European Railroad Discussion > Quiz 5: But Where Is This?

Here we have an old time professional from the time when men were of iron and trains, well of iron too...

But where might this be? Using search machine might spoil the joy of guessing, so maybe we could do this old fashioned way?

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For starters: maybe you can guess the country where this was taken?

Looks like something that could be in the US Rust Belt, say Cleveland....or since it's on the European Forum, Germany,,,,,,,,or USSR.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/15 09:57 by wmshawk.

South Africa? [edit] no, not on the European Board!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/15 10:11 by Hartington.

Good guessing, you are nearing the area...look at the determination of the eyes of the engineer of Southern European locomotive. I'm not quite sure if you can recognize the equipment, but give a light guess. I think there is more at stake here than simple train running...

Which of the Southern European / Mediterranean countries? (the light in the print is definitely Mediterranean despite weather being awful the day I visited this location).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/15 10:11 by McKey.

Somehow, France does not seem like a Southern Mediterranean country.

Yes, congratulations it is indeed France, not Southern Mediterranean, but Southern Europe Mediterranean. :)

wmshawk Wrote:
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> Somehow, France does not seem like a Southern
> Mediterranean country.


Here is some more Mediterranean light, if you see what I mean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV_HYwmEi_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjn-cXFH2zQ

Those videos also might give the next clue where to look for this.

In the picture is a station, not far from this sea! This time, please look at the architecture. And here is my third clue as a picture.

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Strasbourg?

Spain?

Nice.

Great suggestions! This is Cannes (next to Nice on French Riviera), the city for yearly big film festivals. Also a city with lots of tourism and beach, shopping, etc. In the movie Mr Bean goes to Cannes film festival...on TGV trains (mostly).

railsmith Wrote:
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> Nice.


However, the station building is NOT very "Nice", many stations from concrete brutalism era are similar.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/15 15:41 by McKey.

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So....
Can you name the movie ?
How about the locomotive [ class ] ?

Best, SZ

Jean Gabin in La Bete Humaine. The cab windows suggest a Paris-Orleans design (I think), a 231H perhaps?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/15 03:16 by 86235.

Correct on the film -- but only warm on the locomotive [ no, not Midi-warm...]. I agree the cab windows are the key......

SZ

Steinzeit Wrote:
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> but only warm on the
> locomotive [ no, not Midi-warm...]. I agree the
> cab windows are the key......
>
> SZ

:-( I'm afraid my knowledge of French pre-war steam is very limited

Steinzeit Wrote:
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> Correct on the film -- but only warm on the
> locomotive [ no, not Midi-warm...]. I agree the
> cab windows are the key......
>
> SZ

I found a nine minute clip of the film on the interweb, seemingly filmed with Jean Gabin on the footplate of a St Lazare to Le Havre express. That being the case would the loco be one of the CF Etat pacifics of the 231 501-783 class, some of which were built by North British in Glasgow?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/15 00:27 by 86235.

Yes, it's an Etat Pacific, specifically 231-592, although the movie was filmed in 1938 after the creation of SNCF. Its "DD" subclass [ after rebuilding in the mid thirties ] became the 3-231-G group under SNCF; interestingly, by chance Otto Perry photographed the same locomotive in Paris in 1927 [ online in the Denver library collection along with a lot of other French, Swiss, and Italian machines he shot ] allowing a before / after comparison.

Best regards, SZ

For me it looks like socialistic, soviet architecture.

>
> However, the station building is NOT very "Nice",
> many stations from concrete brutalism era are
> similar.

Steinzeit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, it's an Etat Pacific, specifically 231-592,
> although the movie was filmed in 1938 after the
> creation of SNCF. Its "DD" subclass [ after
> rebuilding in the mid thirties ] became the
> 3-231-G group under SNCF;

Thanks. I see that one of the Etat pacifics is preserved in working order.

Incidentally this is the link to the clip from the film

http://www.wat.tv/video/bete-humaine-jean-renoir-1938-jmx4_2g7bz_.html

I love the bit where they lower the water scoop and where Gabin indicates to his fireman to look out for a signal, the fireman indicating that it's clear. Great stuff.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/15 12:29 by 86235.