Coast is very minimal.
Occasional stone traffic can originate from the quarry at Penmaenmawr (though this has ceased in recent years), there is also an approximately weekly nuclear flask train from Valley containing spent fuel rods from the power station at Wylfa.
Seasonally there a Rail Head Treatment train runs in the autumn- in recent years formed of class 37 locomotives, and more recently Network Rails fleet of 'class 97's used due to inter-working with the Cambrian line which requires their ERTMS system.

57314 in Arriva colours stands at Llandudno Junction with
the 14:38 Holyhead - Euston. 24th November 2012

 While the class 57's on the 'Pendolino drags' used to see exclusively Virgin liveried stock more recently Arriva liveried locos (sub leased by Virgin to work the Welsh Assembley train) have also turned up.
Sadly with the December 2012 timetable change this train is expected to cease to run loco hauled- bringing the end to another interesting working along the coast.



*Update*- Since writing this post it turns out that the photographed Pendolino drag on 24th November was actually the final working. Class 221 Voyagers are now booked on these services along with all other Virgin trains on the route.

97303 and 97304 have just past Conwy Castle and emerged from Stephenson's Tubular Bridge as they take the Welsh RHTT towards Crewe on 24th November 2012.

Shanghai to London Part 13 (the final chapter!)

Berlin- London

We say goodbye to Berlin on one of these stylish ICE trains.

The final leg of our epic journey from Shanghai to London starts from where we left the last train- the upper level of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Gone are the loco hauled trains we have been using since China, in their place for the trip to Cologne is a pair of sleek modern German ICE trains. We are on the rear portion of the train which will split en-route with the front half travelling to Dusseldorf.

The ICE is vastly more comfortable than any of the other trains we have used so far. It has large padded seats which recline slightly in an open saloon complete with power points and window blinds, the First Class facilities are even more exuberant. The train features a Board Restaurant selling meals and snacks- it looks a lot more modern than the Russian dining cars!

The interior of the ICE is comfortable and modern-
 and quite unlike the Russian style sleepers!

We are lucky that our reserved seats on the train are around a table with good views through the window, although the other seats in this bay of four are reserved we do not gain any company until well into the journey. The journey on the ICE is smooth and quiet with quite the best ride quality we have yet experienced- my handwriting is looking dramatically neater and we joke that there would be no trouble getting to sleep on this train.

Admiring the German landscape before the weather finally descends!

Having traveled a large part of the length of Germany and with the landscape and weather (which was finally changing for the worst) having altered considerably we arrive into Cologne. We have around half an hour here to complete our change onto the next ICE to Brussels. Cologne Hauptbahnhof is a large and busy station with an impressive overall roof (which is itself dwarfed by the magnificent Cathedral next to it) with many services departing on all of local, regional, intercity and international routes.

We change trains at Köln (Cologne) leaving the
conventional ICE behind, and joining a more
modern Siemens ICE 3 multiple unit.

Our train to Brussels is an ICE 3, as used on all of the international services. Interestingly the train design is almost identical to the Siemens product produced for China’s railways which we traveled on from Shanghai. The Deutsche Bahn variety is however much better appointed internally with 2+2 seating, a Board Bistro and even at seat audio entertainment. For all its qualities however the ride is a retrograde step from the conventional ICE we have just left.

There is a good level of English on the ICE trains with most staff having some language skills and most signage appearing in several languages. This does now however evade me from the (modern) age old problem: how do you lock the automatic door in the disabled toilet? There is a sign in English which tells me I should lock it, but no translation on a lock button of any instructions on how to achieve this objective. I eventually decide not to risk it and elect to walk through the train to find a toilet with a handle.

The impressive Köln (Cologne) Hbf with a DB class 101
 'Traxx' loco beneath it's roof. On the nearby track is
an ICE 3, similar to that which we will leave the country on.

At Aachen we make our final stop in Germany and the train demonstrates its multi-voltage capabilities by switching to the Belgian supply. Shortly after we are speeding through an extremely murky landscape as we finally take a dedicated high speed line- for the first time since China. We arrive into a very wet Brussels Midi on time and quickly conclude that it is not worth leaving the station to find food in light of both the weather and that we only have 45 minutes until the advised Eurostar check in time.

The Eurostar check in procedure is very simple and painless, even though we cannot use the electronic check in gates as our ticket was issued by DB (and a bargain at that being a super discounted ‘euro special’ for just €49). While I feel the Eurostar is beginning to look a little tired, something that will be addressed soon by a fleet refurbishment, it is most certainly the quickest and most comfortable way to cross the channel.

The weather has very much turned for the worst by the
time we board our Eurostar in Brussels. 

France is not seen at its best in the gloom but before long, and with a brief wait for a ‘Shuttle’ to go in front of us we dive into the channel tunnel and leave continental Europe behind us. 20 minutes later we emerge in England where the weather is, unsurprisingly, no better! As familiar landmarks such as the QEII bridge over the Thames appear to whiz past us on our high speed line there is time to contemplate just how far this journey has taken us and that we are, save for the tube and a local train, almost at the end of our journey.

Since its construction W H Barlow’s magnificent trainshed at St Pancras has welcomed many a weary passenger after their journey by rail. One wonders if he could ever have imagined that his station, refurbished fit for the 21st century could be the ending of a journey quite as remarkable as this.

Two continents, nine countries, eight nights on trains, somewhere around ten thousand miles and many many memorable experiences later  we have arrived back in London by Eurostar. The end of quite a phenomenal trip.