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Reluctant Railfan's Introduction to Europe, The by George Drury Copyright 1996
The Reluctant Railfans Introduction to Europe by George Drury Copyright 1996 48 pages This book is aimed at the railfan who is going to Europe for the first time. General information of European trains and train travel, various passes and tickets, suggested itineraries, the grand tour plus specialized trips, information on food, lodging and language. (Blue cover)
INTRODUCTION
YOUR USUAL VACATION consists of going somewhere to see and ride trains. Three years ago you worked a couple of Norfolk Southern steam specials into a family trip to Disney World. You did a lot of driving and not much train-watching. Two years ago you hit the narrow gauge lines in Colorado. You rode the full length of the Cumbres & Toltec and the Durango & Silverton. The rides were enjoyable, but you spent more time driving on precipitous mountain roads than riding trains. When you got off the train in Chama it struck you that you had seen all the railroad action you were going to see that day.
Last year you followed freight trains of the Kansas, Nebraska & Northwestern from east to west, then west to east, staying at motels that were next to the tracks and eating most of your meals in Frank 'n' Float restaurants. Your wife said she would sue for divorce before she went on another railfan vacation - and she was positive there wasn't a judge in the country who wouldn't take her side. This year the vacation is her choice, and it's Europe.
Or perhaps she's going to Europe on business and taking you along on a frequent flier companion ticket. You'll have entire days at your disposal while she's in meetings, but you're not inclined to spend those days in cathedrals and art museums. You'd really rather look at trains, if there are any.
There are. Europe offers variety and intensity of railroading unmatched anywhere in North America. Switzerland has magnificent mountains and hourly train service practically everywhere. Even remote branch lines have timetables that look like the Long Island Rail Road during rush hour. Germany has a network of long-distance and local trains that connect at junction stations - again hourly - and nearly every city of any size has streetcars. The Netherlands has hourly locals and hourly expresses, and in some places you'll find four or six trains per hour. Each way.
France has the world's fastest trains, the Trains a Grande Vitesse, and a 45-inch-gauge, third-rail-powered line in the Pyrenees. Spain has Talgo trains, some of which change their wheel gauge for trips to France, Switzerland, and Italy. Denmark's rail system is almost a network of seagoing train ferries connected by rail lines.
Britain, where railroading began, has everything from fast diesel-powered High Speed Trains to 2-foot- and 15-inchgauge steam-powered railways. All through Europe you can find exotic items that disappeared from North America years ago - steam, narrow gauge, streetcars, train ferries.
If that's not persuasive enough, consider that the cost of a vacation in Europe isn't that much more than the cost of a first-class Amtrak circle around the country or even a week in Colorado - and in Europe you'll see and ride far more trains per dollar.
Where do I begin?
The problem is knowing where to start. You've built up 30 or 40 years' worth of savvy on American lines, but your knowledge of Europe's railroads is spotty at best. The usual run of travel guidebooks isn't much help. You'll find books that tell tourists how to use Europe's railways, but those books hustle you right out of the station to see the Tower of London or the Louvre or the Sistine Chapel. They contain little information for the person who wants to walk to the end of the platform for a look at the engine.
This book is different. It is an introduction to the railways of Europe for the railfan who hasn't been out of North America. It doesn't and can't tell you everything - because I haven't come anywhere near seeing it all. But there is a chance you'll discover something yourself, and you'll find much pleasure in that.
There are several types of railfans: photographers, riders, watchers, and specialists. I think I'm a rider and watcher, and I prefer active busy main lines to quaint, one-train-a-day branch lines. For me, Europe's rail system is easier to ride than ours. Trains are frequent, and they connect with each other. Stations are usually right in the center of cities and towns.
If you're a chaser-photographer, forget it, or change your stripes for the trip. In Germany, where there are no speed limits on the Autobahn, you might be able to keep up with an Intercity train, but no matter how fast you are going, there will be a BMW behind you flashing its lights and honking its horn. You have no hope of chasing an ICE or a TGV. You can do well photographing in and near the stations - and even out in the country there are stations and local trains that stop at them.
A specialist will find plenty of his specialty: streetcars in Germany and the Netherlands, narrow gauge in Switzerland and Austria, train ferries in Denmark. Steam excursions are often advertised on station bulletin boards.
Worries
You probably have a few concerns about Europe. That's quite all right. Here are some answers and responses to those concerns.
I don't like European railroads.
The average railfan who goes to Europe becomes an absolute enthusiast of European railroading in about two days. I can't explain it. Take my word for it.
European trains are different.
Yes. They have screw couplers (basically, hooks and links) and buffers instead of knuckle couplers, but the track gauge is the same as ours (in most of Europe, anyway), and the basic principles are the same. Don't pity them for the lack of automatic couplers. Notice how quickly they can change engines at a border station, often with the complication of two different voltages, and compare that with how long it takes Amtrak to get through New Haven.
They speak foreign languages in Europe.
No, they don't. You do. In spite of that, in most places on the tourist circuit you'll find people who speak and understand English. You'll have a far easier time in Europe than a French- or German-speaking tourist in the U. S. If you took a foreign language in high school or college, you may discover find that you haven't forgotten it - you have just forgotten where you put it.
Of course, knowing the language enriches your experience. Books, tapes, and evening courses can give you that knowledge. Don't be bashful about trying to speak another language. It might get you a few points, and you'll find that practicing your German in a restaurant is more enjoyable than in a classroom (not to overlook the element of survival). You'll feel a glow of accomplishment when with the guidance of a book you buy a bus ticket from Brescia to Salo and back ("Da Sale), urn, a Brescia." "Ritorno?" "Oh, yes, ja, oui, ritorno!").
Basic premises
In this book, Europe means places where the Eurailpass and the BritRail Pass are valid for transportation. That's Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland for the Eurailpass, and England, Scotland, and Wales for the BritRail Pass. I've included Northern Ireland for completeness. I don't know enough about eastern Europe to do more than point you toward tables 850-980 in the Thomas Cook European Timetable.
I prefer mountain scenery to flatland, and rugged seacoast to beaches. If I say "scenic," I don't mean like central Illinois. For the day-trip itineraries, I figure 9 hours a day is enough, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (0900 to 1800), and when the day is done I'm ready for dinner, a short walk, and bed.
Notation
I use metric units because that's what all my references are and, more important, that's what's used in Europe. The mile:kilometer ratio is 5:8, and the conversion factors are approximately 1.6 and 0.6.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable uses local spellings: Roma for Rome, Kfor Cologne, Kobenhavn for Copenhagen. Because this is an introductory book, I'll use the English forms. There's a translation table for city names inside the back cover.
It's good to learn the local forms of place names. Let's say you're bound for Vienna. Your train rolls into Westbahnhof. You see signs reading "Wien." So do the people across the aisle, who say, "No, this is Wine, and they didn't even spell it right, and our travel agent said this train goes to Vienna, so we're going to stay put till we get there!" Since you know that the people who live in Vienna call it Wien (pronounced Veen) you get off. Those folks across the aisle will soon find themselves in the coach yard.
All the train schedules you'll see in Europe use the 24-hour clock, so I do too. If you can't make the conversion easily, you can find a digital watch with the 24-hour feature - and lots of other bells and whistles and beepers too - for under $10. I use a leading zero for morning hours in text - 0730, 0900 - but not in the timetables. The Thomas Cook and British Rail timetables use the leading zero; the German, Swiss, Austrian, and Italian timetables don't. In the itineraries an underscore means change trains; a heavy underscore, reverse direction.
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