60 years sounds really old until I realize that there are coaches still in regular service on my local commuter railroad here in the US that are 71 years old (on Metra, serving the Chicago area)
Yeah, only that he is now using borderline click bait thumbnails. Like this one: “Falling apart”… Didn’t hear anything like that in the video but instead he stated he slept for solid 7 hours and had one of the best night’s sleep. Looking at you @SuperalbsTravels
@@marcd6897You can literally see the tap handle and window winder falling off in the video. Maybe you should spend more time paying attention, and less time whining in the comments?
I travelled by train in Romania last year and had a nice experience. But there is so much unused potential in Romania. They have way to much car traffic and need to update their train infrastructure as well as implementing a regularised scheduling system with trains running every one or two hours on busy routes, especially to optimize commuting. I also saw that on the route from Brasov to Sibiu nearly every station we came across was equipped with staff and they have to give way for the train. That's a signalling technique that's incredibly inefficient. There could be so many more people riding trains in Romania.
The train is taking such a circuitous route due to (never-ending) track reconstruction and upgrade works. Normally, the train runs either via Oradea - Cluj, but that's closed for electrification and upgrading. Alternatively, it runs via Arad, but that too is partially closed and severely capacity restricted for upgrading works. Even Timisoara - Lugoj is normally worked via the electrified Recas line, but that's capacity and speed restricted for upgrading works, so the train is diverted via the very rural Buzias line, which normally only sees Desiro DMUs and those tiny ancient rural railbuses. By the way, those archaic railbuses are finally going away in a few years - if you want to experience riding in a 1930s railbus based on freight car technology, powered by a repurposed mining engine, sitting on 1970s plastic seats, going 30 km/h, now is your time!
Thanks for the hint. Am leaving for Interrail next week and Romania is one likely target. (And yes, I know that using an Interrail ticket in Romania hardly is worth it. But I will be travelling on more expensive railways, too.)
@@TangoMikeLima If you want to travel through Romania, Vagonweb and their excellent consist listings are your best friend -- standards differ widely with CFR -- some of the rolling stock is quite modern and rather really nice (21-76, 21-86, 20-83, 10-90, 70-91, 44-31 and quite a few others); other stock is ancient, in very poor shape or outright terrible for other reasons (20-49, 20-68, 22-76, 22-96, Desiros, the double-deckers...). The difference between hours of torment and a very pleasant journey may be as little as half an hour's wait - and you can't tell from the train number or anything else, but Vagonweb gives you that power. If you're planning Romania, try some less-beaten paths (with worse track!) -- the most beautiful lines are rarely used by visitors - Brasov to Deda and Suceava to Ilva Mica. Brasov to Bucharest, which most rail enthusiasts take, is beautiful, but only for the hour or so to Sinaia. And, if you're up for adventure, extremely slow speeds, and breathtaking scenery, go to Sighetu Marmatiei. It's, however, the slowest trip imaginable; it's a hundred miles or so of what can only be described as a heritage railway still somehow operated in mainline traffic despite not seeing any upgrade since about 1920. And there's a great heritage steam-driven narrow gauge railway (the Vaser valley) half way up the line.
One of my sweetest childhood memories: Going on a family vacation in one of those carriages in the early 90s. By opening up a divider, two of those rooms could be combined to one big family room, which was pretty cool.
The general rule with trains is the older the better. In continental Europe, the best were in the late 1960s. In the UK, it was the 1930s. Even the BR Mark 1 were not entirely an improvement on the 1930s stock built by the LMS and Southern Railway. There is still some comfortable elderly stock running in Sweden.
@@SuperalbsTravels The FLIRT DEMUs out in Anglia look interesting . And this Revolution VLR thingy looks promising for reopening lines like the Fawley branch . But just wait 'till Northern start trumpeting it as their new Pacer replacement ... But in general I think more people would travel longer distances in the UK if something similar to the mk1/2s with decent amenities were available for long distances. Rail companies in the east of Europe have that right at least .
9:33 That sign is really cool! Rare to see those two logos next to each other. The two companies were merged in January 1994, a little over three years after unification. Guessing that sign was put there some time in those intervening years, right before the consist was sold to CFR.
Happy to see global trains system thru ur videos. This Romanian Train, despite being old, provides the basic necessities for a traveller. Seems very identical to south Asian trains.
