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Swedish Interlude

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Old Timer

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In a change from hot climes, OT was in Sweden last week.

Here are a few photos for those interested.

1) At work on the Infrastructure - S&C renewals
Starting work
IMG_6098A.JPG

Cutting the rail
IMG_6100A.JPG

2) An X60 series EMU working a Regional service to Gothenburg waits for departure time at Stockholm Central.
IMG_6031.jpg

3) InterCity - An ASEA Rc6 locomotive 1343 with a very, very late Train 93 14:48 Narvik to Malmo overnight sleeper train.
This service, which had departed Narvik the previous afternoon, was running some 4&1/2 hours late as it arrives into Uppsala Central. It has a further 6&1/2 hour run ahead of it.
IMG_6053A.JPG

4) An Upptaget Regina X52 EMU arrives at Uppsala with Train 8441 12:25 Gavle to Upplands Vasby.
IMG_6056A.JPG

5) A double deck X40 EMU pauses at Hallsberg with Train 445 18:10 Stockholm Central to Goteborg Central.
IMG_6088A.JPG

6) Rc6 1311 races through Hallsberg with a container train.
IMG_6077A.JPG

7) Regional X 2000 Train 645 18:14 Stockholm Central to Karlstad Central arrives at Hallsberg.
IMG_6090A.jpg

8) High Speed services pass on one of the Main Lines. Note how good the track is.
IMG_6128A.JPG

With thanks to my friends and colleagues on the Swedish Railways
 
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Yew

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Cool, what was your favorite train of the trip?
 

Old Timer

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I take it that the covers on the last shot are to keep the rails warm and keep the snow off.
Yes they are.



Some fascinating shots there, is it worth visiting as a general enthusiast?
Oh yes I rather think so.

There is a mix of everything you could want. If for example like me you are a loco man, then there are the RC6 (and other series locomotives, including 66s). If EMUs are more your thing then there are a variety of new style EMUs, and of course there are the X 2000 tilting HSTs

The Swedish are a very welcoming nation to foreigners and nearly all speak very good English. I would warn however that the exchange rate hovers around 10 KR : 1 GBP, and allied to that the cost of everything is at least double that in the UK, so even a 2 litre bottle of Fanta/Coke, etc is likely to set you back around £5. A simple breakfast in the hotel (£185 per night) was costed at £19 and a good meal is likely to set you back about £79.

Rail tickets are generally mileage based with the Arlanda Express airport service (40km) return coming in at £49



Cool, what was your favorite train of the trip?
I am a loco man so therefore my preference is for the Rc6, they are pretty histoic now but have recently had a 20 year rebuild complete with the latest electronic controls.

Nothing beats hammering along the main line at night and being able to see the pan flashing on the OHL - as you used to be able to with the 81-87s on the WCML years ago.
 
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Yew

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Nothing beats hammering along the main line at night and being able to see the pan flashing on the OHL - as you used to be able to with the 81-87s on the WCML years ago.

Or 91's on the ECML?
 

ainsworth74

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Whenever I travelled on the GN it was always in first class, so I was never at the loco end

On the WCML of course 1st was normally behind the loco

And of course on all but a few early runs 91s have hauled Mk4s which means no opening windows. Whilst 81s-87s on the other hand ;)
 

WestCoast

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An expensive place then! :shock: Nearly a fiver for a big bottle of pop? Fook!

It's all relative for the population with wages, social benefits e.t.c, however it does make it an expensive place to visit.

Norway is even more expensive IME.
 

bnsf734

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Not sure what price alcoholic drinks are now, but when I went in 1991 Drinks were eye wateringly expensive then :(

Nice pics there OT . I notice from the the black Rc6 on the Narvik train the swedes dont worry about yellow panels on the front of trains.

Calv
 
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Old Timer

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Not sure what price alcoholic drinks are now, but when I went in 1991 Drinks were eye wateringly expensive then :(

Nice pics there OT . I notice from the the black Rc6 on the Narvik train the swedes dont worry about yellow panels on the front of trains.

Calv
No.

BR introduced the yellow panels on the front of trains at the end of steam working when the diesels would approach faster and without any warning in comparison to steam-hauled trains.

Whilst the yellow front ends were helpful, they have become surplus today because (a) most work is undertaken when a line is blocked and (b) where work IS undertaken when lines are open to trains, the frontal lights are always seen far before there is a proper visibility of the train front end anyway.

In the case of foreign railways, a lot of Railways do not operate with staff on or about the track when trains are running. Maintenance is down overnight and any emergency work is done under line blocked procedures.

These sorts of arrangements will work as long as the track IS maintained and defects are not left for extended periods. As the old saying goes, "a stitch in time saves nine".
Thank you for the compliment.
 

Techniquest

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It's all relative for the population with wages, social benefits e.t.c, however it does make it an expensive place to visit.

Norway is even more expensive IME.

Great, two countries I really want to visit and it appears I'll need a bank loan just to get a chocolate bar when I get there :lol::-x

Looks like I'll be stocking up on all the pop, chocolate and crisps I could ever need on the way to both countries when I eventually get to them. Might just be a flying visit as such, get there and onto a train and get through as quick as possible until I get back to a country that charges a sensible rate for stuff again!

I always thought London was expensive, but it was all I could do to stop my eyes popping out when I saw how much stuff is in Sweden!
 

scarby

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Nice report.

Picture 2 is surely a local "pendeltåg" serving the Stockholm commuter belt.

The awful double deckers serve the slow stopping service to Gothenburg. Was formerly loco hauled with bistro car; now reduced to a vending machine, if it's not broken, along with other recurring defects such as broken doors.

Sweden does not have to be so expensive. You can buy things such as large bottles of soft drinks for around £1.50 in the supermarkets - the key is to shop in those.

Also, fill up on lunch, where you can get great deals for around £7-£9; in a proper lunch restaurant that will include main course, bread, salad, soft drink of choice and tea or coffee (Monday to Friday lunchtimes).

£185 + £19 breakfast sounds like the Grand Hotel or similar; normally a buffet breakfast should not be more than around £7.

Beer ranges from around £4 to £7.50 a pint, depending on how down or upmarket you go.

From a railway point of view, the rail museum in Gävle is worth a visit - small, but you can get inside a lot of the vintage carriages - much less "hands off" than the NRM. Same goes for the tram and bus museum in Stockholm. The museum in Gävle also has extensive information in English.
 

Old Timer

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Picture 2 is surely a local "pendeltåg" serving the Stockholm commuter belt..
The train in picture 2 according to my notes was advertised as working the 1202 to Gothenburg as per the platform display. I cannot answer your question definitively as I can only go per my notes. I agree though that it is strange for a suburban SL EMU to work a long distance SJ service but I do not have an explanation other than what my notes say.

£185 + £19 breakfast sounds like the Grand Hotel or similar; normally a buffet breakfast should not be more than around £7.

Beer ranges from around £4 to £7.50 a pint, depending on how down or upmarket you go..
I stayed at the Nordic Light hotel (price of a glass of beer £6.40), although the Bishops Arms just down the road charged around £5.60 for a pint and £5.50 for a dish of crisps with a side dip.
 
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