Game: Guess the train

[rdrdrdrd]

country: panama

[michael blunck]

country: Panama (1 point)
company: Panama Canal Authority (ACP, Autoridad del Canal de Panamá) (1 point)
builder: Mitsubishi Co. (2 points)
HP: 2 * 290 (2 points)

Good choice. Very interesting (but well-known ). BTW, those canal "mules" are cog wheel locomotives (Swiss Riggenbach system) and the canal track has the steepest grade worldwide (50% at lock ramps, see http://www.canalmuseum.com/canalphotos/ ... s-012.html). But usually, the cog wheel drive is used as well on level track to enhance tractive effort.

regards
Michael

[YukonRob]

Good going Michael.
Post away

[michael blunck]

Well, still no steamer, gents ...

unknown39.jpg (245.77 KiB) Viewed 3051 times

country: ???
company: ???
class: ???
builder: ???
model/type: ???
power: ???
numbers built: ???
years delivered: ???
location: ???

9 points in total, 5 needed for a win.

Happy guessing. And take your time ...

regards
Michael

[DanMacK]

country: Vietnam
company: Vietnamese National Railways
class: D12E
builder: Ceska Dopravka - CKD Praha
model/type: ???
power: 1000
numbers built: 40
years delivered: ???
location: ???

[michael blunck]

country: Vietnam
company: Vietnamese National Railways
class: D12E
builder: Ceska Dopravka - CKD Praha

Right. More guesses? I don´t think so.

country: Vietnam
company: Duong Sat Viet Nam (DSVN)
class: D12E
builder CKD Dopravni Systemy, Prague
type: DEV 736
gauge: 1.000 mm
power: 1200 hp / 883 kW
numbers built: 50
delivered: 1985 - 1999
location: Lao Cai

Then I have the pleasure to declare Dan the winner.

Congratulations Dan, your turn.

regards
Michael

[DanMacK]

That was a good one Michael. Took some digging to find the info I did.

Here's mine

Looking for the following
Country:
Company:
Builder:
Year Built:
Gauge:
Number:
Location:

[EXTspotter]

Country: Spain

[michael blunck]

Country: Spain

Always loved isolated island railways.

Mallorca anyone?

regards
Michael

[DanMacK]

I knew I shouldn't have said that Details Michael?

[Flavius]

Country: Spain [EXTspotter]
Company: Palma-Sóller Railway
Builder: Carde y Escoriaza
Year Built: 1913
Gauge: 36-inch (914 mm) narrow gauge
Number: Loco No.1
Location: Palma

[DanMacK]

Excellent on all but the year built Rollo But you're right on the money. Your turn.

[Flavius]

Hi Dan
Thank you for that little railway, very interesting indeed. Once more i await Michael re more information about it.
Could not find any detail info about the locomotives.
Fabulous pics showing the line itself, must visit there one day.

[michael blunck]

Once more i await Michael re more information about it.
Could not find any detail info about the locomotives.
Fabulous pics showing the line itself, must visit there one day.

Hehe, my pleasure.

Indeed, the Majorcan Railways are very interesting and well-known. I bet that millions of German tourists have been travelling with that famous "Red Lightning" resp "Orange Express".

Now, if the "Ferrocarril Sollér" (FS) is well-known because of its beautifully preserved rolling stock, the other Majorcan lines are equally interesting because of their history and on-going recommissioning, which seems to transform Majorca into a "railway island" once again.


History

The very first railway built on that island was the "Ferrocarriles de Mallorca" line between Palma and Inca, inaugurated in 1875. It had been originally built as a 3 ft gauge railway with all english-delivered material (locomotives, coaches, track). In the years to follow, more track was built, via Manacor to Artà, to Sa Pobla , from Santa Maria del Camí on the Palma - Inca route to Felanitx, and from Palma to Santanyi (see timetable and map below).

Except of the Palma - Inca - Manacor line, none of these lines are still in existence, except the line to Sa Pobla which has been rebuilt in meter gauge (together with Palma - Inca which has also been reconverted), and is planned to be extended to Alcudia on the North-Eastern coast (blue and violet lines on the map). There´s also talk of a new tramway line linking Palma, the airport and Arenal, and reconstruction of the railway from Manacor to Artà (mauve), closed in 1977, as well as two new lines, one from Artá to the coastal town of Cala Ratjada, and probably a new tramway from Alcudia along the coast to Can Picafort.

But by far the most famous railway on Majorca is the "Ferrocarriles Palma - Sollér" (FS). Opened in 1912, it had been built originally for the transport of agricultural goods from the northern coast to the capital of Palma. Before, products had to be transported by ship from Puerto de Sollér to Palma, an expensive and time-consuming procedure.

The complete 27 km railway through the Tramuntana mountains is of the same gauge as all other Majorcan railways of that time, i.e. 914 mm (3 ft), and in fact it´s a real mountain railway with large differences in height, many loops, a viaduct of 53 meters, and 13 tunnels, the most impressive ones being the 2857 meter long "Tunel Majorl" and the loop tunnel on the northern ramp. In fact, the style of construction of this line is very similar to that of the railways in likewise mountainous Corsica.

Four steam locomotives were ordered from "La Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima", coaches were delivered from "Carde y Escoriaza", and the goods wagons were from the German company "Orenstein & Koppel".

After completion of the electric tramway between Sollér and its port in 1913, inhabitants became increasingly aware of the benefits of electric travelling in comparison to steam locomotives (especially in those tunnels). Eventually, between 1926 and 1929, the line was electrified by the Siemens company which also delivered the electrical components for the four railcars still in existence today. The present steam locomotives were sold to "Ferrocarriles de Mallorca". Since more and better roads became available, in 1973 freight transport by train has finally closed down.

