Old Abandoned Luxury Train

Looks Russian to me, but hard to tell.

Sure isn't Russian anywhere now. 

I'm guessing Belgian.

AMTRAK ?  SEPTA ??

A quick Google search says this is a former Grand Orient Express train now derelict in Belgium. However it seems odd that is an early type of self-propelled rail-car with what appears to be an inline internal combustion engine mounted on the front truck, not something likely to be used on a long-distance international passenger train. I suspect the photos were posted with inaccurate information and other sites have copied it. I'm guessing it's more like a regional train set from some part of Europe, and maybe in later years it ran as a special tourist train hyped as "Orient Express". Needs more research to discover the true story.

Yeah there was NO information on it.  I did find that engine very interesting.

The engine looks like something from 20,000 LEAGUES or DAS BOAT!

Interesting photos.  Thanks for posting.

Looks like something from MAD MAX.

The posted sign is for "Smokers" in French, German, and Italian...dunno what the top language, "Rokers", is...maybe the Germanic one used in Belgium or Switzerland.   I see no Russian or Eastern European Cyrillic alphabet.  The seats look like the upholstery in 1920's automobiles.

A lot of czarist era stuff had western European languages where you'd have expected to see Cyrillic...

An interesting study in an attempt at streamlining.  Looks like it is from the 40s. The power car is also interesting. The operator didn't have much protection and the big engine behind him.

That would be an interesting topic to begin, examples of European streamlined train sets as America was running the Zephyr, Minute Man, the U.P. "City" sets, etc.  Would almost be apparent it ran in service after the second world war, or it would be in a lot worst condition than shown.

Jesse   TCA  12-68275

That streamlined, non-steam,  loco came well after the WWI communist takeover of Russia, and the violent end of the czarist period.  That WWI political upheaval ended the sale of the "Russian" steam decapods to Russia.

ROKERS is Dutch for smokers; this a Belgian streamlined internal combustion train (no 654.02) from 1936; 3 of these were made and only one part of one of these is still there, but in a sorry state. For more information see here :http://www.nicospilt.com/index_museum-nmbs.htm and http://forum.beneluxspoor.net/...x.php?topic=65119.15

Regards

Fred (Netherlands (near Belgium))

That's good info: Belgian SNCB autorail 654.02

These other pics may be different but similar versions. Not sure if these were originally 2-unit or 3-unit rail cars, fully or partly articulated trainsets.

Don't know where that "Orient Express" stuff came from.

The 654 trains were 3-unit articulated on 4 4-wheel trucks. There were a total of 3 trains made (654.01 - 654.03). They were made by the Belgian company Baume & Marpent. There were similar internal combustion/diesel trains made in France (SNCF TAR (Train Automoteur Rapide)), Germany (Fliegende Hamburger) and Netherlands (NS DE3) in the same period (around 1935). Indeed these have nothing to do with the Orient Express.

Regards

Fred

I got to wondering about the mechanical specs on this rail-car. If this is the correct info, it's a 2-B-B-2 trainset configuration with diesel-electric drive. Now I'm looking for info on the inline-8 Carels engine.

http://www.belrail.be/F/fiches/dmu/t654.html

Image

Unité du type 654 dont trois exemplaires furent construits en 1936.
Photographie: Baume & Marpent, collection E. Keutgens. Scan: Stefan Nicolaï. (Copyright Rail-Revue)

Données techniques

Dimensions

Longueur totale (3 éléments)        : 59900 mm
Longueur de la partie centrale      : 17200 mm
Longueur des extrémités             : 12350 mm
Largeur                             :  
Distance entre les suspensions      : 17300 mm (fin/centre), 17200 mm (centre/centre)
Distance entre les essieux          :  3500 mm (centre) , 3850 (extrémités)
Distance des suspensions aux tampons:  4050 mm
Hauteur du rail au tampon           :  
Hauteur du rail au toit             :  
Diamètre des roues                  : 

Autres données

Construits par Baume & Marpent
Type                                : 2'B'B'2'
Année de construction               : 1936
Nombre d'unités construites         : 3
Numérotation                        : 654.01-03
Transmission (construite par SEM)   : électrique
Moteur construit par                : Carels
Cylindres                           : 8
Masse (tonnes)                      : 159
RPM                                 : 1330
Puissance motrice (kW)              : 2x365
Vitesse maximale (km/h)             : 135/120
Nombre de places                    : 52/15 B
                                      177/25 C

These are certainly curios little beasts.  Thanks for all the info Ace and SNCF231E