Hello all ;
Here’s a couple of videos depicting some ‘train action’ from last wekend’s of Maquetren’s Iberian Modellers Meeting.
Enjoy
Mario, Model Railroader has a place where you can post your videos, and see hundreds of videos posted by others. Go here: http://mrr.trains.com/home/videos/user%20videos.aspx
Switching locomotive in Lisbon:
Thaks Steve, I will repost the videos there
Hello Mark Pierce ;
Your photo just showa one of daily chores of these engines (luckily there’s a local model company that produces it in 5 differnte numbers, with different paint schems as seen on the videos, with & without Loksound), built in th late 60s. The loco shown is hedaing to one of Lisbon’s container terminals, to pick up a train, that will hauk to a small yard near by, where it will reverse, and after that, after some little street running (a a lot of horn use), will take the train to Alcantara-Terra staion where normally an electric engine will take care of the train
Hi Mario,
Actually, the locomotive was parked between assignments.
When I first entered Lisbon, for a moment I thought I was in San Francisco as Lisbon has its own “Golden Gate” bridge. (On the Lisbon version, trains cross via the bridge’s lower deck.) … Lisbon has some quaint trolley cars, highly suited to the narrow and winding streets there.
Hello Mark ;
It seems that you entered Lisbon by one of its ‘big doors’, in this case a cruise ship (judging by the photo of the bridge, the details seem to be from RCI’s ‘Independence of the Seas’. I also spot boats, especially cruise ships & planes). The other 2 ‘big doors’ are by air (I’m a lucky guy, since I have to travel a lot by plane, and once or twice I’ve been invited in the cockpit to see the landings in Lisbon. The best is the one passing right over the bridge. The other big door is by train over the bridge, especially in the bar car on a long haul intercity train.
And since I’m talking about the bridge, the reason for it to be so similar, it’s because it’s builder was the same, teh american bridge consortium. altough built in 1966, only in 1999 the 2nd deck was assembled (and the bridge reinforced with a second pair of suspension cables). It has a big difference from San Fran golden gate, it is usde by main line trains - a private commuter operator and the national system wixh operatesintercity service. It’s a very specufic ciculation case, since top speed is limited to 37 mph in normal weather conditions (winds up untill 30 mph)m and this speed is only allowed to ‘light trains’. If an heavy train (loco hauled having more than 7 cars), speed will be limited to 25 mph, and only that train will be allowed in the bridge. Freight train use of it has been very occasional. Off course, access to it means climbing steeply: 2,2% grades.
The small, or 'classic’steet cars are very special. Not only they’re part of the city’s image, but also have to meet very special standars. The fleet is formed of 45 (39 ‘yellow’, or regular service and 6 ‘red’ or ‘Tour’ service) locally built cars (reused shells from older tramsdating from the 30s and engines and electric components fournished by Skoda and AEG/Kiepe respectively) assembled in the local operators works between 1994 and 1996, at an average cost of € 249.000 per unit. As I said these cars are very special, since they hav
Thanks for the info, Marco. I’ve made two six-hour visits to Lisbon: last October on the Norwegian Gem and this September on the Norwegian Sun. The photo of the Lisbon bridge was taken from the Gem. The photo of the San Francisco bridge was from my boat Carquinez Coot. Lisbon is a lot sunnier than San Francisco.
On my travels, even when they aren’t centered on railroads, I attempt to check out the local railroad scenes.
Followed part of the Lisbon trolley route. When one trolley passed, I had to hug the building side to stay clear in the narrow street. That particular portion was part of an up-and-down “roller coaster” route which was single-tracked with short passing sidings where the streets widened.