What beautiful sleeper coaches. So much nicer and more comfortable looking than sterile modern ones which look and feel like something from a hospital or a supermarket toilet. I wish we still had sleeper trains like this in England. Fit for royalty, yes, but this was normal standard once
Great video, thanks a lot! 👍😍👍 I know this older type of sleeping car very well. They were owned by DSG (Deutsche Schlaf- und Speisewagen Gesellschaft) and later on by TEN (Trans Euro Nacht) and commonly used on DB Nighttrains originating in Germany to destinations like Rome, Vienna or Copenhagen until the earlier 1990's. From my own experience I can tell how comfy and cozy they were. I truly loved travelling onboard these sleeping cars overnight and still like them much better over the modern new ones we have these days like on ÖBB's Nightjet. Nice to see they are still in use elsewhere! Again thanks for your great video, it brought back nice memories to me! Greetings from Germany, Simone 🙋
Yes we may see again how the Europeans (in this case) managed to make more money by lowering the quality of the features and offering less comfort for more money
Woww, this was quite a bit ago. This train no longer operates like this in 2024. Being the biggest Romanian Rail TH-camr, with my own channel, I travel a lot and review all the active routes and trains from Romania. The train with the same number only goes from Cluj to Iasi. A train on this exact route goes all the day, with 4-5 class 2 wagons, from morning until night. I am sad that this train doesn't operate anymore on the whole route. None the less, thank you for posting this video, I really enjoyed it.
Oh, ce mă bucur că urmărești pe Superlabs. A pleasant surprise. O veste tristă though, cică din 31 Martie 2024 vor scoate vagonul de dormit pe trenul de noapte Timișoara - Iași și retur. O să rămână doar cușetele. Nu știu motivul CFR Călători fiindcă încă nu mi-au răspuns.
@@CalinFR Da, I-l urmaresc. Stai putin, la care tren de Iasi - Timisoara scot vagonul de dormit? 1763 / 1765 ? Cel de noapte prin Sineria - Arad? Ca atunci o sa ma pun repede sa fac o calatorie pe vagonul de dormit.
@@VALTERPATRICKOFFICIAL exact, la 1765/1763. Ultima dată în care circulă vagonul de dormit (as per CFR sales) e 23 martie 2024. Apoi ia o pauză întreg trenul până în 30 martie din cauza lucrărilor între Simeria și Arad (rămâne Cluj-Iasi doar) și după această dată nu mai revine vagonul de dormit deloc, pe nici un segment.
@@CalinFR abia am mers cu el acum o săptămână. De ce mai exact scot vagonul de dormit? Eu cum mai circul civilizat dintr-un capăt într-altul al țării? 😨
10:32 Many people don't know about this, but the lever that brings the window up and down is supposed to be dismantled like that. It's because, underneath the lower bed, there are chairs for day use. Very comfortable but nobody uses them as there is extra work for the staff and they don't want that. Also, that's why the mattress developed a "ditch" in the middle along its whole length. People sit on it during the daytime (because the chairs are underneath and never used) and deform it.
I've done Timisoara-Bucharest, Bucharest-Cluj and Bucharest-Chisinau. Very impressive considering the distances and funds available. The journey to Chisinau was the best - its actually a Soviet train that has remianed unchanged since 1991, and yet it was so comfortable and authentic. Rail travel in Romania is the way to go in my opinion
I remember those sleeper carriages from going on holiday in Austria in the mid-1970s; we used to take them from Hamburg to Salzburg or Vienna or Villach and Yes, I remember them as very comfortable.
I remember this type of train design from the 80s, when they were running in Germany. They were already old then. The new Siemens train you showed is used only for regional services in Germany.
Amazing train ride with old sleep car in Romania. The good part is: you can make videos on window. Good job! Thumbs Up All the best from Romania Andrew
@@SuperalbsTravels The journey began with a homeless child that was living in the station showing me to my allocated seat. 6 people in a compartment, including a couple with a baby. Though no-one knew each other, all food (homemade) was shared. Everyone took a turn looking after the baby. Many old steam engines seen in sidings. A river that the train passed alongside had seemingly flooded recently, the water level revealed in the branches of trees that had collected plastic litter in the water. Nearing Bucharest an American lawyer who had been doing legal work on war crimes in the Croatian conflict approached, he having heard that there was another native english speaker on the train. He showed me to correct platform on the underground system, which seemed more modern than most public transit stations that I'd encountered elsewhere across Europe. The locals were kind, generous and spoke surprisingly good english.
@@blinkybagger8342aah, too bad you didn’t speak Romanian… ah…I can imagine the stories. Folks usually strike up friendships on these long journeys and exchange details…
@@LetharGPeople made some effort to converse with me through my time in Romania. As I have found elsewhere, many locals are happy to have the opportunity outside of a classroom to put to use their English language skills (even homeless children that I encountered could explain themselves adequately). Decades later I have a couple of Romanian pals that I have now known for more than a decade and the are among the more intellectually curious, thoughtful and humble people that I have met. Romania was interesting because it is European culture, accessible but so different from others that I had encountered.
