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Czech Republic

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317666

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Hi all,

Planning a trip to the Czech Republic later in the year. Just a few things I'd like to know...

It looks to me that there's still a fair amount of older rolling stock running in the country, but is there a particular area which you'd recommend where it's more common? Found a couple of train formations websites and the diagrams on ERG, but having never been to the country I don't know where everywhere is! I'm interested in both locos and units.

Are there any particularly scenic lines that you would recommend travelling over?

Lastly, apart from Prague which I'll probably stay in, which other cities are worth paying a visit to? Answers from both a tram enthusiast's and tourist's point of view welcome!

Many thanks! :)
 
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70014IronDuke

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Hi all,

Planning a trip to the Czech Republic later in the year. Just a few things I'd like to know...

It looks to me that there's still a fair amount of older rolling stock running in the country, but is there a particular area which you'd recommend where it's more common? Found a couple of train formations websites and the diagrams on ERG, but having never been to the country I don't know where everywhere is! I'm interested in both locos and units.

Are there any particularly scenic lines that you would recommend travelling over?

Lastly, apart from Prague which I'll probably stay in, which other cities are worth paying a visit to? Answers from both a tram enthusiast's and tourist's point of view welcome!

Many thanks! :)

I spent 20 minutes writing out a detailed reply - which then got lost due to an automatic log out. GRRRRRRRR

So, this will be brief. Cz is a great country. I love the place. And I know I'm not alone. Czechs are generally highly civilised people, IMX.

But go to the Czech Tourism website. do some research - there is no guaranteed tourist attaction - I like Ostrava. It's got coal mines and chemical facgtories,and reminds me of industrial NE England in 1960.

I suspect many people would think it awful. got trams too, IIRC (not been there for 12 years).

Plzen - do the Brewery visit - 7 min walk from station - not for the beer, but for the history. Visit the old city square 1/1000000 the number of tourists in Prague, but almost as good.

Tonnes of medieval towns/villages (many built by Germans, such a tragedy Hitler manipulated the ethnic divisions). Most famous is Telc - but it is too touristy for me. Try Jihlava, or Pelhrimov or Znojmo.

Main line Prague - Brno very nice north of Brno - winding through little villages with lakes. South and east of Brno you have gentle hills and vineyards and lakes to the Austrian and Slovak borders.

If you stay in Prague, don't miss the church-museum where commandos battled it out to the death with SS troops after killing the dear Reichsprotektor Heydrich. Or visit Lidice, the village they raised to the ground in revenge for said act.

Now, I hope this message doesn't get lost. :roll:
 

70014IronDuke

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I suppose I should add that CZ does have its problems, of course. There is little tolerance of the Roma population in many areas, and some towns, eg Usti nad Laben and Decin, have a bad name. And there are racist skinhead groups in such towns.

As a visitor, you will probably never encounter or feel this this. Frankly, it's a pretty safe place overall, and if you are civil to the natives, they will be more than civil in return.

Decin is, I believe, where the preserved steam are allocated. (Never been there.) The Czechs built some lovely modern steam in the 50s, including some massive tank locos and the impressive looking 475s, 498.0s and especially, the 498.1s. I'm sorry, i don't know where the older diesels and electrics work - but the industrial areas, such as Ostrava and and Olomuc, Pardubice, and the branch lines from these places, i suspect may have old stock.

Brno is a very impressive city in terms of its universities and industries, but perhaps not so obvious to the casual visitor. If you do 'happen there' - try to visit the Exhibition Centre - the original part, built in 1927 for the opening in 1928 - it's like a secular cathedral. Bit of a trek from the station, however - perhaps 5 km distant. Station is busy, but the station entrance is probably the grimmest part of the city!

One place I want to visit is Zlin. It is the main town of the historic Bata shoe company - the family was very enlightened, and built homes for the workers a la Bournville and Port Sunlight. Probably too far off the beaten track for you though, right down near the Slovak border.

Peopel rave about Cesky Krumlov in south Bohemia. Not been there myself.
 

Groningen

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mapa.gif
 

30907

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I've also been planning a short visit, basically to S Bohemia to cover one or two "endangered" services - endangered by modernisation, that is! - pending a proper holiday next year.

