European Railroad Discussion > Back In The USSR!

Thank you for the update, Todd! I can write in bold now! And underlines! And all of them!

I am not back in the States yet, as is probably obvious by which board this post is on. But I am back in Lyon, and I've gotten some pictures of the local trains since I returned from Switzerland. On Wednesday, I was running all over the city with my folks (the previously mentioned hoity-toity rich snobs who made me get a first-class Eurailpass) and I saw numerous trains along the way.

Photo 1: We start with the already covered Fourvière funicular, which I rode up to the hilltop basilica and the Gallo-Roman theater ruins. This sign declares that it is banned for your cell phone to sprout arms and toss junk while in the funicular.

Photo 2: Rolling up into the hill.

Photo 3: Later at the other remaining funicular, which has a stop along its way at the Gallo-Roman theaters.

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Photo 4: Looking downhill from the open-to-the-sky station.

Photo 5: An interesting arch shape, looking uphill.

Photo 6: Looking through the tunnel, down to the Vieux-Lyon station.

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Photo 7: A train approaches from the top station, Saint-Jean.

Photo 8: My family waiting on the Minimes station platform.

Photo 9: Being on a cable system, the trains meet each other at the Minimes station.

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Photo 10: The two cars, which are orange like the metro Line D, sit in the platform.

Photo 11: Shoegazing from the walkway above the platform.

Photo 12: A funicular lights up the inclined tunnel.

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After lunch, my family took a boat shuttle on the Sâone River from the wonderful medieval old town to the hipster district of the Confluences, which was only a mile or so but felt like a voyage of one thousand years and several planets, given that the Confluences is entirely made of sexy modern architecture, with shiny metal, lots of glass, bright colors, and polished faux wood.

Photo 13: A TER train crosses the bridge into Perrache, one of Lyon's two main stations, viewed from the river.

Photo 14: A zoomed-out view on the TER.

Photo 15: Vive La France!

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Photo 16: A freight train crosses the river.

Photo 17: That stupid car photobombed me! But I'm going to keep this picture because it shows the Lyon light rail and an intermodal train in the background, nicely timed.

Photo 18: The intermodal train, which was the most substantial freight train I've ever seen in France. I missed the head end. This is the bombed-out industrial section of the Confluences, and I'm afraid I didn't get any pictures of the Star Trek-esque part of the Confluences because I was waiting to time it with a passing train. But you can Google-Image "lyon confluences" to see what I mean.

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Photo 19: The silkworm tram in a flowery trackbed.

Photo 20: A TGV Duplex coming out of Perrache up the river.

Photo 21: It's a duplex Duplex! Two trains, going to separate destinations, traveling as one until the split-off point.

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Photo 22: A tram crosses the interesting new public transit-only bridge. Lyon is very much like Portland, in multiple ways.

Photo 23: The Musée des Confluences, the "confluence museum", which shows all sorts of random stuff.

Photo 24: Riding the Metro back home to the Croix-Rousse.

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Photo 25: Changing trains in Vieux-Lyon.

Photo 26: Descending to the Line D platforms.

Photo 27: Trains exit in both directions.

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Photo 28: Leaving the station from the front of a Line D train. If it didn't get swamped out by the bright lights, which my camera has a problem with, you can see a Line A train arriving in the top right corner.

Photo 29: While walking home, I decided to go into Gare Saint-Paul, which is right in my neighborhood and could be considered Lyon's third station, although it is much smaller and shorter-distance than either Perrache or Part-Dieu.

Photo 30: Purple TER Rhône-Alpes sets that look like trams.

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Photo 31: The "mating" joke is over. But these trains'---uhh, coupling mechanisms---look very interesting.

Photo 32: Gare Saint-Paul is right up against a cliff, so it goes straight into a tunnel after the station.

Photo 33: Looking back at the train sets in Gare Saint-Paul. Tomorrow I go to Perrache to pick up an old friend, then on Monday I return stateside. You don't know how lucky you are...to be back in the USSR.

Tor in Only Lyon

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Torisgod Wrote:
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> Photo 31: The "mating" joke is over. But these
> trains'---uhh, coupling mechanisms---look very
> interesting.
>
> Photo 32: Gare Saint-Paul is right up against a
> cliff, so it goes straight into a tunnel after the
> station.
>
> Photo 33: Looking back at the train sets in Gare
> Saint-Paul. Tomorrow I go to Perrache to pick up
> an old friend, then on Monday I return stateside.
> You don't know how lucky you are...to be back in
> the USSR.
>
> Tor in Only Lyon

Great shots...not sure I understand the "..back in the USSR" connection.

ATSF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Torisgod Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Photo 31: The "mating" joke is over. But these
> > trains'---uhh, coupling mechanisms---look very
> > interesting.
> >
> > Photo 32: Gare Saint-Paul is right up against
> a
> > cliff, so it goes straight into a tunnel after
> the
> > station.
> >
> > Photo 33: Looking back at the train sets in
> Gare
> > Saint-Paul. Tomorrow I go to Perrache to pick
> up
> > an old friend, then on Monday I return
> stateside.
> > You don't know how lucky you are...to be back
> in
> > the USSR.
> >
> > Tor in Only Lyon
>
> Great shots...not sure I understand the "..back in
> the USSR" connection.

Beatles, sorry.

Tor in Only Lyon

ATSF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Great shots...not sure I understand the "..back in
> the USSR" connection.

You've obviously never heard the balalaikas ringing out!

Great pictures of a wonderful city - Where else can you get five different land-based modes of public transport? I'm not so sure of the comparison with Portland, but I guess it's closer than to Portland than Houston. By the way the silk connection includes Lyon being the home of Jaquard, the inventor of the silk loom (and the man responsible for all those ghastly scarves).

Torisgod Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ATSF3751 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Torisgod Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Photo 31: The "mating" joke is over. But
> these
> > > trains'---uhh, coupling mechanisms---look
> very
> > > interesting.
> > >
> > > Photo 32: Gare Saint-Paul is right up
> against
> > a
> > > cliff, so it goes straight into a tunnel
> after
> > the
> > > station.
> > >
> > > Photo 33: Looking back at the train sets in
> > Gare
> > > Saint-Paul. Tomorrow I go to Perrache to pick
> > up
> > > an old friend, then on Monday I return
> > stateside.
> > > You don't know how lucky you are...to be back
> > in
> > > the USSR.
> > >
> > > Tor in Only Lyon
> >
> > Great shots...not sure I understand the "..back
> in
> > the USSR" connection.
>
> Beatles, sorry.
>
> Tor in Only Lyon

Oh..got it! :)