Monday, January 6, 2025

NZR 4-8-2 at Otira in twilight, 1966


One of the J class in the level freight yard (the passenger station is on a gradient), seen on 22 July 1966. Another Victor Hand pic, original color this one.  For lots more see the book On the TransAlpine Trail.

cars on top of the Paekakariki Hill Road, Wellington, 1950s

A couple of them look to be pre-WW2.  It's hard to appreciate now that this was the main road north out of Wellington until circa 1940 and the completion of the Centennial Highway below.  It looks like there was quite a bit of mist this day; usually it is quite clear with a good view of Paekakariki on the coastline.

Teschen/Cieszyn/Cesky Tesin railway station


Prior to 1920 it was all part of the Empire known as Austro-Hungary, but with the collapse of the empires at the end of WW1 and the redrawing of maps (not only in Europe), this town was split across the Olsa River with the west side being made Czech and the east side Polish.

This station is now Cesky Tesin and still used.  In Cieszyn (pronounced similarly) there is another station which is pretty much the end of a branch line from Bielsko Biala and not substantial.  It's about half a mile from the Czech one.