When it would be so easy to be completely negative about an experience on such an aged train, thank you for being fair and making this an exciting journey. Safe travels
same carriages are still used in finland, they have been refurbished, but almost identical! They was supposed to be taken out of use in 2016, but they are still used during busy seasons!
This sleeping car will be removed entirely from this route starting March 31st 2024. Still available on other routes though like Bucharest - Vatra Dornei and Bucharest - Satu Mare among others
@@CalinFRyes they want to cut out train travel so bus companies can earn more. Isolate Romania's regions even more. Fast trains are the way forward, and countries are investing heavily into rail networks. So should Romania too.
We have two same regional trains in Hungary from Győr to Pécs called Helikon Interregion and from Szombathely to Pécs called Pannonia Interregion. I am looking forward to watch what is it like in Romania. 😊
Did this journey this summer, but in seating car with weird semi-compartments (facing seats but in 3+2 layout). I'd have been so grateful for a sleeping car berth, it was.. well, interesting trying to sleep in the middle seat on a fully booked train :D
Thanks for the video, it's always great to follow your rail adventures. As always, Romanian trains are a strange mix of wonderful and quite bad. I took this train from Timișoara to Iaşi last month (but via Arad), in a 6 people sleeper car. It was one of my best train experiences ever ! Not because it was very comfy, even if it was not bad, but thanks to the people I met on the way, and the AMAZING scenery around Vatra Dornei. In contrast, I had a 7 hours long "night" trip back in 2018 in one of those Desiro, from Sibiu to Timisoara (IR1811). It was by far the worst experience I ever had in a train. It was so terrible I could barely walk when i finally arrived in Timișoara Nord, and i'm not even talking about the single toilet that was broken. It was the first and last time I cheaped out on my night train ticket.
The bed on this train looks more comfortable than Amtrak's current ones. The head of the bed lifts up and windows open- fantastic. The current oldest sleepers are from the 1970's, wish they kept some from the 1960's that probably had cool features too.
When I was younger I took this train on standard class and stayed up most of the night. The scenery around Vatra Dornei is breathtaking, too bad you missed it.
Been following you for a while. You have a lovely style of storytelling. PS. Sadly, some UK train operators can only dream of just 13 mins delay over 500 miles.
Excellent review; and though I, as you, would prefer more modern coaches, this journey and carriages was delightful. Thank you. Alberto from North Central Florida, USA
When I was a kid we still had similar sleepers to this in Bulgaria with the wood paneling and cosy incandescent lighting. It was definitely way cosier than the current monotonous grey sleepers and I look back fondly at my rare trips on them
You can try these 1930s railcars on the lines Timisoara-Stamora Moravita (all trains), Timisoara-Buzias-Lugoj, Podu Olt-Piatra Olt-Caracal-Corabia, Craiova-Pitesti-Curtea de Arges (only some local services/mixed with Desiros and loco-hauled trains).
@@SuperalbsTravels I mean the actual skiing was the most exciting part but yes, as far as I remember the beds were comfortable enough, and in the beginning, before cutting costs, the breakfast was really good. And as a 9-13 year-old, a night train is magical regardless
Yep, that's a very nice place to spend a day. Sad there's no inflight (yeah, I know) food offering, but I wouldn't expect it, tbh, on a four coach consist.
Five hours in a 'regional train' isn't unusual for Amtrak (US). We did this a couple of months ago for Amtrak California run down the coast to San Diego from north of Los Angeles. So try out their regional train....it might be fun. Meanwhile, we've been on one of those overnight trains on the Budapest / Bucharest run. The car we were in was the same type but rather better condition. The fun bit here is crossing the national border, this happens around midnight -- you get woken up twice, once by the Hungarians, then by the Romanians.
Do they still do that? I did that journey in 2004, and the border crossing was the most film noir experience I’ve ever had; aggressive dogs and handlers stationed the length of the train, which was shunted out into an empty floodlit train yard; armed police and grim border guards; a full search of every compartment, including the roof cavities. Wouldn’t have missed it!
@@chriswalford4161 Our journey was in 2016. There was still residual activity but no dogs, searches or what-have-you. The two Hungarian border guards looked the business -- HiViz vests, all the usual police stuff from the utility belt, portable computer for the passport information. The Romanians had a little old guy with a small notebook and ballpoint pen. (BTW -- The train started out with an electric locomotive, when it split it got a diesel and then for the last leg from Brasov it was back to electric.)
