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Saphir (train)
The ''Saphir'' was an express train operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn linking the port of Ostend with Dortmund as part of a link between London and the Ruhr. The name ''Saphir'', German for sapphire, refers to the Belgian gemstone industry. History Beginnings The initial service started in 1954"Stop Press" (service changes taking effect). '' Cook's Continental Timetable'' (May 23–June 17, 1954 edition), p. 8. London: Thomas Cook & Son, Ltd. as post-war successor of the Ostend–Cologne Pullman Express. Its schedule was coordinated with an Ostend–Dover ferry run and a Dover–London train, and overall the schedule that came into effect with the ''Saphir''s introduction "permitt dpassengers leaving London (Victoria) at 10:00 to reach destinations in the Rhine–Ruhr district of Germany some three hours earlier than formerly". The service used a class diesel multiple unit. In its early years, the ''Saphir'' was referred to as the ''"Sapphire"'' in English publications, bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trans Europ Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities,Haydock, David (June–July 1996). "The Second Demise of the TEE". '' Today's Railways'', p. 22–24. Platform 5 Publishing (UK). . from Spain in the west to Austria in the east, and from Denmark to Southern Italy. Origin The first services commenced on 2 June 1957 following an idea of F.Q. den Hollander, then president-director of the Dutch national railway company ( NS).60 Years On: What's Left of the TEE ''Today's Railways Europe'' issue 264 December 2017 pages 28-33 TEE was a network jointly operated by the railways of West Germany ( DB), France (SNCF), Switzerland (SBB-CFF-FFS), Italy ( FS) and the Netherlands. Although some trains passed through Belgium from the beginning, the Belgian na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, and obsidian) and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber, jet, and pearl) are also used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity and notoriety are other characteristics that lend value to gemstones. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity engraved gems and hardstone carvings, such as cups, were major luxury art forms. A gem expert is a gemologist, a gem maker is called a lapidarist or gemcutter; a diamond cutter is called a diamantaire. Characteristics and classification The traditional classification in the West, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at major stations only. An international variant of the InterCity trains are the EuroCity (EC) trains which consist of high-standard coaches and are run by a variety of operators. History The Inter-City Rapid Transit Company was an Ohio interurban company, which began operations in 1930 as it had purchased its route from the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company. It remained in operation till 1940. The use of ''Inter-City'' was reborn in the United Kingdom: A daily train of that name was introduced in 1950, running between the cities of London and Birmingham. This usage can claim to be the origin of all later usages worldwide. In 1966 British Rail introduced the brand InterCity for all of its express train routes, and in 1986 the ter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhein–Main (train)
The ''Rhein–Main'' was an express train that linked Frankfurt am Main with Dortmund in Germany and later with Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The train was named after the two rivers, the Rhine and the Main, that join west of Frankfurt. For most of its life, it was a Trans Europ Express (TEE). F-Zug The ''Rhein–Main'' was launched in May 1953 as train number F 31 northbound and F 32 southbound. TEE Züge in Deutschland, p. 79. The service was operated by Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railways) with diesel multiple units. Trans Europ Express On 2 June 1957, the ''Rhein–Main'' was one of the initial TEE services. The rolling stock was given TEE signage on front but the use of VT 08 continued for a few months, because the German TEE trainsets planned for it were not available for the ''Rhein–Main'' until 1 December 1957. Das grosse TEE Buch, p. 74 With the start of the TEE network the northern terminus was changed from Dortmund to Amsterdam, and the Cologn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankfurt Am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its namesake Main River, it forms a continuous conurbation with the neighboring city of Offenbach am Main and its urban area has a population of over 2.3 million. The city is the heart of the larger Rhine-Main metropolitan region, which has a population of more than 5.6 million and is Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr region. Frankfurt's central business district, the Bankenviertel, lies about northwest of the geographic center of the EU at Gadheim, Lower Franconia. Like France and Franconia, the city is named after the Franks. Frankfurt is the largest city in the Rhine Franconian dialect area. Frankfurt was a city state, the Free City of Frankfurt, for nearly five centuries, and was one of the most import ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Class Travel
First class is the most luxurious and most expensive travel class of seats and service on a train, passenger ship, airplane, bus, or other system of transport. Compared to business class and economy class, it offers the best service and most comfortable accommodation. Aviation The First class (aviation), first-class section of a fixed-wing jet airliner is typically toward the front of the aircraft. Many airlines have removed first class altogether from their international flights, offering business class as their highest level of international service. First class passengers are usually allowed into Airport lounge, lounges at airports while they wait for their flights. Railways While first-class travel accommodation is common in intercity public transport rail services, they have become increasingly prevalent for commuters' short-distance daily travel, especially in rapid transit contexts, rather than longer-distance regional rail. Australia Australia has internal rail opera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diesel Multiple Unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU. Design The diesel engine may be located above the frame in an engine bay or under the floor. Driving controls can be at both ends, on one end, or in a separate car. Types by transmission DMUs are usually classified by the method of transmitting motive power to their wheels. Diesel–mechanical In a diesel–mechanical multiple unit (DMMU), the rotating energy of the engine is transmitted via a gearbox and driveshaft directly to the wheels of the train, like a car. The transmissions can be shifted manually by the driver, as in the great majority of first-gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi. Ferries form a part of the public transport systems of many waterside cities and islands, allowing direct transit between points at a capital cost much lower than bridges or tunnels. Ship connections of much larger distances (such as over long distances in water bodies like the Mediterranean Sea) may also be called ferry services, and many carry vehicles. History In ancient times The profession of the ferryman is embodied in Greek mythology in Charon, the boatman who transported souls across the River Styx to the Underworld. Speculation that a pair of oxen propelled a ship having a water wheel can be found in 4th century Roman literature "''Anonymus De Rebus Bellicis''". Though impractical, there is no reason why it could not work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dover Marine Railway Station
Dover, Kent has had numerous railway stations due to the legacy of competition between the South Eastern Railway (SER) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) and the subsequent rationalisation attempts by their successors: the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR), Southern Railway and British Rail Southern Region. Current station Opened on 22 July 1861 as ''Dover Town (Priory)'' by the LCDR, Dover Priory railway station became a through station on 1 November the same year, upon completion of a tunnel through the Western Heights connecting it to LCDR's new Dover Harbour Station in the Western Docks area. The renaming in July 1863 as ''Dover Priory'' led rival SER to adopt the name "Dover Town" for one of its Dover stations. Dover Priory is the only station still open in Dover. Former stations Besides Dover Priory, there have been five other stations in Dover, all of which are now closed. Dover Harbour The name ''Dover Harbour'' has been used for two s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
