Living in The Czech Republic

[markskoda]

What a funny country. The Czechs have some funny ways about them. Just down the road from me is the city of Pilsen, famous for it's brewery. It also has some big buildings called factories where the good citizens make railway locomotives, rolling stock, tram cars, electricity generating plant of all types, and not to forget trolley buses, trucks and vans. What a primitive economy indeed! Visiting Birmingham recently I took a Siemens built train from Birmingham International to Worcester. We passed the closed down and asset stripped LDV vans factory at Washwood Heath, very close to the erstwhile railway carriage works. Oh what a primitive economy we too had in those days. Making things to export! Now the Disunited Queendom of Tescoland doesn't need to roll up it's sleeves any more. Our EU colleagues can do all the dirty work and we can concentrate on the things we are best at. Breeding state run kids, exporting money, running a successful financial services industry and developing Felixstowe so that we can import more and more Chinese junk. (Ever visited Dunelm Mill?). But why should I care? Just off down the pub for my 70pence equivalent pint.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Our EU colleagues can do all the dirty work and we can concentrate on the things we are best at. Breeding state run kids, exporting money, running a successful financial services industry and developing Felixstowe so that we can import more and more Chinese junk. (Ever visited Dunelm Mill?). But why should I care? Just off down the pub for my 70pence equivalent pint.

:roll:

 

[markskoda]

Successful financial services industry? Could not find an icon for "Tongue in cheek"

 

[gordonthemoron]

I though you were having a laugh

 

[mickey]

Visiting Birmingham recently I took a Siemens built train from Birmingham International to Worcester.

Troll alert!!!

I mean, everyone knows the Siemens-built trains are electric and therefore can't reach Worcester!

 

[TrainBrain185]

Troll alert!!!

I mean, everyone knows the Siemens-built trains are electric and therefore can't reach Worcester!

Yes indeed. The Siemens built Class 185 has one helluva clever Cummins Traction Motor that requires a Voith for the AC Control Equipment. The very first Traction Motor to be powered by fuel oil. Now thats amazing. Can operate without Overhead Lines or Third Rail supplies too. Wow!!! Those Siemens Electric Trains are so Desiroble....

Troll Alert!!!

 

[the sniper]

Visiting Birmingham recently I took a Siemens built train from Birmingham International to Worcester. We passed the closed down and asset stripped LDV vans factory at Washwood Heath, very close to the erstwhile railway carriage works. Oh what a primitive economy we too had in those days.

Too bad on this entirely fictitious journey on a non existent route, on stock that doesn't pass either of the facilities you mention, you didn't look out of the other side of the train to see the still operational Jaguar factory, the Dunlop motor sport production facility and their technical centre or the numerous smaller production facilities such as this that efficiently provide high quality products to customers across Britain, Europe and even the World.

Or are you one of those folks who find it easier and far more convenient to believe that 'no thing [sic] is made in Britain no more!' :roll:

But why should I care? Just off down the pub for my 70pence equivalent pint.

Yes, why should you care? I'm fascinated to know. If the Czech Republic is so fantastic, why are you even bothering to communicate with us? Surely you've got something better to with your time then antagonise us awful people living in Britain sponging off the state, haven't you?

 

[gordonthemoron]

it has to be said that the state of a lot of the Czech Railways coaches is attrocious

 

[sprinterguy]

Yes indeed. The Siemens built Class 185 has one helluva clever Cummins Traction Motor that requires a Voith for the AC Control Equipment. The very first Traction Motor to be powered by fuel oil. Now thats amazing. Can operate without Overhead Lines or Third Rail supplies too. Wow!!! Those Siemens Electric Trains are so Desiroble....

Aye, they're clever folk at Siemens, truly revolutionary stuff...

No 185s round Birmingham though, Siemens trains around the West Mids are indeed electric and therefore never get to Worcester.

I knew there was something peculiar about the route described, well done sniper for picking up on it-Just how would you do a jorney from Bham Intl to Worcester (On a timetabled passenger train) via Washwood Heath?

And though the journey from Birmingham Intl into New Street would have been on a Siemens product built in Germany, bear in mind that the Birmingham to Worcester journey would have been made on a train built in Derby, no more than forty miles away and still churning out new trains! And with a Cummins engine developed in Huddersfield no less, whether you caught the Worcester train from New Street or Snow Hill...

 

[Zamracene749]

it has to be said that the state of a lot of the Czech Railways coaches is attrocious

Ancient yes- not so sure about atrocious though? Have done a a fair few thousand miles in the last few months in Czecho, Poland and the UK.

This is the whinge list....

Overcrowding- UK /Poland
Failed air con- Czech / UK /Poland ( to be fair there was a heatwave in Europe at the time)
Hugely expensive- UK
Very late- UK / Poland
Poor main station facilities- UK
Broken seat in 1st class- UK
Whole coach stinking of ahem 'sewage'- UK (voyager)
Threadbare seats- UK (voyager) Poland (rancid stock on Hel line)

Can anyone see the common link? This was the result of 7 days in Poland, 7 days in the Czech Republic and four days in the UK.....

 

[mickey]

No 185s round Birmingham though, Siemens trains around the West Mids are indeed electric and therefore never get to Worcester.

Very true, though I must admit that this one's my fault as I momentarily forgot about the 185s. Not that they've ever been to Worcester, but still I should have mentioned it.

And though the journey from Birmingham Intl into New Street would have been on a Siemens product built in Germany

Could have been. The majority of trains on that route are FIATs and Bombardiers, aren't they, so in all probability it probably wasn't even then.

 

[sprinterguy]

Could have been. The majority of trains on that route are FIATs and Bombardiers, aren't they, so in all probability it probably wasn't even then.

True, I was assuming that at least one part of the story/rant was accurate And the Fiat/Alstom and Bombardier products are still foreign products, so long as it is ignored that they were both knocked together in the UK: Voyagers in Wakefield, and Pendos just round the corner at Washwood Heath, but all of the actual manufacturing work was done abroad.

 

[mickey]

so long as it is ignored that they were both knocked together in the UK: Voyagers in Wakefield, and Pendos just round the corner at Washwood Heath, but all of the actual manufacturing work was done abroad.

Where were the Voyagers made then? I thought it was just the Pendos that came flat-packed.

 

[sprinterguy]

Where were the Voyagers made then? I thought it was just the Pendos that came flat-packed.

The Voyagers were made in Belgium, and the completed bodyshells were shipped across ready-painted to Horbury, near Wakefield, where I think they were married up with their bogies (Which I assume were put together at Derby) and quite possibly various internal fixtures too.

EDIT: The 220s and 221s were fitted out in both Belgium and Wakefield, and the bogies came over from France apparently. Decided to check my facts as I recall a few trains were tested on the Belgian rail network before delivery, which would have been somewhat difficult if all of them didn’t receive their bogies until they got to Wakefield!

 

[the sniper]

Also ironic to consider that many services passing Washwood Heath are worked by British built stock anyway, seeing as Nottingham, Leicester and Stansted Airport are served by Cross Country Class 170's, built in Derby. :roll:

Too bad markskoda hasn't returned to provide the point of this thread or more details of his fantasy tour of the Midlands...

 

[mickey]

EDIT: The 220s and 221s were fitted out in both Belgium and Wakefield

Were the Meridians the same?

 

[sprinterguy]

Were the Meridians the same?

Umm, not sure about that one. I think they were constructed entirely in Brugges in Belgium, with no work carried out in the UK on them.