danielonrails.bsky.social
Freelance journalist: Mostly write about trains and cars. Paloma Faith enthusiast and a snooker anorak as well. Email: [email protected]. Own views.
140 posts
113 followers
119 following
Getting Started
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Anyway, I now have a new leader on my RailMiles account:
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17 and a half hours after I hopped on an ICE at Wien Hbf, this @gwr.com IET deposited me - two mins ahead of booked time - at Exeter St David’s, bringing an end to five bonkers days of running around Europe on trains.
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Passing the batten over to @gwr.com for the last leg of Vienna to Devon in a day by rail. Greens all way please, NR!
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This was a stonker of a run. 3L from Brussels, stoped at Lille, through tunnel at 140kph and still 9E.
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Time to zoom back to the UK under the sea.
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I am truly staggered to report that ICE 14 arrived into Brussels on time. First time ever that I haven’t had to sprint to the international terminal or ask to be rebooked onto a later train. Have bought waffles & Belgian beer from the supermarket to celebrate this amazing occasion.
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A late lunch on ICE 14. Pleased to see DB still serves food on a proper plate and uses glasses - I was worried that had been dropped after the last couple of @diningcar.at encounters.
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Arrived into Frankfurt Hbf 20 mins late on ICE 228 (pic one) turning my 52 minute connection onto ICE 14 (pics two and three) into a 20 minute change. Plenty of time. Onwards to Brussels…
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Away from Passau 20 mins late. Curiously, there was a full passport / ID check by the police during the interlude.
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It could be worse. At least I’m not on the NightJet to Vienna that’s three and a half hours late…
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Crossed into Germany a moment ago spot on time - well done OBB, you did your bit. Checked the DB app to find - shock, horror - a delay is expected.
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Check the date….
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From Bucharest, I flew to Vienna as it was cheaper to do that than fly to the UK. Hence…
VIENNA TO DEVON IN A DAY BY RAIL:
It is just after 7am in Austria. I just boarded ICE 228 at Wien Hbf. Assuming all goes to plan / DB plays ball, I will get to Devon before midnight BST. Wish me luck, please…
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Yesterday morning, I caught the train to Bucharest. I was expecting an old electric loco & pick-and-mix assortment of carriages. A brand-new Alstom EMU that’s only just entered service turned up - good to see investment. Infrastructure upgrades are needed too: 2h43m to do 100miles!
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I spent most of Sunday exploring Braşov: a lovely city that’s nice and compact.
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Arrived into Braşov about 1hr15mins late. Never got to the bottom of what caused the delay.
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Breakfast in the MAV @diningcar.at earlier.
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The crew have clearly got me worked out. Tap on the shoulder as I’m eating desert. “You might want to see what’s going on the front.”
Hop off and an M41 is put on…
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Dinner in the MAV restaurant carriage…
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Oh, and this *had* to be done before I boarded the sleeper train.
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Shortly after I took this video I was told off by a 13 year old. I didn’t have that on my 2025 bingo card.
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I spent the afternoon at the seven-mile long Budapest Children’s Railway, which is almost entirely staffed by children. An 11 year old boy sold me a ticket and of course his English was impeccable. A surreal experience.
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My home for the next 16 hours - and the purpose of the trip - is MAV’s ‘Corona’ night train to Braşov, complete with Soviet-era sleeper carriages…
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When I arrived into Budapest, I noticed the sleeper train for Kiev. Quite a strange feeling knowing I’m - theoretically - a train away from a war zone.
It puts my little jolly jaunt around Europe into perspective - and shows how important railways are for connecting folks.
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Just to update this thread from yesterday: I’m rather ashamed to say I’d never travelled on an OBB RailJet before, but I put that right by taking RJX 175 to Budapest, which arrived 30mins late. RailJets have a spacious interior but the seat in standard was a bit too hard and upright for my liking.
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EuroCity Transalpin at Innsbruck. A stunning route that was bathed in sunshine: well worth the early start! Have a couple of hours in Innsbruck for a wander and lunch…
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(My phone contract doesn’t allow free roaming in Switzerland, however I’ve just crossed into Austria. I’m aboard the wonderfully-named EuroCity Transalpin service, having made an easy 15min connection in Zurich.)
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#TravelbyTrain breakfast in OBB @diningcar.at while running alongside Lake Walensee earlier today edition:
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Thanks to the various DB delays it was dark by the time I arrived into Konstanz last night. Nonetheless, the walk to the railway station this morning provided a great view of the lake.
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Equally, I booked my Interrail reservation for today’s Eurostar two days ago.
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Yes, I have been impacted by DB being DB on this corridor several times. I’m not looking forward to next week’s return.
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Here we go. Sat at Köln Hbf awaiting a train that is 40+ mins late. Everything else is 100+ mins late. Looks like I’m missing a connection later on. Sigh.
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The Daniel law of travelling on an ICE (order currywurst und pommes frites mit bier) has been enacted. Oddly, there’s just a single member of staff in the @diningcar.at.
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The Eurostar arrived spot on time into Brussels, which is just well as I have a tight connection onto ICE 315. I’ve missed it in the past: not today though. I hope this is a good omen for the other DB services I’m planning to travel on.
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It is - simply - the most wonderful time of the year for us freelancers. 🎉(are you going to the Byway thing on Weds?)
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ALCS is just wonderful, isn't it? Three cheers for good folk there.
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cc @diningcar.at!
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Indeed. My main takeaway (other than the fact America is depressingly welded to cars and aeroplanes and rail is very much an afterthought) is that folks have a view and they are going to stick to it no matter what someone else has to say. I imagine it'd be five times worse now than in January.
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I happened to be travelling across the by sleeper train - from Chicago to Miami - during the week of his inauguration and I ended up speaking to a range of Americans in the process. As an outsider looking in, it was fascinating to hear the differing views expressed about him to say the least.
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Yesterday’s Tisbury Loop delay: 0mins (hurrah).
Today: six minutes (the Exeter - Waterloo my service crossed was seven minutes late)
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I appreciate this won't work for *everything* but I found a tonne of royalty-free and free images in seconds on Unsplash: unsplash.com/s/photos/fre..., so there are options other than using AI.
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@ogilvie.org.uk is the man to talk to regarding cargo ship adventures.
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As you say, this is very on-brand for you. Hopefully you'll be able to get in another XPT trip before you leave Oz?
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I've heard mountains-magazine.com is run by a lovely guy. You should check it out, I think you'll like it.