Oh, memories. Back in 2016 I took this night train from Cluj-Napoca to Iaşi. The sleeper carriage was different, I guess from east german railways, but it looked "more luxurious", but still very old fashion. Overall this was the best sleeping in train I've ever had.
Small correction: the second carriage isn't a couchette car, it's a Halberstadt type 22-96 car with seats, divided into 3 compartments at each end with a 5 seat configuration and a semi-compartimented seats in the middle
This distance has a good reason. The former main station was close to the town centre, but Baden Baden is located in a Black Forest Valley (off the Rhine River Valley where the trains speed along. To make a stop in Baden Baden the trains had to go in and back out again on a branch line off the main line. Very time consuming. So the station Baden-Oos along the main line was turned into the main station with frequent stops of fast trains.
You seem to have overlooked one feature of many sleeping cars of that era, assuming that carriage still has it: a self-emptying chamber-pot in a cupboard under the washbasin that empties onto the track when you put it away after using it. I believe that many coaches that originally had that facility had it removed on refurbishment because it was deemed unhygienic, though.
Until recently, it was unusual to have holding tanks at all in most countries, hence the typical warning labels to avoid using toilets during station stops.
I once did 3h in one of these Siemens regional trains on the way from Craiova to Sofia and it looks like you have to do it, too. Luckily the cracks windshield and windows were held together with tape otherwise I would had tought it would be unsafe 😅
10:17 Are the bogies of this electric loco illuminated for the safety of passengers on platforms or to facilitate inspections by railway staff? I have never seen this before.
As always, I really appreciate the way you are doing the rails - but I am still waiting to check east Asian tracks like that one in Thailand and in Viet Nam as well as the even the famous, but pretty run down night train from Lisbon to Madrid - check it out! //
looks good. I looked at this on paper and was not that enticed by it but I think Ill try it. I have done the Astro train out of Bucharest- that was pretty decent.
Oh trust me, theres something much worse than the desiro. In around 2010-2013, RegioTrans or Regio Calatori (whatever you call it), which is the same operator that uses Desiros like in 7:08, also operates former RIO & RIB units from France. Some have been modernised with AC and a new cab, while others remain the same as they were bought, its pot luck really. They are also used on very, very long routes like the Desiros.
Regarding the price, in order to actually understand it, you have to multiply by 2.5 time in order to see how us Romanians perceive it (purchasing power). Great review overall!
Back in the late '00s, when I was commuting for my university studies, I've accidently got on this train in Simeria at around 1-2am in the night, when I got off my train to Cluj-Napoca to buy me a sandwich from the non-stop Simeria station shops which were on the first platform. The "Hunger'' (how this train is called) was parked right next to mine (the Craiova - Cluj-Napoca night train) on the 3rd or the 4th line, and when getting back from the station shop, with both trains having nearly identical blue wagons, I have mistakenly got on this train instead of mine. The train departed not long afterwards, and looking to get back to my compartment I wasn't finding it nowhere in the train, so I became stressed and confused. But when the ticket controller and some passengers told me that I was on the Timisoara - Iasi train and that it stops in Cluj-napoca too, I got relieved. It arrived at Cluj-Napoca 35 minutes sooner than my Craiova - Cluj-Napoca train that I have missed earlier at Simeria, and luckly I met on the platform the nice ladies that were in my compartment on the first train who told me they gave my luggage to the controller. So I went to look for him and caught him up across the street, on his way to the station's office. He was carring my luggage in his hand. I took my luggage, thanked him for taking it and took the bus to my student dorm where I peacefully slept until noon, pleased that I eventually arrived in Cluj-Napoca, with all my belongings, despite the stupid mistake I've done that night.
Amenity packs always amuse me. Unless total emergency, why wouldn't you pack your own toothbrush/paste? Having a small toiletries bag in my backpack would be essential.
Yes, because when I am born in poverty, all I want is new and modern. Once I move my way into the world and get ahead, I start to appreciate these things ;)
@@CalinFRc'è ai ma? Sărăcie este în Timișoara nu la Iași, cel mai urat oraș al Ro este TM, complet insipid. Toată lummea urca spre Oradea Cluj Arad, toți evita Tm. Asta cu banatul a expirat de mult. Foamea in Moldova a fost tot din cauza celor din Sud care s-au refugiat acolo și mâncau tot ce prindeau și tăiau toți copacii pana n a mai rămas nimic. Vai voi trăiati in lux hahaha.
