Great Western Coffee Shop

Last week, I was working in Germany and took the opportunity to travel down "overland, by rail" - I really didn't fancy the messing about from Melksham via Stanstead and potentially excess baggage, nor was I keen on the l-o-n-g drive.  It also gave me the opportunity to learn a little more about modern European rail jouneys from the passenger perspective - a change to understand alternatives and wonder at why some things are / are not done the same / different ways in the Uk.

But here ... half a dozen pictures, not quite at random (and not all quite "lighter side" material, I suspect) taken during my return.  Anyone care to comment on what / where / why I might have taken these pictures?

A. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nqls1.jpg)

B. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nqls2.jpg)

C. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nqls3.jpg)

D. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nqls4.jpg)

E. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nqls5.jpg)

F. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/nqls6.jpg)

You took them because you were in Germany

that close enough?

D looks like a SWT interior.  Not good on my SWT rolling stock but I think this is a 444?  Return journey from Pompey ferry port?

The building in C looks like Cherbourg's ferry terminal.  Its been a good few years since I've been to Cherbourg so can't remember if there is a railway line nearby (the good old days of day trips to Carrefour in Cherbourg on the fast ferry)!

You are correct that is standard class interior of a 444.

F Looks like an ICE3 or ICE/T can't see the bogies to see if tilt probably somewhere in Germany judging by livery of local stock in background.

C Go with C being Franch ferry port  because of bilingual notice and Nr 12 sign on track.

A. feels like ex DDR somehow but probly wrong because of tram.

Is B a shipyard with a naval ship P730 on left? Googling it  turns out to be  a type 23 frigate

So if d is a 444 then B could be Portsmouth and C Cherborg was that your route?

E is Germany probably West , guess Essen/Mulheim an der Ruhr because of tram type  and livery

"C" is indeed Cherbourg ... a ferry terminal that's clearly seen far busier days stands in the middle of a huge card park, and a nearby sign says "Gare Maritime Cherbourg" on a single stretch of track that has no platform of any sort left on it.   I transferred from train to boat at Cherbourg and it's quite a long walk from the Ville station.

"F" Was actually taken at Wurtzburg - you're correct with "Somewhere in Germany", and I haven't a clue as to whether they were long link or short link bogies ... I'm just a passenger and it looks like a train to me  ;)

"D" is indeed the interior of a 444 and it's on its journey.   I was struck by how empty the train was (all the way from where I got on it to Southampton) but the how very full the shorter train to Cardiff was and it stuck me - wouldn't it be useful to take a trailer or two out off some of these 4 coach units and insert them into the 3 coach units.  (Yeah - I know - although they're trailer coaches, some bright spark hasn't made all the stock interchangeable so it can't be done.)

"A" - no one has right yet, nor "B".   "E" is indeed (West) Germany - but neither Essen nor Mulheim.

But is P730 a type 23 frigate?

If the ICE is Wurtzburg it's probably an ICE/T Nurnburg to Koln via Kassel and Hamm not using the High speed line from Kassel toHanover but going via Warburg where it does need to tilt I've done Kassel to Dusseldorf Flughafen via that route. Nurnburg Hamburg are usually ICE 1s.

Don't think tram is Wurtzburg though their livery appears to be White.

Hmm. 'P' is the fishing boat registration letter for Portsmouth: I reckon 'P730' is a trawler, on the dockside for maintenance.  ::)

I don't think anyone's even got the right country for "A" or "B" ... though both shouldn't be too hard - on an "obscure European" scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is really obtuse, they're at perhaps 3 or 4.   "E" is scale 8 or 9 - and I'll give you that as Nurnberg.

The public transport in Nurnberg is really impressive ... from DB to U-Bahn to Tram and to Bus - quick, easy and signposted.  Frequent services on the U-Bahn, fast, clean, and with plenty of announcements in German in English.   Just imagine that in this country ... what is the German for "This is a teacup line service to Edgware Road only, where you mugs who came to the wrong tube station will have to haul your bags over the bridge to get to the other arm of the teacup ...."

Well you wouldn't expect mugs to travel on teacups would you.   ;D

This is P730 ...

http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=1079438
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_La_Combattante

But I was rather more interested in the turntable with two parellel twin tracks - running around the shipyard, and also across the road and rail track and down to the water.

is A the level crossing just outside Poole ferry port?

Looks like it from Google Street View (although the Google shot looks like it was taken a while ago):-

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=poole&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.30596,39.814453&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Poole,+Dorset,+United+Kingdom&ll=50.710214,-1.993273&spn=0.001868,0.00486&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=50.710366,-1.993248&panoid=JqVKgmryfH9DWhIcfu6QVw&cbp=12,280.72,,1,2.73 (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=poole&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.30596,39.814453&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Poole,+Dorset,+United+Kingdom&ll=50.710214,-1.993273&spn=0.001868,0.00486&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=50.710366,-1.993248&panoid=JqVKgmryfH9DWhIcfu6QVw&cbp=12,280.72,,1,2.73)

Yes indeed ... "A" is at Poole - the old Hamworthy Goods line.   What a shame to see a fence erected across the line since the Google Street View was taken (that's an impressive URL, Mr C!)

Completing the story, the Butt of P730 is in the dockyard at Cherbourg