Have you ridden a train in a foreign country?

Yes.  Germany and Mexico. Quite a long time ago in Germany (behind steam during a planned steam event) and a VERY long time ago on Mexico (1964).

Yes, in France.  The speed was incredible and that was 20 years ago.  The stations were like I have seen in the movies.  And they serve liquor on the platforms.  I asked for a cup of coffee and got espresso.  When I told them I wanted brown coffee they told me to go to McDonalds.

The stations along the route were old, but fairly well kept, the streets were narrow in the towns, churches everywhere, people really nice especially if you attempted to speak their language and didn't assume they should all know English (most of them do though).  Ask them about the railroads and they complain, but they wouldn't trade them for the world.  Their cars are tiny and their subways have tires in addition to the steel wheels making them quiet.  They too haul _ _ _ when they run.

Loved it,

John

Yes

Canada will start the reopening process on July 21, 2021 - This means I will be able to drive to Windsor, Ontario to catch a train to Toronto. About twenty miles from my train room.

Gary

I do remember riding a train in Europe but not sure if it was Italy ( most likely ) or France.

Yes - Canada, England, France , Germany (East , West & United), Poland and Slovakia.

More than I can remember -

Europe ---

UK - London to Land's End and Scotland (Edinburgh and Land's End)  - Lived in Oxford, so Oxford to Edinburgh, Bath, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Lancaster, Stratford-on-Avon

Norway - Bergen to Oslo

Sweden Stockholm to Gothenberg - Also lived in both cities so many local trips.

Amsterdam to Brussels and Brussels to Luxemburg and Brugges

Paris to Lyon

London through Basel Switzerland to Lucerne to Zurich

Zurich to Innsbruck (train stopped in Lichtenstein)- Lived in Innsbruck, Austria  so lots of shorter trips

Rome to Naples

Athens to Naflio Greece

Vienna to Bratislava and Vienna to Budapest

Local trips while in St Petersburg Russia

Local Trips in Berlin

Munich to Stuttgart to Metz, France to Paris

Asia -

Tokyo to Yokahama ---  Local Trips around Tokyo

Australia -

Melbourne to Balarat via both passenger routes

"Railfanned" the Kuala Lampur, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Copenhagen, Dublin, Brixen, Italy, Catania, Italy stations, but did not get on a train.

I'm sure that I missed a few - Have lots of great memories and near misses like John had!

Lad

Yes.  Aside from subways and trams, I have ridden trains in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany.  I have taken quite a few trains in Germany including Deutsche Bahn (DB)'s ICE.

While on the ICE, they displayed the speed of the train, and several times it topped 300 kmh (186 mph).  Interesting, when entering tunnels at that speed, your ears would sometimes pop due to the pressure waves.

When possible, I always try to take the train when in Europe.

As I'm nearing retirement, I would also like to take the VIA Rail Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver.

Jim

Korea

At the Marcelo Salado Sugar Museum in Cuba I got a $5 cab ride to the next town in a circa 1910 Baldwin.  They also had a boneyard of mostly Baldwin steamers.

PeruRail has some vintage Alcos, MLWs, and DMUs.  The ROWs are often used for walkways.

Rode first class from London to Edinburgh departing at Midnight and arriving for breakfast.  Slept the entire trip.

Also, numerous intercity trips in N. Ireland and Ireland on golf trips.  Many links golf courses in GB and IRL were built by the sea in the early 1900's to promote destinations for holiday travelers with the railroads building the hotels for their stays.

Played Royal St. Georges in Sandwich, England with an American who traveled to the course by rail from London where he'd been staying with his wife--thought that was pretty cool.

Apologies for veering off topic.

Yes.

Rode the the Metronome from Cuxhaven to Hamburg and back.  Also rode the U Bahn in Munich a few times.  In Switzerland I took the Pilatus Railway to the top of the mountain outside Luzern.  It’s a cog railway and was definitely the most interesting train I’ve ever ridden.

The Tokaido Shinkansen in Japan blew my mind.  The ride was so fast, smooth and quiet.  We rode from Tokyo to Odawara to see this medieval castle.

@ESPEE 8722 posted:

PeruRail has some vintage Alcos, MLWs, and DMUs.  The ROWs are often used for walkways.

I love the way those look.

John

VIA from Montreal to Toronto in the 70's. A CN steam trip from Montreal to Quebec City (posted photos on the Rail-fanning Photos thread.

Yes, Britrail, Eurostar, Paris metro, and the tube!

Many times in Canada and a couple times in the Netherlands.

