International Railroad Discussion > Armenia, part 9. Gyumri Station

Train 684 terminated in Gyumri, 3 hours running time, distance about 160 kms.

Gyumri is on the mainline from Tbilisi to Yerevan. It is also the junction where a now-closed line runs west to Kars, Erzrum and Ankara, Turkey. It was the only rail connection from Turkey to the former USSR, and all borders crossings (rail and otherwise) closed in 1992 due to a severance of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia. (Now, 25 years later, Georgia and Turkey are opening a rail line to reestablish a rail connection from Turkey to the Caucasus).

It was a lovely sunny morning in Gyumri, and I shot a few more photos of the Riga Carriage Works ER1 before heading north out of town on my bicycle.

1) Train at the station, tail end

2) Tail end reflected in station doors

3) A flanger or plow?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/18 02:27 by gobbl3gook.

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4) Detail photo of the car number. That bondo patch probably represents the spot where a hammer and sickle badge once resided.

5) It's great weather for a bike ride!

6) Street side of the station



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/18 01:59 by gobbl3gook.

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I didn't go in the station, so no trainboard photo.

There was a trio of folks I spoke with on the platform and lingered with for a bit. A woman shooting "people shots" with a DSLR, and two men accompanying her. They spoke enough English to get by (which was rare), so I chatted a bit with the guys while she shot up the crowd.

With a long lens she could get much better people shots than I, and it was a very good environment -- strong morning light, people coming and going, and the Armenian buff colored stone which provides a warm toned background, and warms up the colors of peoples' faces in the reflected light.

7) photographer, with her two companions.

8) head end of the train.

Photos taken Nov, 2017

Location, Gyumri Armenia
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.787592,43.8595792,429m/data=!3m1!1e3

Questions, comments?

Ted in OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/18 02:21 by gobbl3gook.

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I see you don't let your bike out of sight! In the station shot, the center clock tower sure has a lot of radio antennas on top. Perhaps more users than just the railroad.

Shots 2 and 5 are excellent.

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots

It's great to see those ER class elektrichki still in their original green paint scheme. The ones in Russia have all been repainted to the thoroughly-hated red and gray scheme.