CIRCLE WITH A DOT

This Renfe class 130 train, nicknamed “Mini Pato” (Mini Duck), made by Talgo is capable of speeds of up to 250km/h on standard gauge 25kV AC lines, and up to 220km/h on Iberian gauge 3kV DC lines. The current stretch of track between the gauge changer, and Castelló de la Plana has been newly constructed or reconditioned to allow for 220km/h operation.There is a variant of this train, class 730, that has diesel generators in carriages behind each power car, supplying traction current for the train on unelectrified tracks. It still has pantographs to run on electrified sections.There have been successful trials in the North West of the country to see if speeds of 300km/h can be reached safely on Iberian gauge lines, but it would require large amounts of investment into changing signalling, amongst other things.

@dasgrueneblatt Ist Interrail überhaupt eine gute Idee im Sommer? Ist Interrail im Sommer überhaupt eine gute Idee? Hochsaison, hohe Hotelpreise, Ausgebuchte Hotels.

@paavi Miksi pitää olla paikallisjunat koko matkan? Saksassa voi matkustaa DB:n ICE-junissa ilman paikkalippua ja niissä mainiot 1. luokat. Ymmärtääkseni myös Köln—Bryssel-ICE:hen (joka pysähtyy Liègessä) ei ole paikkalipupakkoa. (Samaa reittiä menevään Eurostar-junaan (ent. Thalys) on kalliit pakolliset paikkaliput.)Ranskassa, Espanjassa, ja Italiassa on eri asia, siellä kaukojunissa on pakolliset paikkaliput. Italiassa IC-junaan maksaa tosin vain 3€.

@mkivinen It's a fascinating concept - I've looked through the website and they sound like nice people too. Enjoy your stay!

I have discovered Beyond #Darklands is on this week. Normally I discover this because a number of people I follow on Fedi and Telegram are obviously there or going there/back. This year I discovered it because there a large number of people on this train wearing chain collars with Mohawks, and I decide to look up the date on the website

“Do we want to sit in the Pullman Observation Car? On the downside... The locomotive will be coupled to the front. On the upside... The locomotive will be coupled to the front”We did, in fact, decide to sit in the observation car, after watching the locomotive shunt and couple to it, and then we were pulled back to Paignton.@seabass, Wendy the DBJUNGLESKOG and I had some lovely views out of the window of the train, as well as of the locomotive.(CW: eye contact)

Made it to Exeter St David’s! Only 45 minutes or so later than scheduled, too.I am somewhat surprised to find that there is a level crossing the north side of the station. This station has 14 services scheduled in the next hour, and it’s not yet rush hour, so those road gates must spend more time down than up.I will say that the scenery out of the windows was very pretty on the way over. Lots of lush green fields and even some canals alongside the track. Definitely a nice way to end the morning.I’ve taken a quick hop to the more modest and also conveniently located Exeter Central station, and now off to the hotel, before finding activities to do this afternoon.

@mkivinen I like the idea of a "still zone".

And so, Hubris. I did get on the 14:00 train from Lyon, and I am currently heading to Lille, with a timetabled arrival of 17:20. I rebooked for the 18:37 Eurostar.We've just left Charles de Gaulle with a 19 minute delay. This is now officially “tight”.