What years are the wagons built? I wonder because in Sweden there is a night train between Stockholm and Umeå and half of the train consists of unrenovated carriages from 1964 and 1965 and the rest 1980s carriages. So I wonder which train is the oldest.
top speed of the carriage is 140km/h btw as can be seen on the side of the carriage and the rotating doors look very similar to those that were used in Germany a long time ago
Burdujeni is the original name for what is now known as Suceava station. It used to be a border crossing station between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and pre-WW1 Romania. The station on the Austro-Hungarian side of the border was called Suceava, thus the Romanian border station had to be called differently. The old Suceava station still exists today and it is known as Suceava-Nord.
Timisoara is my hometown and I can tell you that the regional rides are such fun (if you don't care about back pains and drunk people) -> so no fun. Through the place I moved now (20km apart from Timisoara) both regional rides and the IR1831 (the former IR1838 - your video probably was filmed a couple years ago while it was still running) pass, so I'm no stranger to these. There are plans and projects to modernize the infrastructure and the rolling stock, but it's gonna take a while. P.S. The only regional ride I would recommend you to do is the Timisoara Nord - Remetea Mica station (1hr ride) because of the scenery and the fact that the operator, Regio Calatori, bought a "new" diesel railbus.
@@SuperalbsTravels As far as I know, they are not. The diesel trains are called VT2E and I think they came from DB. But you'll have to time it right, because they are not running daily on that Timișoara Nord - Remetea Mică route.
Seriously, in what sense? Just because of nostalgic vibes? Have you tried the Finnish double decker sleeping-cars? Or a new generation Nightjet sleeper?
@@eedragonr In low season a ticket in an own compartment in a very modern sleeping car Helsinki-Rovaniemi (12 hours) can be had for clearly under 100€. (Just look for videos here on TH-cam that show Finnish night trains). The problem with a generalisation is that a single counter-example can disprove it.
I love this generation of carriages. Glory times of Deutsche Bahn. Crossed the country multiple times in those as a child. On the legendary Würmlipass.
![ประสบการณ์ จ้าง Developer ที่ผมจะไม่มีวันลืม [ภาค2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pZbsSDRrmXA/mqdefault.jpg)
60 years sounds really old until I realize that there are coaches still in regular service on my local commuter railroad here in the US that are 71 years old (on Metra, serving the Chicago area)
Amfleets are catching up to that too.
Sounds amazing! 😂
If this makes you feel better, replacements for those coaches that Metra uses are being constructed as we speak.
in north carolina too the piedmont stock is up there
plenty of London Underground trains are over 50 years old !
Been watching this guy for a year now...
I remember when his intro were all monotonous and robot-ish.
Time flies man
They weren't THAT bad in 2023 - the 2022 ones were pretty depressed though! 😂🤣
@@SuperalbsTravels Think you 'd be glad to be out of the house in 2022..
Yeah, only that he is now using borderline click bait thumbnails. Like this one: “Falling apart”… Didn’t hear anything like that in the video but instead he stated he slept for solid 7 hours and had one of the best night’s sleep. Looking at you @SuperalbsTravels
@@marcd6897You can literally see the tap handle and window winder falling off in the video. Maybe you should spend more time paying attention, and less time whining in the comments?
@@marcd6897 The coaches do need some love . And when they've stopped doing that, some more dilligent maintenance as well.
I travelled by train in Romania last year and had a nice experience. But there is so much unused potential in Romania. They have way to much car traffic and need to update their train infrastructure as well as implementing a regularised scheduling system with trains running every one or two hours on busy routes, especially to optimize commuting. I also saw that on the route from Brasov to Sibiu nearly every station we came across was equipped with staff and they have to give way for the train. That's a signalling technique that's incredibly inefficient. There could be so many more people riding trains in Romania.
As a romanian, I'm telling you, its easier said than done.
@@TheRealVGRwell, first it has to be said 😅
Currently the Romanian government's focus is on Highway infrastructure, so I doubt there are gonna be any major rail projects in the future.
@@Ch-xc4fo actually, there are currently plenty in development, as we speak. Including major corridors :)
And CFR is intending on cutting down more trains and staff :( . 10-14 years ago there were more trains and waggons too.
The vintage charm is undeniable.
The train is taking such a circuitous route due to (never-ending) track reconstruction and upgrade works. Normally, the train runs either via Oradea - Cluj, but that's closed for electrification and upgrading. Alternatively, it runs via Arad, but that too is partially closed and severely capacity restricted for upgrading works. Even Timisoara - Lugoj is normally worked via the electrified Recas line, but that's capacity and speed restricted for upgrading works, so the train is diverted via the very rural Buzias line, which normally only sees Desiro DMUs and those tiny ancient rural railbuses. By the way, those archaic railbuses are finally going away in a few years - if you want to experience riding in a 1930s railbus based on freight car technology, powered by a repurposed mining engine, sitting on 1970s plastic seats, going 30 km/h, now is your time!