Today, this line with its technically interesting railcars and the preserved wooden coaches is a major touristic highlight of the island, together with the Sollér tramway. In 2005, there was a remarkable accident, when on June 20th a head-on collision in a tunnel between railcars 3 and 4 occured. Fortunately enough, of the 450 passengers involved, only four were injured, and even the railcars suffered only minor damage.


Timetable

1875 formation of the "Ferrocarriles de Mallorca", opening of the line Palma - Inca (blue)
1877 opening of the line El Puerto - Palma (tramway)
1878/1879 opening of lines to Sa Pobla and Manacor (blue, violet)
1881 opening of the line Alaró - Estación Consell (black)
1897 opening of the Santa Maria del Camí - Felanitx line (gray)
1907 start of construction of the Palma - Sollér line (red)
1912 building of the Sierra de Alfàbia tunnel and completion of the Palma - Sóller line
1913 the tramway Sóller - Port of Sóller went into service (red)
1916/1917 building of the line Pont d'Inca (Palma) - Santanyi (light green)
1921 opening of the extension line Manacor - Artà (mauve)
1927 electrification of the line Palma - Sóller
1932 opening of the new harbour line at Palma
1965 closing of the line Pont d'Inca (Palma) - Santanyi
1968 closing of the Santa Maria del Carni - Felanitx line
1977 closing of the Empalme - Manacor and Manacor - Artà lines
1981 closing of the Inca - Sa Pobla line
2000 reopening of the Inca - Sa Pobla line
2003 reopening of the Empalme - Manacor line


Map

FdeMallorca.jpg (37.4 KiB) Viewed 2774 times

The Majorcan railway network today

- Palma - Inca - Manacor
- Inca - Sa Pobla

Operating company is tib (transports de les Illes Balears), formerly "SFM - Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca"

- Palma - Sóller
- tramway Sóller - Puerto Sóller

Operating company is "FS - Ferrocaril de Soller"


Technical data of railcars

gauge: 914 mm (3 ft)
voltage: 1200 V DC
bulding year: 1929
builders: Carde y Escoriaza, Zaragoza (mechanical), Siemens - Schuckert, Berlin (electrical)
axle scheme: Bo'Bo'
power: 360 kW
length: 13,540 mm
weight: 33 t


More info

http://majorcarailways.com/mallorca.htm (historic information and photo gallery)
http://www.alan.rolfe.easynet.co.uk/maj ... /page1.htm (very interesting travel reports and photographs)
http://www.grijalvo.com/Articulos_de/tf ... llorca.htm (very interesting historic article, in German)
http://www.grijalvo.com/articulos/tfcsollerrwy.htm (same as above, in English)
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/es/pri ... u/pix.html (train photos)


Books

Giles Barnabe
Rails Through Majorca
Plateway Press 2003
ISBN 1-871980-51-8

K.-J. Vetter
Eisenbahnparadies Mallorca
GeraMond 2004
ISBN: 3-7654-7254-9

Wolff/Vetter/Vetter
Mallorca mit dem Zug entdecken
GeraMond 2001
ISBN: 3-7654-7180-1


Good choice, Dan. But too easy for us Europeans (it´s even in one of my books, and this is not a railway book (!) ). Congratulations, Rollo. Looking forward to your next mystery train.

regards
Michael

[Flavius]

Operator: ???
Country: ???
Gauge: ???
Train Name: ???
Roster No: ???
Builder: ???
Year built: ???
Class: ???
Wheel Arrangement: ???
Weight: ???

[Railwaymodeler]

Country: USA
Gauge: Standard (4' 8-1/2")
Builder: Climax
Class: C (maybe)
Wheel Arrangement: B-B (To borrow from diesel terms) It has driving wheels in front, two in the back.

[Plastikman]

Operator: Durbin & Greenbriar Railroad
Country: USA
Gauge: Standard Guage
Train Name: Durbin Rocket
Roster No: No. 3 (S/N 1059)
Builder: Climax for the Moore-Keppel Company of Ellamore, West Virginia
Year built: 1910
Class: Class B
Wheel Arrangement: 2 Truck Climax
Weight: 55-ton


perhaps next time.. leave the blue gondola off, that made it wicked easy...


lol at rwy modler popining in an answer while i was typing

[Flavius]

Hi Plastikman
Congratsulations! You are our winner. Well done!
Upon reviewing your answer in regard to the Weight question, I was pleasantly surprised to find that your answer to be correct. http://www.climaxlocomotives.com/confir ... SN=377&C=B
Over to you and i look forward to your mystery locomotive.

Operator: Durbin & Greenbriar Railroad [Plastikman]
Country: USA [Railwaymodeler]
Gauge: Standard Gauge [Railwaymodeler]
Train Name: The Durbin Rocket [Plastikman]
Roster No: No. 3 [Plastikman]
Builder: Climax Locomotive Works [Railwaymodeler]
Year built: 1910 [Plastikman]
Class: Class B [Plastikman]
Wheel Arrangement: 2-truck, geared 4 wheel trucks [Railwaymodeler]
Weight: 55 Ton [Plastikman]

[Plastikman]

I did not have time to get the picture I wanted, so here is my fallback.

Operator (Any 2 of them)
Country:
Exact location:
Gauge:
Builder:
Year built:
Weight:

[Illegal_Alien]

Hmm looks like a very narrow gauge