When I was with one of my earlier employers, we would load ships in Houston destined for two port discharge in Montreal and at Hamilton, ON. I would meet the ships in Montreal and supervise discharge there and in Hamilton. When a ship would complete its work in Montreal and sail toward Hamilton, my preferred means of getting from Montreal to Toronto was by train, typically first class on a Via LRC. I’d rent a car near Union Station in Toronto and drive from there to Hamilton.

In the Netherlands, our corporate office was in downtown Amsterdam and it was easy to fly into Schiphol and take the train downtown.

Curt

Yes  August 2019    Rode the Train London to Paris then Paris to Rome.  Train was nice, not super elegant, but reasonably clean and comfortable.  I was disappointed that the trains we rode on did not have a dining car, they did have a snack bar.  But, yes they are very fast when in open country. There was a display in the car with a map that showed your route location, next station stop and speed.  We traveled in August and it was very Hot.  In Italy the rails were painted  white due to the extreme heat.

There was a display in the car with a map that showed your route location, next station stop and speed.

249 Km/hr = 154 MPH

The Algoma Central from Saulte St. Marie to Hearst and back (Twice, once in Fall, once in Winter.)

The Ontario Northland from Toronto to Porquis Junction and the Polar Bear Express from Timmins to Moosonee and back, with ONR bus rides between Porquis and Timmins.

CP Rail shuttle train from Calgary to Alyth shops on an NMRA tour. (OK, this one's a cheat, but it was an Extra on CP Rail...)

And the Molli Train in Germany from Bad Doberan to Ost.

Rusty

May 2001 Germany.

High speed from Stuttgart to Frankfort.

Excellent on train service, timely, swift, and smooth.

A very nice experience. 

Everyday - from Degerloch to Vaihingen and back again.

China, Korea, Japan, Peru, Chile, Canada, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Greece, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherland,  Switzerland, Hungary

It is hard to list them all:

England:  Numerous trains in and around London.  This was 1957 - 1959 and most trains were steam powered.  Diesels were a novelty.  

France:  My first trip was on a steam powered express between Le Harve and Paris and return.  This was in 1964.  

Germany, Denmark, Holland:  Numerous commuter and intercity trains.  These trains were diesel or powered by the overhead electrical systems.  

Switzerland:  Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt.  This is beautiful trip but the train is really not an express.  I highly recommend this trip in either direction for spectacular mountain scenery and unbelievable railroad engineering.  I also rode several other Swiss intercity trains.  

Mexico:  Copper Canyon train.  This is another beautiful train ride through rugged mountains.  Of course, the mountains are completely different from those of Switzerland.  

Thailand:  Local train on the River Kwai.  This was a very rustic trip.  The passenger cars had wood seats and floors.  The trip is through steep gorges with very fast running water.  

Japan:  Bullet Train and local trains around Tokyo.  

Canada:  This is my favorite trip.  VIA Rail from Vancouver to Toronto.  The train consisted of refurbished 1950s Bud and Pullman passenger cars with domes, etc.  The diner served meals on real plates with stainless silverware.  The food was some of the best that I have eaten anywhere.   The western mountain scenery is spectacular and the plains in central Canada have their own beauty.  I highly recommend this trip for anyone who wants an old fashioned "Pullman" experience.  

NH Joe

Switzerland, Paris/London, and Austria/Hungary.

Continental Insurance company chartered a train and as a part of a two week trip, took their leadership group from Vienna to Budapest for the day. It was more than first class.

High speed Ave from Madrid to Seville and Barcelona.  High speed Frecciarossa from Florence to Rome. Local / regional trains in Italy, Spain and France. Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Macchu Picchu) in Peru.

Chile when Salvatore Allende was pres,Korea in steam ,Argentina ,Canada...

Yes, Germany early 90's not too long after the wall fell.  I was on a high school foreign language class trip.  We took an overnight train somewhere in Germany.  The sleeping cars were 6 people to a compartment, bunk bed style.  I remember the bunks were stiff as a board.  My best friends feet stank so bad from wet shoes we put him on the top bunk and opened the window.  The only reason the we didn't stick his feet out were the fear they would be cut off by a passing obstacle.

Our train was pulled by a diesel of some kind but I remember seeing a steam 0-6-0 switching one of the passenger stations.

The best was going to the station in Munich.  The Orient Express was there along with two ICE units and a host of other trains.  Also one of the best exchange rates in town.

Racing through the Russian wilderness at 219 mph (136mph). What could go wrong.

Included was a rather delicious salmon dinner with a nice salads and dessert.

UK & Europe, surface and subway.

The latest was in France in 2019.  Over 200 mph.

