European Railroad Discussion > Czech Republic Part 1. Fast local train through the Tatra Mtns

About ten reasons why train riding in Europe beats Amtrak -- 

1) opening windows

2) jointed rail

3) compartments and hallways are fun 

4) and functional -- if you're the only person in your compartment, you can keep the window open for your whole ride 

5) also functional -- if you're sharing your compartment, you can stand in the corridor and leave the window open for your whole ride

6) there's a mirror for cameo appearances in videos 

7) scenery is fantastic -- roads are small, hamlets and hollows are charming.  

8) no problem bringing a bicycle. 

What am I missing here?  

Southbound train, Lichkov to Usti Nad Orlici, CZ.  October 2019.  

Ted in OR

Location -- here is the red turret, seen about halfway through the video. 
https://goo.gl/maps/tLdqyKuxtmhqRh389
https://www.google.com/maps/@50.081037,16.6172515,454m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://opentopomap.org/#map=17/50.08076/16.61686
https://en.mapy.cz/zakladni?x=16.6162610&y=50.0806226&z=17
(I'm finally using mapy.cz in its native country)


 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/21 20:42 by gobbl3gook.

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A couple more reasons--
9)   In Europe, the politicians aren't constantly trying to kill off or starve to death services like they do here. (Reasonable food service, anyone?)
10) They don't have the "Us vs. Them" mentality with freight operators who happen to own the tracks. 

Great fun, and what lovely country! Thank you.

Good points, wpmtik.  2 more from me.  

11.  Fare for this fantastic, scenic 1 hour ride was $2.86 US$.  (maybe an extra $1 or $2 for the bicycle.  It's a child's fare in most European countries).  
https://www.cd.cz/en/default.htm
12. Trains on branch lines run every 60 to 90 minutes all day long.  

This looks a lot like Western Wisconsin, north of La Crosse, inland from the Mississippi River, where I spent a lot of time growing up.  I would look at old atlases and see all of the rail lines that raun up and down the valleys.  And imagine what it was like back in the day when you could take trains through the area --
* East Winona to Arcadia
https://openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=44.24944137603673&lon=-91.50650024414062&zoom=14
https://opentopomap.org/#map=13/44.25282/-91.53766

* Trempaleau to Galesville,
https://openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=44.05268071394496&lon=-91.41191482543944&zoom=13
https://opentopomap.org/#map=14/44.08259/-91.36690

* Trevino (Pepin) to Durand. 
https://openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=44.63134455948445&lon=-91.96955680847168&zoom=14
https://opentopomap.org/#map=15/44.62802/-91.97305

After riding this branch line in the Czech Republic, on a classic branch line train with opening windows, in a rainstorm, yes.  It would have been fantastic.  Though, I think the topography was a little more intricate in the Tatra Mountains.  

Ted in OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/21 21:02 by gobbl3gook.

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I've not been to that part of the Czech Republic before. It looks very bucolic but I don't think the Mountains are the Tatras. I've always thought of them as being further east, like here at Strba, forming the border between Poland and Slovakia. No standard gauge railways cross them. I think the mountains which mark the border between Poland and the Czech Republic are the Giant Mountains.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/21 11:18 by 86235.

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That video makes me think you must have had a hard time not smiling all day.  Looks like a great adventure.  I did something similar rolling from Italy back to Spain on an SNCF overnight train.  And later went to the bar car where the scene (and the cigarette smoke) was thick.

86235 Wrote:
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> I've not been to that part of the Czech Republic
> before. It looks very bucolic but I don't think
> the Mountains are the Tatras. I've always thought
> of them as being further east, like here at Strba,
> forming the border between Poland and Slovakia. No
> standard gauge railways cross them. I think the
> mountains which mark the border between Poland and
> the Czech Republic are the Giant Mountains.

More generally it is the Sudetes, of which the Giant Mountains make up one particular part: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudetes