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7. březen 2010: Předěl / The Pivotal Moment
(for English see below)
V tom roce se to všechno zlomilo. Z dráhy se staly Dráhy a Železnice, ze zelenýho a červenýho uniformně modrý. A jestli to nějaká fotka vystihuje, je to tohle.
Je 7. března 2010, krásně slunečnej den a tady u nás na severu je furt sníh. Co odtálo, zase trochu dosněžilo. 150 metrů nad mořem. Nevymyslíš. Už to vypadalo, že se po jakž takž hezkým dopoledni zatáhlo, ale houby. Ve tři odpoledne se mraky znova rozhánějí, teď v březnu ještě má člověk jednu šanci. Chvíle napětí, jestli mraky nebudou rychlejší. Kde je ten zpropadenej vlak?
Parádní světlo, maximálně kontrastní obloha. A nakonec se ta nádhera okolo protnula s tou zvláštní dobou na kolejích takhle. "Gottlieb" 371.201, bastard, jehož pohnutej osud tuhle přezdívku naplnil měrou vrchovatou, vede kousek před Lovosicemi lehce zpožděný vlak EC 177 Johannes Brahms z Berlína do Vídně.
Zlom. Vlevo ještě stará, snad dobrá doba, vpravo ta nová, kterou ještě zhodnotit úplně nedovedeme.
****************************
It was around then, I would say when I am asked when the "classic era" or "golden era" of Czech railways ended. Spring 2010, for sure. And this picture embodies it almost ideally.
It is March 7th 2010 and "Gottlieb", a truly unique Class 371 locomotive hurries with slightly delayed EC 177 Johannes von Brahms from Berlin towards Vienna, but now it has still a long way to go. At half past 4 PM I met her in the vicinity of Lovosice, leaving the most beautiful scenery called Porta Bohemica. If you hear this for the first time, do not hesitate to come to see it.
Well, those trains... Whole Class 371 is dubbed as "Bastards", originally owing it to less advanced resistor-type regulation, compared to much modern classes in the same body built at the same time. But 371.201 is a double bastard. Class 371/372 was developed in the 1980s as a joint locomotive for Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia to serve the dual voltage track from Dresden to Prague. This particular one started its career on the German side, but sometime around year 2000 she was handed over to Czechs as a compensation for the one that suffered a heavy damage on the German soil. Since then she carries some differences in equipment and for a few years she also bore just a modified German red coat, which was allegedly pretty sensitive thing for some people in the Czech railways. In 2009/2010 she was the first one of the class chosen to receive the new light grey-blue livery.
In the end, this is the real pivotal moment. Divided by the traction pole, whole rear part of the train is still somewhere around year 2k, while the front part is absolutely contemporary. All that on the most beautiful day, when the winter broke back even into these lowlands. How improbable was this?
7. březen 2010: Předěl / The Pivotal Moment
(for English see below)
V tom roce se to všechno zlomilo. Z dráhy se staly Dráhy a Železnice, ze zelenýho a červenýho uniformně modrý. A jestli to nějaká fotka vystihuje, je to tohle.
Je 7. března 2010, krásně slunečnej den a tady u nás na severu je furt sníh. Co odtálo, zase trochu dosněžilo. 150 metrů nad mořem. Nevymyslíš. Už to vypadalo, že se po jakž takž hezkým dopoledni zatáhlo, ale houby. Ve tři odpoledne se mraky znova rozhánějí, teď v březnu ještě má člověk jednu šanci. Chvíle napětí, jestli mraky nebudou rychlejší. Kde je ten zpropadenej vlak?
Parádní světlo, maximálně kontrastní obloha. A nakonec se ta nádhera okolo protnula s tou zvláštní dobou na kolejích takhle. "Gottlieb" 371.201, bastard, jehož pohnutej osud tuhle přezdívku naplnil měrou vrchovatou, vede kousek před Lovosicemi lehce zpožděný vlak EC 177 Johannes Brahms z Berlína do Vídně.
Zlom. Vlevo ještě stará, snad dobrá doba, vpravo ta nová, kterou ještě zhodnotit úplně nedovedeme.
****************************
It was around then, I would say when I am asked when the "classic era" or "golden era" of Czech railways ended. Spring 2010, for sure. And this picture embodies it almost ideally.
It is March 7th 2010 and "Gottlieb", a truly unique Class 371 locomotive hurries with slightly delayed EC 177 Johannes von Brahms from Berlin towards Vienna, but now it has still a long way to go. At half past 4 PM I met her in the vicinity of Lovosice, leaving the most beautiful scenery called Porta Bohemica. If you hear this for the first time, do not hesitate to come to see it.
Well, those trains... Whole Class 371 is dubbed as "Bastards", originally owing it to less advanced resistor-type regulation, compared to much modern classes in the same body built at the same time. But 371.201 is a double bastard. Class 371/372 was developed in the 1980s as a joint locomotive for Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia to serve the dual voltage track from Dresden to Prague. This particular one started its career on the German side, but sometime around year 2000 she was handed over to Czechs as a compensation for the one that suffered a heavy damage on the German soil. Since then she carries some differences in equipment and for a few years she also bore just a modified German red coat, which was allegedly pretty sensitive thing for some people in the Czech railways. In 2009/2010 she was the first one of the class chosen to receive the new light grey-blue livery.
In the end, this is the real pivotal moment. Divided by the traction pole, whole rear part of the train is still somewhere around year 2k, while the front part is absolutely contemporary. All that on the most beautiful day, when the winter broke back even into these lowlands. How improbable was this?