Spain - China Route

[Alicatt]

Ok any volunteers to make this route?
Just seen on the Daily Mail about the route from Yiwu to Madrid 16,000 miles round trip, which took 4 months to complete the return journey.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/trave ... paign=1490

After setting out over four months ago, the first cargo train to travel on the longest rail route in the world has returned home.

On November 18, the train departed Yiwu in eastern China, a major wholesale centre for small consumer goods, and passed through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, France and finally Spain.

The entire round-trip is approximately 16,000 miles on the new Yixin'ou cargo line, which ends in the Spanish capital Madrid.

Click the image to zoom in

[xguerra]

To Railworks standards it would be literally impossible.

And do you know of such a person who'd be willing to drive it from the comfort of their room for 4 months straight? - not me! I have other things in my life to occupy myself with.

[pjt1974]

No wonder it took so long, can you imagine the amount of loops he got sent through?

[Alicatt]

No wonder it took so long, can you imagine the amount of loops he got sent through?

Even my friend's ship doesn't take that long to get to Shanghai from Rotterdam, and it carries 9,000 containers.

None the less it would be interesting to see the route, wonder if they will do a passenger service ala Orient Express?
and no I don't expect it on TS2015 any time in the next decade or two

[pjt1974]

If they made it in stages there would be a clamour to merge them into one big route

[Irishrailguy]

The thing in that article that most interested me was the picture. Is that a Chinese 67 I spot?

Not sure if it's just the angle, but it does seem very similar in design...

Kev

[DaveDewhurst]

The thing in that article that most interested me was the picture. Is that a Chinese 67 I spot?

Not sure if it's just the angle, but it does seem very similar in design...

Kev

Think its a Vossloh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vossloh_Euro

Dave

[Wikkus]

Pretty sure it was four *weeks* rather than months, but I've seen the same text in several places now, so I suspect sloppy copy and paste reporting.

[Irishrailguy]

Think its a Vossloh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vossloh_Euro

Dave

Ah thanks for the link Dave, I'm not the best on continental locos, I guess it was just the angle that reminded me of the 67

And yes, I thought it was strange that it took a train 4 whole months to get from China to Spain and back. Especially if you watched "Around the World in 80 days", which most certainly didn't involve efficient and fast modern rail transport...

Kev

[Alicatt]

I don't think it took 4 months of actual time on the move, just that it took 4 months to get back to where it started from. You know what these politicians are like, they will stop every chance they get for a photo-op
Well we now have the Chengdhu to Suining it just needs a route extension a few km westwards

[Juanillo99]

The locomotive of the picture is a 335 series (locomotive that provides services in Spain), manufactured in Vossloh factory in the town of Albuixech (Valencia, Spain).
http://www.vossloh-espana.com/es/compan ... ut_us.html

On that same factory is also being manufactured the Class 68 locomotive

I don't think it took 4 months of actual time on the move, just that it took 4 months to get back to where it started from.

The true travel time from Yiwu (China) to Madrid (Spain) was 21 days, 10 days less than by boat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkIKrp9K-kI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEPElear-C8

[Trev123]

I think another reason it took so long was changing the containers on to different wagons due to the different rail gauges. Don't know how many different rail gauges there would of been.

[xguerra]

I think another reason it took so long was changing the containers on to different wagons due to the different rail gauges. Don't know how many different rail gauges there would of been.

Should be only two.

1668mm Broad gauge in Spain, the rest is 1435mm standard gauge.

[Juanillo99]

I think another reason it took so long was changing the containers on to different wagons due to the different rail gauges. Don't know how many different rail gauges there would of been.

Should be only two.

1668mm Broad gauge in Spain, the rest is 1435mm standard gauge.

You are misinformed. They made transfer of containers between consists due to the existence of different gauges in three border cities: Dostyk (Kazakhstan), Brest (Belarus) and Irun (Spain). The train ran through these countries:

• China, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Kazakhstan, 1520mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in)
• Russia, 1520mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in)
• Belarus, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Poland, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Germany, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• France, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Spain, 1668mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in)

It was also changed his locomotive every 800 Km (497 miles).

The train returned to China on January 29 with a load of typical Spanish products (ham, wine and olive oil). On this occasion the train took 24 days to make the reverse route.

[xguerra]

I think another reason it took so long was changing the containers on to different wagons due to the different rail gauges. Don't know how many different rail gauges there would of been.

Should be only two.

1668mm Broad gauge in Spain, the rest is 1435mm standard gauge.

You are misinformed. They made transfer of containers between consists due to the existence of different gauges in three border cities: Dostyk (Kazakhstan), Brest (Belarus) and Irun (Spain). The train ran through these countries:

• China, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Kazakhstan, 1520mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in)
• Russia, 1520mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in)
• Belarus, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Poland, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Germany, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• France, 1435mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
• Spain, 1668mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in)

It was also changed his locomotive every 800 Km (497 miles).

The train returned to China on January 29 with a load of typical Spanish products (ham, wine and olive oil). On this occasion the train took 24 days to make the reverse route.

Sorry Juan, completely forgot about the Soviets!