Thanks for the hint. Am leaving for Interrail next week and Romania is one likely target. (And yes, I know that using an Interrail ticket in Romania hardly is worth it. But I will be travelling on more expensive railways, too.)
@@TangoMikeLima If you want to travel through Romania, Vagonweb and their excellent consist listings are your best friend -- standards differ widely with CFR -- some of the rolling stock is quite modern and rather really nice (21-76, 21-86, 20-83, 10-90, 70-91, 44-31 and quite a few others); other stock is ancient, in very poor shape or outright terrible for other reasons (20-49, 20-68, 22-76, 22-96, Desiros, the double-deckers...). The difference between hours of torment and a very pleasant journey may be as little as half an hour's wait - and you can't tell from the train number or anything else, but Vagonweb gives you that power. If you're planning Romania, try some less-beaten paths (with worse track!) -- the most beautiful lines are rarely used by visitors - Brasov to Deda and Suceava to Ilva Mica. Brasov to Bucharest, which most rail enthusiasts take, is beautiful, but only for the hour or so to Sinaia. And, if you're up for adventure, extremely slow speeds, and breathtaking scenery, go to Sighetu Marmatiei. It's, however, the slowest trip imaginable; it's a hundred miles or so of what can only be described as a heritage railway still somehow operated in mainline traffic despite not seeing any upgrade since about 1920. And there's a great heritage steam-driven narrow gauge railway (the Vaser valley) half way up the line.
I'd really like to try those 1930s Malaxa units. Maybe I will pay a visit to Romania in May.
5 hours on a desiro would be a nightmare
You should try travelling from Craiova to Sibiu on that.
Did this several times, not too pleasant 😅
A fucking nightmare. The seats are like shit. The toilets don't work, no curtains, the worst train in Romania.
I agree it would! 😂
@@calinmarian98 I did that once with a Desiro from Baia Mare to Timișoara. Seven and a half hours. Never again.
One of my sweetest childhood memories: Going on a family vacation in one of those carriages in the early 90s. By opening up a divider, two of those rooms could be combined to one big family room, which was pretty cool.
The general rule with trains is the older the better. In continental Europe, the best were in the late 1960s. In the UK, it was the 1930s. Even the BR Mark 1 were not entirely an improvement on the 1930s stock built by the LMS and Southern Railway.
There is still some comfortable elderly stock running in Sweden.
Well yeah, I mean look at the utter junk being built for the UK railways at the moment. 😂
@@SuperalbsTravels The FLIRT DEMUs out in Anglia look interesting . And this Revolution VLR thingy looks promising for reopening lines like the Fawley branch . But just wait 'till Northern start trumpeting it as their new Pacer replacement ...
But in general I think more people would travel longer distances in the UK if something similar to the mk1/2s with decent amenities were available for long distances. Rail companies in the east of Europe have that right at least .
9:33 That sign is really cool! Rare to see those two logos next to each other. The two companies were merged in January 1994, a little over three years after unification. Guessing that sign was put there some time in those intervening years, right before the consist was sold to CFR.
Or it was used on trains to West Berlin ?
Happy to see global trains system thru ur videos. This Romanian Train, despite being old, provides the basic necessities for a traveller. Seems very identical to south Asian trains.
Thank you, I agree! :)
What beautiful sleeper coaches. So much nicer and more comfortable looking than sterile modern ones which look and feel like something from a hospital or a supermarket toilet. I wish we still had sleeper trains like this in England. Fit for royalty, yes, but this was normal standard once
Indeed, it's why I love to travel in this part of the world so much! :)
This is my childhood! We used to take those kind of sleeper trains from Germany to Austria. Loved and still love them!
the interior very much reminds me of trains in the 1980's Czechoslovakia. Brilliant video! Thank you!
Haha, I see what you mean! :) Thanks!
Thank you for visiting Romania so many times! You're always welcome here.)
this vdo is oozing atmosphere and character ... love it!
Thank you! It was a pleasure to make too. 😁
Great video, thanks a lot! 👍😍👍
I know this older type of sleeping car very well.
They were owned by DSG (Deutsche Schlaf- und Speisewagen Gesellschaft) and later on by TEN (Trans Euro Nacht) and commonly used on DB Nighttrains originating in Germany to destinations like Rome, Vienna or Copenhagen until the earlier 1990's.
