Scotland to Africa !!

jbilton · Post by **jbilton** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 3:30 am

Hi
Apparently there are plans afoot to build a rail tunnel between Spain and Morocco...some 39 Km.
This would then technically make it possible to travel all the way by rail...

lwaxl00 · Post by **lwaxl00** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:19 pm

Theoretically, whats the furthest you can get at the moment on standard gauge from the UK.

Alan L

BR7MT · Post by **BR7MT** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:23 pm

Probably Vladivostok in Russia (far end of the Trans-Siberia line)

lwaxl00 · Post by **lwaxl00** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:33 pm

Is russia now standard gauge? I always thought it was 5'.

Alan L

BR7MT · Post by **BR7MT** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 2:30 pm

Is it? Oh nuts...

nwallace · Post by **nwallace** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:20 pm

all you need is some way of changing gauge while either stopped but loaded or running.

champy · Post by **champy** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:57 pm

I remember watching a TV program once (i think it was coltrains planes and automobiles) where this train running across africa or asia, stopped at this station overnight, and they changed all the bogies on this train to carry on the journey on another gauge

southcoasttrains · Post by **southcoasttrains** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:57 pm

nwallace wrote:all you need is some way of changing gauge while either stopped but loaded or running.

The Talgo Train from Paris to Madrid does.

http://www.talgo.com/htm/tecnologiatecnologia2.htm

I think you can go from Narvik in Northern Norway to Athens or Istanbul. Is there a train that runs from European Turkey to Asian Turkey if so then you could probably go to Iraq, Iran, Isreal, Jordan, even Egypt on standard guage.[/img]

Hymek · Post by **Hymek** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:00 pm

I remember watching a TV program once (i think it was coltrains planes and automobiles) where this train running across africa or asia, stopped at this station overnight, and they changed all the bogies on this train to carry on the journey on another gauge

Hymek

(champys last post on this thread wasnt made by champy)

mattvince · Post by **mattvince** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:10 pm

Certainly you can get to the toe of Italy on standard gauge. If the lines through the Balkan states are open and Standard Gauge, then Istanbul is not out of the question. Unfortunately, a lot of Eastern Europe is 5', and was converted by the Soviets during the Cold War, so they could move their vast army west to invade NATO. There is/was a 5' line from Russia to East Berlin, to the OstBahnhof, IIRC. Is it still there?

southcoasttrains · Post by **southcoasttrains** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:41 pm

I was thinking going over the Malmo bridge in Denmark and through Germany.

The Orient Express goes from Paris to Istanbul but i'm not sure if it changes guage anywhere.

spinemaligna · Post by **spinemaligna** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:32 pm

Thurso-Toe of Italy = 2215 miles
Thurso-Tromso via Malmo = 2855 miles.
Distances taken from autoroute so are only approximate. However most of the roads follow rail routes.
Having driven Tangier-Agadir several times I can't recall seeing any railways apart from around Casablanca-Rabatt-Marakesh. However the roads are so apalling you dont get any time for sightseeing.

Ross

micksasse · Post by **micksasse** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 9:52 pm

Yeah, the Russians have been doing the bogie-changing thing for some time, though mainly on freight trains. Main reason btw why Russia adopted a different gauge was actually to stop through-running! - They were scared it would make it easier to invade their country.

Istanbul would, I think, be the furthest you can go. I don't know if there are any serious plans for a crossing of the Bosphorous (i.e. between the Euro and Asian bits of Istanbul) - it's a bit of an obvious missing link, and there's already a road bridge. If/when this is built, and once a short gap in Iran is filled, you'll be able to go to Zahedan (find a map!!), after which you're onto the broad gauge to get into Pakistan then India (not the same gauge as Russia btw).

BTW Moroccan railways are actually pretty good - built largely by the French (a good start!) and mostly modern French equipment, though some Hitachi locomotives too. Quite an interesting network.

micksasse · Post by **micksasse** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 9:57 pm

southcoasttrains wrote: I think you can go from Narvik in Northern Norway to Athens or Istanbul. Is there a train that runs from European Turkey to Asian Turkey if so then you could probably go to Iraq, Iran, Isreal, Jordan, even Egypt on standard guage.

Yeah, once you're across the Bosphorous (ancient ferry!), there are through services to Syria. However, south of Damascus it's narrow gauge as far as Amman in Jordan (the only bit of the Hedjaz Railway which still has a regular passenger service - and a trip I heartily recommend for 3 quid!). There are normally also through services to Tehran (Iran), and would historically have been services to Baghdad too (three guesses why there ain't at the moment!).

Israel is isolated from its neighbours' systems, as is Eqypt.

Kevo00 · Post by **Kevo00** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:48 pm

Hymek wrote:I remember watching a TV program once (i think it was coltrains planes and automobiles) where this train running across africa or asia, stopped at this station overnight, and they changed all the bogies on this train to carry on the journey on another gauge

I think this is the Trans - Mongolian railway which branches off the Trans Siberian and runs down through Mongolia to China. The gauge changes from Russian to Standard at the China/Mongolia border. If you are prepared to change trains you can travel by rail from the UK to places like Shanghai and Hong Kong.

As far as I'm aware you can reach Istanbul by the normal Euro - City rail network from Paris by changing at Vienna.