Top of the list, as this is their last year, are the class 75x "goggles" diesels plus DD stock on Ceske Budejovice - Cesky Krumlov - Nové Údolí and the "breadbin" railbuses (hopefully) on Volary-Strakonice. From late April the 0800-ish and 1400--ish from CB should be hauled, possibly the 10am too. Between them a good circular tour from CB, though Krumlov is definitely worth visiting.

I'm also going to visit the JHMD Narrow gauge, lines 228 and 229, where there's still some chance of traditional diesels - which I doubt , and a preserved steam working at weekends.

Third would be line 210 out of Prague to Cercany, also 75x and DD, but weekends only.May survive a bit longer.

Line 183 from Plzen to Zelezna Ruda will keep its loco hauled trains for a bit longer, I think there are forum members who have been that way.

In Prague, the "Prague Semmering" from an isolated platform near Smichov is worth the ride, and of course there are trams by the hundred.

One oddity in S Bohemia is the branch to Lipno n Vlatavou (195) which in summer is operated by a steeplecab electric and paraffin- heated railcar trailers. There's also Tabor to Bechyne (202), but AFAIK most trains are now railcars. Ask me again in June....

That's only scratching the surface, and I'm a beginner in matters CZ.
 
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87015

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There are all sorts of specials running in June, and its also Bratislava Rendex open day in a similar part of the world. This year there is a Prague-Rakovnik summer weekend service operated by KZC which will be loco-hauled with various old diesels.

749006 is the last 'grumpy' left in normal CD traffic and going off the last couple of years will probably have a solid turn between Cercany and Zruc nad Sazavou. These are right out of the top drawer as diesels go.

I'm a big fan of the 242 electrics which are losing work all over the show as well as what little there is available for single cab 210/113s. I believe the Tabor branch is now basically hauled AM peak only.
 

Groningen

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Oh; that map is 16 years old. No for sure that that Ebersbach to Czech Republic is not running any more.
 

317666

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Thanks all, lots to take in! Liking the look of the 242s especially, will try and get some of them in while I can.
 

timstours

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hello
i well recommend the country .
where do i start ,praha liben has a good selection of passenger workings and some freight ,also a yard with a few locos stabled by the station.
olomouc s a very nice town with a qaint tramway which works very well.
ostrava which i did on a day trip from olomouc was the best ,as well as cd traction there was pkp-poland ,awt,obb, db shenker, and the best were the zssk-slovakia class 131 double electrics of which i saw several.breclav right on the austrian border is also good ,not a busy as i thought but makes up in variety
 

Hophead

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One place I want to visit is Zlin. It is the main town of the historic Bata shoe company - the family was very enlightened, and built homes for the workers a la Bournville and Port Sunlight. Probably too far off the beaten track for you though, right down near the Slovak border.

The company did the same in Tilbury* too (which may be slightly nearer the beaten track for you)

* BBC link - others are available via your favourite search engine
 

beermaddavep

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For 242 haulage, your best bet is the Plzen to Ceske Budejovice services(these swap locos at Jihlava for a 750 onwards to Brno), and the Plzen to Klatovy services. Services Praha to Ceske Budejovice are still 363 hauled on old stock- but not for long
Olomouc is a pleasant city that hasn't been mentioned yet, as hads been stated, it tends to be the heavy industrial towns in the North and north west that are the roughest, but nothing anywhere is like the UK crimewise- it's a very safe and non aggressive country- you'll be amazed!

Lots of scenic lines- the ride on Line 210 from Praha to Cercany has some lovely bits where you hug the valley sides climbing away from the river. The ride over Ramzova to Jesenik (line 292) is pretty gorgeous, as is the climb out of Mlada Boleslav towards Stara Paka on line 064. Line 185 and 198 are really pretty, as are lines 310, 323, 024, 026 and 047 as well as the main lines up to Decin and across to Liberec- pretty much any rural line near the borders runs through glorious mountain/forest scenery.