That made me think how cool it would be if we actually had high speed rail from city center to city center in the US.  I could go from St. Louis to Dallas in 3 hours!  Or Chicago in a little over an hour.

Alas, I will file that under "and monkeys might fly out of my..."

I rode the Eurostar high speed train from London to Paris (with stops at Dover and Calais) under the "chunnel" and it was a nice smooth ride- only three hours between the two cities.

In contrast, I rode trains throughout Italy and learned always to buy 1st class tickets for personal safety and stay away from the gypsy children that will swarm you to pick your pockets. When leaving Rome, I boarded the train and found my seat in the compartment. While the train was still sitting at the platform, I smelled an electrical fire (Navy experience) and told my fellow passengers "Andiamo! Fuego!"  We headed to the far end of the car away from the fire to exit and the doors were locked shut. The conductor came running down the aisle and went into a panic kicking the door as smoke filled the car. Railroad men were finally able to pry the door open from outside and we were able to exit. Close call!

Canada early on, Cartier Ry, they loaded our canoes in a baggage car & dropped us off in a network of lakes for a week of fishing.  Years later , a trip to Europe, with a round trip on a Kaiserslatern - Paris train. The French portion had speeds up to 302 kmh, according to the in-car speedo.  Very smooth.  Then a local in the Swiss Alps to the bottom of the Eiger.  Great memories.

I traveled through much of Western Europe when I was in college but have to settle for my Marklin models these days...

Back in March, 1983, I rode the Red Arrow, which was the overnight train from Moscow to Leningrad (St. Petersburg). It was a very modern trainset for the day, and a smooth ride. I remember the train stopping at 2 AM at a  small, yellow station in the hinterland. It  was snowing, and the platform was full of Soviet soldiers waiting to board. It was like a scene from Dr. Zhivago. In the morning the car attendants served everyone hot, sweet tea in glasses as we approached Leningrad. It was a memorable trip.

Does riding the metro mover down in Miami count? If so, Yes!

@Strap Hanger posted:

Does riding the metro mover down in Miami count? If so, Yes!

It sure does.....

Metro mover in Hartsfield-Jackson  Airport in Atlanta

@modeltrainsparts posted:

Metro mover in Hartsfield-Jackson  Airport in Atlanta

So,,,,,,,,,Atlanta is in a foreign country?????   If you say so.

I have ridden trains in England, Italy, Spain, Germany, China, Korea and Japan.  My favorite Japanese train journey was on the "Hokutosei" (Big Dipper) from Tokyo's Ueno Station to Higashi Muroran in Hokkaido, a trip of some 14 hours.  It was a "shindai tokyu" or sleeper train.  I had one of the four "Royal" rooms on the train.  The room had a bed/sofa, a desk and chair along with its own private shower (with 6 minutes total of available water)!  Dinner was a french multi-course meal served the dining car "Gran Chariot".  Dinner service was expertly attended with white linen tablecloths and sterling silver flatware.  Of course, I ordered the Hokkaido Furano wine to accompany my dinner.  This train sadly no longer runs.  The dining car is now a stationary museum of sorts in Sendai, and one of the sleeping cars is used as a train themed hotel.  Today, the Hokkaido shinkansen (bullet train) covers this service between Tokyo and Shin Hakodate.  Connecting express trains run to Muroran and Sapporo.  During my last visit to Japan, I traveled by Hokkaido shikansen "Gran Class" which is one step up from the ordinary "green car" first class.  I had a dedicated attendant to myself as the Gran Class car was empty except for me!  Lunch with complementary wine, sake or beer was served as part of the ticket.  The train was very well appointed, and the service was the typical defferential Japanese efficiency, but I really missed the old "Blue Train" as the sleeping trains were known in Japan.

The best meal I ever had on a regularly scheduled train was on the "Frecciarossa" (Red Arrow) between Milan and Rome.  My wife and I traveled "executive class" which is one step up from first.  There are only eight seats in one half of a 70' coach, so the seat pitch is extravagent to say the least.  The meal was served at our seats and consisted of a pasta course and beef brasciola.  Both Franciacorta sparkling wine and Italian still wine were served, all part of the ticket.  The meal was on par with some of the best restaurants I have visited in Italy.  The leather seats, designed by the Italian Cannelloni firm (they do the high end car interiors for ALFA and Maserati) were very comfortable.  So comfortable that my wife and I did not want to leave the train at Roma Termini!

Hot Water, IMO, having lived in Nashville, Lexington, and Atlanta for too many years anywhere south of the Mason Dixon Line is a foreign country to me.

Respectfully,