Trackside from Czechia

Bridges from Czechia

Full screen backgrounds - mixed

You will find in each downloadable ZIP file the foreground and background picture and a timetable line in a *.ttt file with a   $GROUP   command, having the correct parameters (size, position of the foreground stripe). You can include it into your own timetable file and extend this $GROUP line with your own parameters (LC= for the number of trains running through the screen after each other for one time on this picture, for example), or only use the values of the parameters   AB= ; BL= ; BG= ; FG= ;   in a simple movement or in another command, if you plan to use it in other way. Some pictures are showing a two track line, so you can even define a $SCENE and two $PATH inside it, to have trains running in both directions in the same time.

A steel deck truss bridge  on the railway line Rumburk (Rumburg) - Dolní Poustevna (Nieder Einsiedel) between Mikulasovice (Nixdorf) and Horni Poustevna (Ober Einsiedel). 1193 x 889 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (92 kB) In the 1920s and 30s the locomotives class 313.4 were used here, in 1935 they had in Rumburk also M 120.3, M 120.4 and 423.0.
A railway fans´ pilgrimage target on the „Pacific“ - for the unknowing: Railway line Vrane - Cercany, section Luka pod Mednikem - Jilove u Prahy. The highest railway stone viaduct in Czechia - 42 m. 1055 x 793 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (98 kB)
Since 1850 trains from Praha to Kralupy get over Vltava river here after departing the Masaryk station (named till 1919 State, during WW II Hybern, 1953-1990 Praha-central). Later Bustehrad railway to Chomutov/Komotau, railway to Most/Brüx and also the rail to Praha-Liben ensued. 1108 x 815 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (61 kB)  In the 1920s and 30s there could be seen all the important locomotive classes with fast and passenger trains (275.0, 375.0, 387.0, 354.0,1,4,6,7, 364.0, 365.0), the bridge served to local and transit freight transport as well (434.0,1,2, 414.0, 524.1 etc.), to runs of wagon trainsets among marshalling yards, light engine runs and cripple vehicles transport to the engine-shed and carriage works in Praha-Bubny and also to shunting in the Masaryk station (333.0, 334.5, 324.3, 400.1, 422.0, 414.1, 411.0, 310.0 and many else).
One of the oldest railway bridges in Czechia built in 1839. 822 x 682 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (35 kB) The trains depart over it southward from the Brno main station to Strelice (direction Jihlava/Iglau - in the 1920s and 1930s locomotive classes 354.1,6,7, and Znojmo/Znaim - 354.0, 344.0,1),  Breclav/Lundenburg (275.0, 375.0, 354.6,7, 365.0,1, 344.1), Prerov (354.1,7, 375.0, 434.2, 524.0) and Veseli nad Moravou (354.0,1, 344.0,1). In the Brno junction the long-distance freight transport (excluding the Prerov line) is lead away from the main station but the part of goods appointed for the Brno City consignees (express goods, mail, foods) and purchasing of the railways themselves was unloaded in the main station. The proper shunting along the bridge was for years carried on by locomotive class 313.0 typical for Brno. Since the 1920s there is also  carried out shunting and pushing  passenger trainsets away along the bridge from and to both neighbouring siding yards.
The stone bridge between Cervene Pecky and Ratbor on the Kolin-Ledecko light railway line. 1050 x 798 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (94 kB) Classes 422.0 a 423.0 usually left the Kolin locomotive depot for the line in the 1930s.
A deck truss bridge on the Moldava (Moldau/Erzgebirge) mountain railway nearby Mikulov/Niklasberg in the Dubi/Eichwald - Moldava/Moldau section. 823 x 805 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (85 kB) Till 1945 the line was used above all for exports of the Czech brown coal to Saxonia. The heavy coal trains were hauled by locomotive class 524.2 (allowable load for one locomotive 190 tons, max. track gradient 38‰) often with three engines, i. e. banking locomotives. Except 524.2 also 414.0 or even 403.2 classes were used for this service. The locomotive class 524.1 is documented in Moldava as well. The same locomotives were used also for passenger service. In the 1930s the locomotive  class 354.0 (nicknamed „torpedo“) could be seen here (always one locomotive at each train end so that there were no use of swapping, Dubi/Eichwald is a terminal station for both directions) with the seasonal skiers trains Praha - Moldava.