From my own experience I can tell how comfy and cozy they were. I truly loved travelling onboard these sleeping cars overnight and still like them much better over the modern new ones we have these days like on ÖBB's Nightjet.
Nice to see they are still in use elsewhere!
Again thanks for your great video, it brought back nice memories to me!
Greetings from Germany, Simone 🙋
Great to hear from you, glad you enjoyed it! If you want to relive those memories, you know where to go! :)
Yes we may see again how the Europeans (in this case) managed to make more money by lowering the quality of the features and offering less comfort for more money
I miss these.. used to travel from Bucuresti Nord to Oradea in one of these every summer. The smell, the clacking sounds... nostalgia!!
It is so cosy! 🥰
Woww, this was quite a bit ago. This train no longer operates like this in 2024. Being the biggest Romanian Rail TH-camr, with my own channel, I travel a lot and review all the active routes and trains from Romania. The train with the same number only goes from Cluj to Iasi. A train on this exact route goes all the day, with 4-5 class 2 wagons, from morning until night.
I am sad that this train doesn't operate anymore on the whole route.
None the less, thank you for posting this video, I really enjoyed it.
Oh, ce mă bucur că urmărești pe Superlabs. A pleasant surprise.
O veste tristă though, cică din 31 Martie 2024 vor scoate vagonul de dormit pe trenul de noapte Timișoara - Iași și retur. O să rămână doar cușetele. Nu știu motivul CFR Călători fiindcă încă nu mi-au răspuns.
@@CalinFR Da, I-l urmaresc. Stai putin, la care tren de Iasi - Timisoara scot vagonul de dormit? 1763 / 1765 ? Cel de noapte prin Sineria - Arad? Ca atunci o sa ma pun repede sa fac o calatorie pe vagonul de dormit.
@@CalinFR😕
@@VALTERPATRICKOFFICIAL exact, la 1765/1763. Ultima dată în care circulă vagonul de dormit (as per CFR sales) e 23 martie 2024. Apoi ia o pauză întreg trenul până în 30 martie din cauza lucrărilor între Simeria și Arad (rămâne Cluj-Iasi doar) și după această dată nu mai revine vagonul de dormit deloc, pe nici un segment.
@@CalinFR abia am mers cu el acum o săptămână. De ce mai exact scot vagonul de dormit? Eu cum mai circul civilizat dintr-un capăt într-altul al țării? 😨
10:32 Many people don't know about this, but the lever that brings the window up and down is supposed to be dismantled like that. It's because, underneath the lower bed, there are chairs for day use. Very comfortable but nobody uses them as there is extra work for the staff and they don't want that. Also, that's why the mattress developed a "ditch" in the middle along its whole length. People sit on it during the daytime (because the chairs are underneath and never used) and deform it.
Excellent narration. Just to not miss this point besides your great footage.
I've done Timisoara-Bucharest, Bucharest-Cluj and Bucharest-Chisinau.
Very impressive considering the distances and funds available. The journey to Chisinau was the best - its actually a Soviet train that has remianed unchanged since 1991, and yet it was so comfortable and authentic.
Rail travel in Romania is the way to go in my opinion
I remember those sleeper carriages from going on holiday in Austria in the mid-1970s; we used to take them from Hamburg to Salzburg or Vienna or Villach and Yes, I remember them as very comfortable.
13 minutes delay on a 16 hour journey is excelent for romanian railways standards
Exactly! 😅
Romanian standards must be much higher than Amtrak in the US.
If getting 30 minutes to an hour delay on a journey that takes 90 minutes it's high standard then amtrak should be out of business
I have very good friend in Iasi and you saved the day with this review, now it is way less stress for planned trip to see him. A very big thank you !
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the tip, glad you enjoyed the video! :)
I remember this type of train design from the 80s, when they were running in Germany. They were already old then. The new Siemens train you showed is used only for regional services in Germany.
Amazing train ride with old sleep car in Romania. The good part is: you can make videos on window. Good job! Thumbs Up
All the best from Romania
Andrew
You've got a new sub!
Pleasantly surprised with the generous presentation of our trains... Relics rather :)
Thank you very much! 😁
in 1998 I took a (day) train from Timișoara to Bucharest and it remains one of the highpoints of my train experiences.
