(HD) Katakolo to Olympia - OSE Stadler GTW-2/6 29/03/13 скачать в хорошем качестве

(HD) Katakolo to Olympia - OSE Stadler GTW-2/6 29/03/13

Now available in 1080p HD! In years passed, the Peloponnes of western Greece once boasted one of the largest Narrow Gauge railway systems in the world, with lines serving nearly every settlement on the island with two daily trains from Athens, one running the loop around the island eastbound, and one westbound. The lines were operated from 1971 by the Hellenic Railways Organisation, or OSE in Greek, which oversaw the management of the routes until 2011, when due to financial problems following the Greek Economic meltdown, a majority of the lines were shut apart from several individual stretches. This is one of them. The line from Olympia to Katakolo was originally opened in 1883 from Pyrgos to the dockyard at Katakolo with a seperate terminal station in downtown Pyrgos from the Achaia - Lechaina - Olympia railway. In 1951 trains were instead diverted to the other station and have done ever since. Originally, services to Katakolo were primarily freight although in 2007, a modernisation plan allowed for passenger services to be run on a limited basis. Today, very little of the Achaia and Lechaina lines remain, with large sections overgrown by shrubbery or stolen by metal theives although the Katakolo to Olympia route now thrives, seeing new traffic by linking the Cruise port at Katakolo with the Ancient Olympian site 28 miles inland. Services on this route are mainly run by the Stadler GTW-2/6 diesel railbus, constructed by the Stadler company to a design similar to the Swiss FLIRT EMU's. 1. We start at Katakolo, where the remains of the dockyard route are seen clearly stretching into what is now the marketplace as one of the diesel railcars is seen rumbling into the station with another service bound for Olympia. 2. A good bit of design with the Stadler GTW-2/6 is the windowed cab, allowing for an almost unobscured view of both the cab and the line ahead, essentially making this video my first cab-view production. 3. Gaining speed, the line straightens as it crosses the grassland near Tragano Agiou Ioannou. 4. About 15 minutes into the journey, we approach the busy town of Pygros, a major centre for the region and the main confluence for the railway system. Just before arrival, the line turns sharply to the left and joins the diverging route from the original terminus station of which nothing remains. After crossing several streets, the train arrives at Pygros station which now serves as the main maintenance point for the Stadler GTW-2/6 as well as a storage point for one of the Greek Railway's American built ALCO A-201 (ALCO RS8 (DL532B). Also seen in storage is a Hungarian built Ganz-Mavag 3-car diesel multiple unit that was constructed for OSE in 1976. 5. After leaving Pygros, the large track layout at Alfios is seen, where the mainline to Zacharo, Dorio, Megalopoli and eventually Athens is seen diverging to the right. This once frequently used line now stands dormant, with little to say that it will ever see direct trains from the capital again. 6. After passing Pelopio, the train rises into the foothills of the Peloponnes mountains and the route becomes sharp and winding for the last few miles into Olympia. 7. Finally, the route arrives at Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic games that originated in the 8th Century B.C. Enjoy!