Introducing Prague Pictures - With a Panoramic Phot

The city of Prague is a scenic place to watch trains and document both nostalgic specials as well as contemporary railway operations. A vibrant variety of different locomotives and coaches, from various European companies passes through town each day, while local stalwart České dráhy still adds the most color to the local track landscape. Signifcant sums have been invested by the Czech government into regional infrastructure improvements and the wide-scale modernisation of routes, rolling stock and stations, so there is a fascinating mix that can be captured on film. This new segment on Steam Blog therefore dedicates time and space to Prague and it's ever unfolding railway landscape. 

As the first image to get things going, here is a shot from Prague 6, showing the EuroCity EC 172 "Vindobona" racing northwards along the Vltava on the main line towards Děčín and Dresden. This image from September 2011 still shows the composition with two attached DB coaches. As of the timetable change in December 2011, DB will withdraw all of its modern IC coaches on deployment in Central Europe (stock shortage at home) and let partner railways fill the gap. The "Vindobona" set, running from Villach via Wien, Brno, Praha, Dresden and Berlin to Hamburg will then become an all ÖBB-rake. In the background can be seen Prague Castle and parts of the city's skyline.