Should also be 750 hauled trains from Praha to Rakovnik, where the Czech national railway museum is based- worth a visit. To check your train formation- use this site- every train in the Czech Republic is listed by number, with rostered formation and last/next diagram info http://www.zelpage.cz/razeni/

If you want some brewery/pub tips, ask away :)

PS, a good tip if you are based in Prague and want to travel around Liberec area- go one way by coach! It's an hourly walk up service, from Cerny Most Metro interchange, costs about 3 quid and takes an hour- 3 or 4 times less than the train, with modern toilet and servery equipped coaches......
 
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87015

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242s are also sold on Brno cross-city on the Tisnov-Vranovice axis, you could definitely do worse than an evening in Brno. There is a 210 turn but its silly o clock Monday mornings.

Honestly, its a country you will struggle to go wrong in on most counts.
 

30907

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749006 is the last 'grumpy' left in normal CD traffic and going off the last couple of years will probably have a solid turn between Cercany and Zruc nad Sazavou. These are right out of the top drawer as diesels go.

I believe the Tabor branch is now basically hauled AM peak only.

The 749 turn is basically out Saturday am and back Sunday afternoon, which makes it difficult to fit into a schedule!

I interpret the timetable for Bechyne likewise - couple of trips first thing, plus the last train from Tabor at night, SX.

Link to the museum site at Luzna: http://www.cdmuzeum.cz/en/default.htm
 
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garnon

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I'm out in Czecho for the Schwartz tour in June and planning to stay on with an interrail. Being quite a novice to the scene I have two questions that i'd appreciate assistance with:

1) where do i find 'the spreadsheet' that is so often referred to that details locos on diagrams, and

2) the last remaining 749 working between Cercany and Zruc nad Sazavou (out on saturday am, return on sunday), can anyone please advise the train numbers these operate on or the timings.

Will also be building in some 113 and 714 turns identified from the very helpful Zelpage site referred to below.

Many thanks
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Not sure how you'll arrive in Prague but the EC run to Dresden down the Vltava and Elbe rivers is impressive through the Elbe sandstone gorge on both sides of the border.
The Dresden paddle-steamers ply the German stretch of the river in season.
From my two trips the landscape has a particularly "English" look with rolling hills hiding old villages (and the odd hideous industrial plant).
Also I think many of the loco-hauled regional services are going to EMU operation over the next few years. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...view/view/interpanter-emus-enter-service.html

ČD has some good regional day ranger-type tickets (and one for the whole country). http://www.cd.cz/en/

I see the country wants to be called "Czechia" in English from now on (Česko in Czech).
But the Moravians and Silesians (Brno, Ostrava) disagree...
 
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D6700

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1) where do i find 'the spreadsheet' that is so often referred to that details locos on diagrams, and

2) the last remaining 749 working between Cercany and Zruc nad Sazavou (out on saturday am, return on sunday), can anyone please advise the train numbers these operate on or the timings.

The spreadsheets are here:
http://sledovanihv.blogspot.co.uk/

Full diagrams are available in the files section of CD Gen:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/CDGEN/

Also, the Four Foot forum has a foreign section, which is strong in Czech matters:
http://fourfooteightandahalf.com/forum/index.php
 

garnon

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I couldn't find the workings in the diagram section of CDGEN but did find reference to the working on the forum suggested, thank you.

I've duplicated it below for anyone interested.

Sat 16.04.16
749264* Os9207 09.12 Cercany – Zruc nad Sazavou.

Sun 17.04.16
749264* Sp1832 16.00 Zruc nad Sazavou – Cercany.
 

30907

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I couldn't find the workings in the diagram section of CDGEN but did find reference to the working on the forum suggested, thank you.

I've duplicated it below for anyone interested.

Sat 16.04.16
749264* Os9207 09.12 Cercany – Zruc nad Sazavou.

Sun 17.04.16
749264* Sp1832 16.00 Zruc nad Sazavou – Cercany.

As far as I can understand, 9207 is also hauled on Sundays right through to Svetla returning with 9206 (about an hour earlier than 1832 from Zruc), but with a 754. It reaches Cercany via line 210 on Saturday late afternoon - or will do when normal service is restored.
 
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87015

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That's it. 264 is silenced though, 006 looks to have bitten the dust :(
The KZC Praha-Rakovnic summer Saturday train however is not looking to be a loud 749 and is a bit easier to cover to boot. They have 253 & 259...
 