The stone viaduct over Krystofovo udoli (Christophsgrund) at the summit tunnel close to the Novina (Neuland) halt on the railway line Liberec (Reichenberg) - Ceska Lipa (Böhmisch Leipa). 1024 x 800 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (70 kB) In the period of 1918-1938 the fast trains were hauled, as their mass was year by year increasing, locomotive classes 354.1 a 7 (both also with passenger trains), later 524.1, 464.0, „Blue Arrows“ - motor coaches M 273.0, M 274.0, M 275.0, the passenger trains could be hauled also by 354.0,4,8, 344.0,1,3, M 130.1, M 242.0. For the freight trains haulage everything could be used what the locomotive depots Liberec (Reichenberg), Ceska Lipa (Böhmisch Leipa) and Decin (Tetschen) had for this purpose - 413.2, 414.0,1,2, 434.0/2, 524.1,2, 534.0 - the list of proved classes is probably not complete yet.
One of the most classical views in Czechia: On the background of the St. Veit cathedral skyline, a view of the Vltava steel truss bridge between Praha-Main Station and Praha-Smichov. Built in 1871, in 1928 the line was electrified with 1500 V DC. 1058 x 798 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (76 kB) Most of the trains had the ancient Prague electric locomotives classes E 467.0, E 465.0, E 436.0, E 423.0 in front. Only the „Parisien“ (express train Prague - Paris) had in that heroic era of the electric traction at CSD the privilege not to change the engine at the Smichov station and in the disputed years it could be hauled by locomotive classes 275.0, 375.0, maybe also the new „mikado“ 387.0. Also a brisk freight trains haulage between Praha-Smichov and Praha-Vrsovice stations was lead along this famous bridge
More accurately said only its part because with all the 42 arches and the total length of 415 m the entire viaduct of the ancient Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway between Lipnik nad Becvou and Hranice na Morave simply cannot be placed on the screen in the proper scale... Actually there are two viaducts, the older one built in 1842 is a brick masonry hidden behind, the view of the newer stone bridge for the 2nd track from 1874 is depicted here. 807 x 603 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (33 kB) The locomotives used for the haulage in the period 1918-1938 were 375.0 and 387.0 for fast trains, 354.1,6,7 for passenger trains, the freight trains were hauled by the locomotive classes 434.0,1,2, 524.0, 534.0, even the locomotives 333.1, 354.5, 365.1 surviving from the Ferdinand Railway era were still used. During the CSD Transit Corridor No. II construction both of the bridges were perfectly rebuilt. The published photograph shows the result very nice. Jindrich Kalous erased the catenary in order to give a possible picture of the 1930s.
Build in 1871 at the Bustehrad railway Chomutov (Komotau) - Cheb (Eger) construction. 1024 x 842 Photo and preparation: © Jindrich Kalous Download (69 kB) Besides the frequent freight haulage (in the 1920s and 30s locomotive classes 434.0,1,2, 524.2, 534.0, 414.0, 413.1, 324.3) the spa expresses to Karlovy Vary/Karlsbad were the specialty of this railway line. Before putting both huge private railways (Bustehrad and Aussig-Teplitzer) under the state ownership the locomotives were changed in Chomutov and the expresses with their CIWL and MITROPA carriages were the pride of both companies locomotives, i.e. Bustehrad class VIII (CSD 354.4) and Aussig-Teplitzer class If (CSD 354.8) - both with steam superheaters which were far from being commonplace that time. At CSD since nationalizing in 1923, namely before the new locomotive class 464.0 coming in 1933, they were hauled mostly by a double-headed team of  „high bustehraders“ 354.444-47 from the Chomutov (Komotau) depot and the old-time Decin (Tetschen) locomotive class 264.4 of the former Austrian Northwest Railway. Later the locomotives 364.0 came and the 354.4 served as bankers.  Let us add also „low bustehraders“ 354.425-40 and standard CSD classes 354.1,7 or 344.1 for passenger trains and 365.0 for long-distance passenger trains Praha - Chomutov (Komotau) - Cheb (Eger).