Paris & Bruges in 1983

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I’ve been scanning 1983 lately, which included a trip to Belgium, England and France. There are some neat looking trains there. Of course, every day I was there was dreary and rainy, but it does set a nice mood. A Series 62 at Bruges (sort of Belgium’s F7, don’t you think?). http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=224157&nseq=1

The train I’d just rode in from Brussels with its Series 22 electric motor.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=224158&nseq=0

A BB-25000 at Versailles-Chantiers. These are called dancers because of their very rough ride.

http://freericks.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1058982

And a push pull train in Paris.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=224078&nseq=2

Corrections are welcome… and thanks for looking. Charles Freericks

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The only addition I would make is that the “Dancers” were the Class BB25500 rather than a BB-25000, as classes BB25100, BB25150, and BB-25200 were totally different locomotives, with only the fact that they could run off of both 1.5Kv DC and 25Kv AC as being in common with the Class BB25500.

During the period from the late 1940’s through the early 1990’s the SNCF had a interesting system for their electric locomotives. France posesses two different electrification systems 1.5Kv DC and 25Kv/50Hz AC generally with the AC system in the North and the DC system in the South, although both systems reach Paris. In the French system DC electric locomotives are numbered between 1000 and 9999, w

3

A little [#offtopic], but BTW wasn’t Bruges the town (Brugge, IIRC, in Belgian Dutch) fantastic! I spent one incredible Sunday afternoon there in the summer of 1980. Almost entirely medieval, a “Magic Kingdom” for adults, the town was a wholly rapturous experience for me, and I’m rarely enraptured in such a way.

I’ve heard complaints that in the intervening 25 or so years, Bruges has gotten “yuppified”. Pity. I’d love to go back some day but now I fear it would be just a trivial brush with the past in comparison to the town you and I experienced. - a. s.

4

Thanks guys, both for the clafication on the model (fixed now on the actual photo caption) and the memories of Bruges. It was exactly as you described it.

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BTW-I enjoyed checking out your gallery(s) Charles, especially the LA area stuff.[tup]

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Thanks for the thumbs up!