D6700

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The KZC Praha-Rakovnic summer Saturday train however is not looking to be a loud 749 and is a bit easier to cover to boot. They have 253 & 259...

I assume NOT is a typo and should have said NOW ;)
 

87015

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I assume NOT is a typo and should have said NOW ;)
Absolutely, I've totally bungled that typing :lol:

Also probably worth saying that their is engineering work all over the place due to upgrade work, check the CD website as its all fairly well Google translatable, despite some reports of people clearly not doing this and turning up for unknown autobussy action! Did one myself for a short section of the Plzen-Bud line, fairly painless and only lost 20mins or so.
 

30907

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Also probably worth saying that there is engineering work all over the place due to upgrade work, check the CD website as its all fairly well Google translatable, despite some reports of people clearly not doing this and turning up for unknown autobussy action! Did one myself for a short section of the Plzen-Bud line, fairly painless and only lost 20mins or so.

And none of this 12 weeks advance notification either - it's only posted a week or two ahead.

Linked as Operational Restrictions on the CD English homepage, under the train running map!
 

Ianigsy

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Pleasantly surprised to read in the new Today's Railways that Platform 5 have a new Czech and Slovak Railways handbook due out imminently. Will come in handy as I'm due to take the Vienna-Warsaw day train as far as Katowice in July!
 

Jordy

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Dragging this up a bit but I was in Czech over the past few days, covered the Ceske Bud - Nove Udoli and Rybnik - Lipno, both of which went as planned with 754 + DD stock on the Nove Udoli and a 210 on the Lipno.

Below is what I posted on ERG which may be of interest:

Thursday 19th May:

Arrived into Znojmo from Wien to cover the 714 diagram, this produced in the form of 714211 which was taken to Breclav. Then to Brno on EC276 (350012) to cover the 242s (etc). Workings by diagram below

Os4914 (242 TS202 Day 12): 242235
Os4911 (263 TS201 Day 1) : 242272
Os4978: 362165
Os4947 (242 TS205 Day 2): 242209
Os4626 (242 TS202 Day 2): 242273
Os4629 (263 TS201 Day 2): 263001
Os4628 (242 TS202 Day 3): 242268
Os4913 (242 TS203 Day 1): 242243
Os4631 (242 TS202 Day 1): 242221
Os4644 (242 TS202 Day 6): 242247
Os4633 (242 TS204 Day 1): 242240
Os4915 (242 TS202 Day 9): 242260
R970: 362024
Os4637 (242 TS202 Day 5): 242278

Friday 20th May:

Tied up a few loose ends in Brno before heading west

Os4923 (242 TS205 Day 2): 242217
Os4827 (754 TS704 Day 1): 754018
Os4801 (750 TS701 Day 3): 754019
R668 (750 TS701 Day 1): 750715
R668 forward from Jihlava was 242218

Then Ceske Bud

362084 on R1543
754029 on Os8107 to Nove Udoli
754039 on the other Nove Udoli diagram
1116151 on Sp3805
210039 on Os18864 (Lipno branch)

Saturday 21st May:

Lipno branch in the hands of 210045
1116199 on R1541
 

Via Bank

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Hoping people don't mind a slight thread hijack: I'm heading to Prague later this year on business. Has anyone had experience of getting there from London by Eurostar, ICE and CNL? Worth plumping for it over flying at stupid o'clock on Sunday?
 

317666

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Hoping people don't mind a slight thread hijack: I'm heading to Prague later this year on business. Has anyone had experience of getting there from London by Eurostar, ICE and CNL? Worth plumping for it over flying at stupid o'clock on Sunday?

That's how I'm getting there next week, but I have used ICE/CNL to get to other places in the past. It's an enjoyable experience which I would recommend, especially if you've never done a sleeper before. Just be aware that punctuality is not fantastic.
 

30907

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That's how I'm getting there next week, but I have used ICE/CNL to get to other places in the past. It's an enjoyable experience which I would recommend, especially if you've never done a sleeper before. Just be aware that punctuality is not fantastic.

The new 11.30 arrival in Prague is a bit inconvenient, but there's a lot of slack in the times eastbound, and a restaurant car from Berlin. Be aware that the train only runs till December as things currently stand.
 
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