Holiday in Serbia 2015 - 26: By #%Bu$! to Nis (50 p.)

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ronik24

Proud Earthling
Hi,



To the previous part of the series:
Holiday in Bulgaria 2015 - 25: An Evening in Sofia (50 p.)
http://www.railroadforums.com/forum...-Bulgaria-2015-25-An-Evening-in-Sofia-(50-p-)


To the video:
https://youtu.be/4dl-qDnduFM



August 11 2015

We were on a #%bu$!-ride from Sofia to Nis ("Nish") already past the Serbian border town Dimitrovgrad.

At the semaphore signal of Belo Polje we finally caught up with an international freight train.
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Behind the town we had reached the engine - if you did not think a panorama out of the moving bus would be possible - it is possible everywhere! :0)
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Vlaska Planina mountain as backdrop.
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The train was hauled by renewed ZS 661-119 (GM-EMD G16 # 26246 / built 1960) with low hood.
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At Pirot we met it again at a level crossing.
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Nisava Valley was dominated by many construction sites for the new motorway, partly one lane was already in use like here at Stanicenje.
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Soon afterwards we met something looking like a shunting move...
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... but actually turning out to be PT 5903 Nis - Dimitrovgrad consisting of a Czech-built class 621 (actual) shunter and a single passenger coach!
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Bela Palanka was bypassed on the old road.
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One positive thing about the busride: for once I could see spectacular Nisava Gorge from the road side. And one positive thing about the motorway: it will not lead through the gorge and relieve it of the huge volume of transit traffic between Central Europe and Turkey.
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We arrived at Nis bus station next to the fortifications and market.
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We climbed to the upper floor of an older building to reach our ArtLoft hotel, which also can be heartily recommended.
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Then the city tour started in ever greater heat of more than 35 degrees C.
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Nis main station - quite oversized for today's rail traffic in Serbia.
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I was lucky to catch 661-232 (GM 31836 / 1966) with a track maintenance train.
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A monument of 61-002 (Henschel (Kassel) 19489 / 1922) next to platform 1.
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At the junction of the diesel line to Dimitrovgrad I came across this line of scrap steamers: JZ 17-035 (MAVAG (Budapest) 4434 / 1917), 20-100 (Henschel 19093 / 1922) and 01-035 (BMAG - Schwartzkopff (Berlin) 7955 / 1922).
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By the way, I encountered a class 01 under steam once: 01-088 (Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe 2250 / 1922) on September 1 2005 ready to depart with Tito's Blue Train from Pozega.
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I planned to wait for the local from Dimitrovgrad... the level crossing closed punctually, and what came? Another freight from Bulgaria!
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We found A/C-cooling at the archaeological museum where we were allowed to take pictures due to a lack of brochures.
Once more we encounter our friend, Emperor Constantine, who was born in 280 at Naissos, the Roman town in the vicinity.
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Next we returned to the centre, which exuded a relaxed atmosphere. The whole pedestrian zone and the short old city street Kopitareva seemed to be like a single coffee house cooled by water sprayers which produced these nice lighting effects.
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Someone obviously had taken the term "Bed & Breakfast" too literally. ;-)
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We rested and went back outside only in the evening sun.
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Captain without sea at the coffee house
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I waited at the railway bridge across Nisava River, but nothing came by.
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The 18th century Ottoman fortifications.
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As dinner we ate great grilled cevapi at Kod Rajka in Kopitareva street.
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August 12 2015

Sunrise at 6 a.m. viewed from our room.
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Today excursions were planned, we met 621-105 (CMKS 215 / 2005) with half an hour delayed PT 5900 Bela Palanka - Nis at the level crossing near the station.
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The class 621 reversing.
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More about the diesel line next time! :)
 




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