Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: Class 451

This was the first serious video (of more than a few seconds) that I shot of the CD system after New Year's. This was on April 29th, and the weather was already improving, although overall the summer was mild until late August, when it finally started getting hot. This video includes a Class 451 "Pantograph" EMU, and a Class 130 electric locomotive working as a pusher on a freight. Class 130's used to be a little bit rare in Prague, but I've been seeing a lot of them on freight trains lately. They look like 1950's locomotives, but they were actually all built in 1977 by Skoda. They each have 2736 horsepower (2040Kw), and a maximum speed of 100Km/h, which may explain why they aren't used much on passenger trains anymore.

I'm pretty sure this was at Praha-Radotin, although it could have been Smichov. It's too blurred to tell for sure. The combination of the rain and the slow shutter (again because of dark and gloomy weather late in the day) resulted in this sort of impressionistic look for a Class 451 or 452 "Pantograph" EMU sitting in the station.

This was taken the same day as the pump shot, also at Hostivar. You can't see it easily in this shot, but this Class 451 Pantograph was in the new blue livery.

This isn't my greatest ever rail photo, but I liked the blur on it.

Here's another one of several shots (not all uploaded to Flickr or iPernity, since these were cameraphone shots and not so impressive), that I took on my first day spotting from the pedestrian bridge. This Class 451 "Pantograph" is working a service to Hlavni Nadrazi, departing Hostivar. I'm unaware of whether this train originated in Benesov or Strancice, but it would be one or the other.

Here's the newly modernised mainline south of Senohraby, albeit obscured by snow.

Nadrazi Senohraby was recently modernised, and so I've been taking more photos there this year than in the past. The trains, however, are often still ancient, like this Class 451 "Pantograph" EMU from the 1960's.

This shot more than most that I've done lately illustrates the advantages of shooting film. I like the shot as it was shot, but this lineup of the two different "Pantograph" EMU classes, plus the crane, is better for the internet, so I cropped. The result? The photo is more or less as good as before, in spite of having used 35mm color print film, which other than the 110 stuff that my Fisher-Price used to take, is more or less the bottom-of-the-range when it comes to film technology.

While I was waiting at the crossing for the train to come, I noticed #751004-3 deadheading 451004 on one of the main tracks, although it was stopped. There was also so MOW equipment on the consist further back. I couldn't tell if the 451 was headed for scrapping, repair, or simply another assignment, but I expect that many 451's will be scrapped soon with the arrival of new "City Elefant" EMU's. The 751 diesels are just as old, though, also dating back to the 1960's. #751004-3 still carries its CSD number on side, this being #T4781004. I don't know if this is for historic purposes (maybe it's is slated for preservation), or if it's simple laziness, but it's interesting anyway.

Here's my latest spotting of #451065-7 "City Frog," so named as a parody of the new Class 471 "City Elephant" EMU's. Still no word on who did this, or whether it was authorised.

This might have been the most successful of my edits today, as I didn't attempt to go overboard with this one.

Here's my second attempt at supersaturating this photo...

I raised the saturation, or actually the contrast, on this one, too, but it will also be redone.

Again I attempted a supersaturated edit....that I'm not completely satisfied with and will likely redo.

Here's another shot taken closer up.

I also did a lot more train watching in Nadrazi Praha-Hostivar in 2008, since it's become more convenient for me lately. I guess this is a good thing, as it has more traffic than Cercany or some of the other places I've gravitated towards in the past.

This is, as far as I know, the pioneering Class 451 "Pantograph" EMU from 1964, unless this is a renumbered fake. They've tried to glorify its heritage somewhat by painting it in the original CSD green-blue with red stripes, only without the red stars and with the modern CD logo.