European Railroad Discussion > A bit more on the way to Zagreb and misc

We left of with a bustitution required due to a collision on the mainline. Here we are in the village of Polje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was all very smooth very well done. The wait for down train was less than thirty minutes. Of course when it did arrive there was a frantic rush for seats. Still we ended up with a room to ourselves.

1 - 3 in Polje, and the scramble to board the replacement train.

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Highball Polje

What followed was some spirited running and several bottles of Rakia later we arrived in Zagreb. A lovely city with more than a hint of Vienna

A city of trams, both these modern versions but plenty of the older PCC car derived versions common throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

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I wish I had more railway oriented images. In a month we rode 11 trains, all but two overnight, but trains were just the most convenient and least expensive way to get around. They also provide a good chance to socialize and have a great time. I've loved trains and train travel as long as I can remember, I spent most of my adult life in the employment of a railroad and am of the firm belief that you can enjoy both the nut and bolts side of the industry and the more sensual pleasures that rail travel has to offer.

1. Change of gauge between Moldova and Romania.

2. Train travel

3. Minsk to Kiev

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I rode a sleeper from Zagreb to Split in 1985 behind a single loco, an EMD product, pulling the whole consist. The train was packed. A great ride!

Many central/Eastern European cities have more than a hint of Vienna, not least becasue they were ultimatley controlled from Vienna for portions of the 19th century.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/14 23:39 by cricketer8for9.

2Tep70BS, impressive locomotion!

I took the sleeper from Odessa to Bucharest in 1975, crossed Ukraine to then Romania (but now Moldova) at Ungeny. Is that where the gauge changes? If so it will make my 1-hr grilling by a Russian border guard a little easier to fathom.

phil-s Wrote:
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> I took the sleeper from Odessa to Bucharest in
> 1975, crossed Ukraine to then Romania (but now
> Moldova) at Ungeny. Is that where the gauge
> changes? If so it will make my 1-hr grilling by a
> Russian border guard a little easier to fathom.


Yes Ungeny is the gauge change point. Traveling from Odessa to Bucharest now requires an overnight stop in Chisinau, Moldova. The daily train from Odessa to Chisinau arrives after the departure of the Bucharest train. Border formalities between Moldova and Romania are fairly straight forward though Moldovan border police and customs officials make more of a production out of things than the Romanians do.