| Photo Location Map |
Locomotive Details |
Location/Date of Photo |
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» SNCF (more..)
» BB 7200 (more..) |
» Portbou station (more..)
» Portbou, Spain (more..)
» June 26, 2010 |
| Locomotive No./Train ID |
Photographer |
» SNCF BB7298 (more..)
» 71 (more..) |
» Jean-Marc Frybourg (more..)
» Contact Photographer · Photographer Profile |
| Remarks & Notes |
Out of the ordinary
This is how the cross-border Talgos change gauge. On the right side of the picture the train sits on Spanish broad gauge track. In the background and on the left side of the picture, the train is still on standard gauge. A French (SNCF) locomotive slowly pushes the train through the little gauge change building. There, a mechanical device unlocks the wheel sets, widens the telescopic axles so as to set the wheelbase at the Spanish size and locks again the wheel sets. This happens at a very low speed. The train agent is waiting for a Spanish engine to connect and take the train to the Portbou station and further south to Barcelona. In a moment, it will be a full "Renfe" train.
The tunnels in the background pass under the border. On the other side lies the French station and small city of Cerbčre.
Note that the track immediately to the left of the small track change building is a standard gauge track coming from France. This is made so that French passenger trains can go south as far as Portbou (and it is the same the other way round: Spanish trains can go north as far as Cerbčre on the French side of the border). The section of the Talgo in the forefront is on a broad gauge track. Under the train, there is a very particular diamond where a standard gauge track crosses a broad gauge track. |
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Photo Comments (3) |
| | Views: 5,101* Favorited: 17 | | Since added on July 04, 2010 | |
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