30 April 2019 · The Anniversary Tour

Presenter: Steve Ollive

Steve introduced himself and explained what the talk was about – a railway tour in Europe to celebrate three sixtieth birthdays and a silver wedding anniversary with five of the six participants present at the meeting. The presentation was divided into parts for the different sections of the journey. Part 1 took in the British Pullman from London Victoria; picking up the Venice Simplon Orient Express – with its beautiful interiors, superb service and great luxury, at Calais for the onward journey to Venice Santa Lucia. It was a good reason to dress up in fitting attire for such a setting. When asking for a more detailed itinerary for the VSOE, the answer was: depart London Victoria 10.45am on Sunday 24 June, arrive Venice St Lucia at 17.25 on Monday 25 June 2018! It was worth completing the questionnaire before travelling asking if there was any special reason for taking the VSOE as the Mâitre D came along just before dinner with a complimentary bottle of champagne to toast the birthdays and anniversary. This was followed by a superb dinner prepared by the on-board Michelin starred chef as we made a leisurely way across northern France to Paris Est and a change of locomotives from Sybic 26163 to another Sybic 26161 – neither matching the grandeur of the coaches. Each coach is different and has a history which is discretely on display. After leaving Paris it was off to the bar car for a night cap. This was the only communal vehicle on the train apart from the restaurant cars so it was really crowded but, along with the night cap, there was the pleasure of listening to the excellent on-board pianist.Early the following morning saw a locomotive change at Basel detaching the SNCF locomotive and changing it for SBB RE4/4 locomotives 11181 and 11199, before continuing on through Switzerland following the old Gottard Pass route to the Italian border at Chiasso having passed by the famous church at Vassen at least three times at different heights as the route climbs up through the mountainous Swiss scenery.

Part 2 covered three full days in Venice and the lagoon islands using the local transport which is mainly water buses with a three day vaporetto ticket proving to be an excellent idea. Most of the group spent the morning of the second day taking an early tram back to the mainland at Mestre to photograph trains and the VSOE as it prepared to return to Calais. The trams are interesting in that they operate on one rail with two pneumatics. Having discussed train times with the train manager on the way out to Venice, he greeted the group with the comment “I thought I would see you lot here”. Venice was a magical place with some wonderful sights and stunning views particularly from the top of the campanile (bell tower) of San Giorgio Maggiore, as well as visits to some of the islands including Murano – famous for its glass, and Torcello – slightly less touristy but well worth visiting with its old church, ancient remains and small lizards, and the heron perched on a post in the middle of a canal totally ignoring the tourists. Back on the main islands, some of the usual tourist attractions were visited – St Mark’s Cathedral, the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs amongst them, and nothing disappointed. Lunch was taken at a café in St Mark’s Square where there was a surcharge of 6 euros – for the privilege of listening to what turned out to be a superb group of musicians playing gentle classical music. More exploring during the stay took in a waterbus to Tronchetto and the delights of taking the people mover back to the main island.

Part 3 covered the details of the rail journey from Venice to Vienna starting with a high speed Frecciarossa set 22 to Verona where there was 90 minutes of train watching while waiting for the OBB Euro City connection to Innsbruck via the Brenner Pass. At Innsbruck there was just enough time to catch the Railjet to Vienna with time to enjoy a meal onboard before arriving at the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) which is a remarkable building, and a short walk to the hotel. Vienna gave the perfect excuse to stop outside the railway station – a bus pulled up, without disembarking the driver got out his flask, poured a ‘cuppa’ and put up the sign on the front destination display of a cup of steaming tea/coffee and the text PAUSE (German for break). This was the prompt for the refreshment break during the presentation.

Three days in Vienna took in trams, the tram museum and the technical museum, as well as a day out using the ‘spare’ day on the Interrail Pass to travel over the Semmering Pass to Payerbach-Reichenau and the Höllentalbahn where there was access to the works at the top and the power plant on the way back down – available only on the first run of the day. On the round trip that day, there was also a visit to Murzzuschlag and the Sudbahnmuseum (southern railway museum) with its incredible display of works vehicles. Other visits in Vienna included the Donau (Danube) Park with its 15” narrow gauge railway, and magnificent views over the city and its environs from the top of the tower. From here it was on to Prater Park with another 15” narrow gauge railway operated by the same company as at Donau Park.Unfortunately, it was not possible to see the hydrogen powered locomotive as it was well hidden in the engine shed. It was a must to try all forms of transport including the famous Ferris Wheel so this too was enjoyed.

After an excellent stay in Vienna it was time to continue on to Prague leaving on RJ72 propelled by OBB 1216-240.With tram lines running directly outside the hotel in the Old Town, it was well placed for exploring the city, visiting the Charles Bridge, Castle and Cathedral as well as a specially privileged private guided tour of the Jewish Museum. There was a wealth of interest for transport enthusiasts with regards to trams (including vintage vehicles on some regular routes), railways and the technical museum. Delights included City Elephants – double deck EMUs, at the smaller Mazarykovo railway station just a short walk from the hotel. Also of interest were the huge numbers of Harley Davidsons, due to there being an international convention celebrating the 90th anniversary of the local chapter. The bikers were very friendly, were everywhere in the city and they used the tram system too.

All too soon it was time to return from Prague to London leaving one member of the group behind to visit with family there. The first train for this part of the journey was 193 290 from Prague to Dresden and here there was time to watch a plentiful supply of freight trains from various companies going through the station while waiting for the ICE Class 411 connection to Frankfurt. It was a short walk to the hotel for the night before catching a Class 406 ICE to Brussels the following morning. At Brussels it was an E320 Siemens Eurostar back to St Pancras and then UK suburban railways back home.

Questions and answers included distances travelled; any issues with taking photographs – answer: none; questions about the VSOE rolling stock; food on board the VSOE – sumptuous is the best answer here with the onboard chef holding 2 Michelin stars; comments about David Suchet and his research before filming on board the VSOE, as well as discussion about how to distinguish between various types of rolling stock seen during the journey.

There was a lot more detail during the presentation on the railway rolling stock seen, places visited and stories too, that added colour but there is not enough space to include everything in the report. As one of those who enjoyed being on the tour itself, all I can say is what a superb way to celebrate!