European Railroad Discussion > Latvian Weekend

This was not a railfanning holiday, it was a city break for the two of us with one day's railfanning thrown in. But of course, wandering round Riga there's plenty of opportunity for pictures of trams, trains, trolleybuses etc (although I didn't bother with the buses, trolley or otherwise)

As a destination Riga is most definitely worthwhile, it has a medieval core, nineteenth and early twentieth century art nouveau architecture which is unrivalled anywhere and a great location on the banks of the Daugava River. There's some pretty good modern architecture too, both pre and post independence. So if you get the chance don't hesitate, go!

1: Riga's tram network is very extensive, they roster three types of trams, two are classic Tatra designs, the other a modern Skoda. This is a pair of iconic Tatra T3SU (SU = Soviet Union, which required additional winterised components) running in multiple whilst above, on the commuter rail line is an ER2 3000v DC EMU which was built in Riga by RVR. Behind are the Zeppelin sheds which form one of the must see sites, Riga's central market. And yes, they are indeed Zeppelin sheds, dismantled by the Latvian government in the late 1920s and re-erected in Riga for the market.

2: The other type of Tatra is the T6B5SU, these were a wider version of the T6, with a less pointed front end.

3: In the afternoon the high cloud started to break up. An ER2 crosses the Daugava with the 1200' TV tower in the background.

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4: Taken from what Latvians know irreverently as Stalin's birthday cake, the Latvian Institute of Science, a Soviet style skyscraper which was started in 1951 (but not finished until 1961). It has a viewing platform on the 17th floor which is highly recommended. An ER2 is crossing the Daugava with the Latvian National Library in the background.

5: Mezaparks is a garden suburb of Riga, originally developed for the German merchant class in the early 20th century. Today it's still a desirable suburb and reached by tram no.13, which is a route almost entirely operated by the new Skoda 15T cars

6: A MoW car, once a T6B5 which seemed to be spraying the rails

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And now for the mainline trains. As I've bored you already with the sequences shot on my phone here are just three more pictures

1: Empty coal / iron ore heading east on the Riga - Krustpils mainline behind another 2TE116. Built from 1972 onwards the 2TE116 introduced the overhanging windscreen into Soviet design. They are a very impressive locomotive, each half houses a Kolomna type 1A-5D49-2 V16, the same engine that is in the former DR class 132, now DB class 232 (the Ludmilla)

2: A pair of DR1A DMUs form a six car set. When I first encountered the DR1As, back in 1995, they ran in six car sets with two motor cars. The motor cars contain a Zvezda V12 engine and hydraulic transmission

3: And finally, the penultimate train of the weekend, and another 2TE116, heading to Riga on loaded coal

A couple of noticeable features of Latvian railways, the exemplary state of the equipment and the lack of any graffiti.

Here's a link to some more pictures: https://nick86235.smugmug.com/Trains/2017/A-long-weekend-in-Riga/i-2D3mg6J



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/17 13:27 by 86235.

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Nice pics, thanks for sharing.

I roamed around Latvia for a week last summer, thoroughly enjoyed it.

For those who are interested, there are often low fare flights to Riga from major US cities -- SEA => RIX was hovering around $500 round trip for most of the winter. Or you can fly on a Scandinavian airline to Stockholm and take an overnight ferry to Riga.

Latvia uses the Euro, and is a very low-cost place to visit in US $.

Ted in OR

Thanks for these. Very interesting.

KG

Not bored at all Nick. Are you able to get around OK enough without knowing Latvian language?

Jim

Jim - most young Latvians speak Latvian, Russian and English. The tourist lingua franca is English. It serves to be able to say please and thank you in Latvian, but that's about all. The self service ticket machines at bus and tram stops in Riga are in Latvian, Russian, English and German.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/17 09:33 by 86235.