Awesome, what was it like? :)
@@SuperalbsTravels The journey began with a homeless child that was living in the station showing me to my allocated seat. 6 people in a compartment, including a couple with a baby. Though no-one knew each other, all food (homemade) was shared. Everyone took a turn looking after the baby. Many old steam engines seen in sidings. A river that the train passed alongside had seemingly flooded recently, the water level revealed in the branches of trees that had collected plastic litter in the water. Nearing Bucharest an American lawyer who had been doing legal work on war crimes in the Croatian conflict approached, he having heard that there was another native english speaker on the train. He showed me to correct platform on the underground system, which seemed more modern than most public transit stations that I'd encountered elsewhere across Europe. The locals were kind, generous and spoke surprisingly good english.
@@blinkybagger8342aah, too bad you didn’t speak Romanian… ah…I can imagine the stories. Folks usually strike up friendships on these long journeys and exchange details…
@@LetharGPeople made some effort to converse with me through my time in Romania. As I have found elsewhere, many locals are happy to have the opportunity outside of a classroom to put to use their English language skills (even homeless children that I encountered could explain themselves adequately). Decades later I have a couple of Romanian pals that I have now known for more than a decade and the are among the more intellectually curious, thoughtful and humble people that I have met. Romania was interesting because it is European culture, accessible but so different from others that I had encountered.
When it would be so easy to be completely negative about an experience on such an aged train, thank you for being fair and making this an exciting journey. Safe travels
same carriages are still used in finland, they have been refurbished, but almost identical!
They was supposed to be taken out of use in 2016, but they are still used during busy seasons!
i love those old compartments with wood panels.
So cosy! 🥰
I MUST try this train one day!
You better be quick, they plan to replace this soon with something new.
This sleeping car will be removed entirely from this route starting March 31st 2024. Still available on other routes though like Bucharest - Vatra Dornei and Bucharest - Satu Mare among others
@@baconbreadwithbacon nope, they don't. They'll remove it entirely first. When new ones are added, one can speculate
@@CalinFRyes they want to cut out train travel so bus companies can earn more. Isolate Romania's regions even more. Fast trains are the way forward, and countries are investing heavily into rail networks. So should Romania too.
@@HadrianTAZ bine boss. Așa e cum zici 👍
We have two same regional trains in Hungary from Győr to Pécs called Helikon Interregion and from Szombathely to Pécs called Pannonia Interregion. I am looking forward to watch what is it like in Romania. 😊
Thanks for this. It brings back memories. I, frankly, think sixty is not that old. If they can fulfill their duty, then, why not.
always love your video, keep going👍
Thank you! Will do! 😍
Did this journey this summer, but in seating car with weird semi-compartments (facing seats but in 3+2 layout). I'd have been so grateful for a sleeping car berth, it was.. well, interesting trying to sleep in the middle seat on a fully booked train :D
Thanks for the video, it's always great to follow your rail adventures.
As always, Romanian trains are a strange mix of wonderful and quite bad. I took this train from Timișoara to Iaşi last month (but via Arad), in a 6 people sleeper car. It was one of my best train experiences ever ! Not because it was very comfy, even if it was not bad, but thanks to the people I met on the way, and the AMAZING scenery around Vatra Dornei.
In contrast, I had a 7 hours long "night" trip back in 2018 in one of those Desiro, from Sibiu to Timisoara (IR1811). It was by far the worst experience I ever had in a train. It was so terrible I could barely walk when i finally arrived in Timișoara Nord, and i'm not even talking about the single toilet that was broken. It was the first and last time I cheaped out on my night train ticket.
Brutal trip! 😭
The bed on this train looks more comfortable than Amtrak's current ones. The head of the bed lifts up and windows open- fantastic. The current oldest sleepers are from the 1970's, wish they kept some from the 1960's that probably had cool features too.
When I was younger I took this train on standard class and stayed up most of the night. The scenery around Vatra Dornei is breathtaking, too bad you missed it.
Been following you for a while. You have a lovely style of storytelling.
PS. Sadly, some UK train operators can only dream of just 13 mins delay over 500 miles.
Excellent review; and though I, as you, would prefer more modern coaches, this journey and carriages was delightful. Thank you. Alberto from North Central Florida, USA
There is something really great about travelling on old coaching stock. I always enjoy heritage lines in the UK.
When I was a kid we still had similar sleepers to this in Bulgaria with the wood paneling and cosy incandescent lighting. It was definitely way cosier than the current monotonous grey sleepers and I look back fondly at my rare trips on them
The cabin contains 3 beds, with the top one being folded away, it's outline is visible at 4:47 in the video :)
True, but as they only sell two beds, I decided not to mention it. :)
You can try these 1930s railcars on the lines Timisoara-Stamora Moravita (all trains), Timisoara-Buzias-Lugoj, Podu Olt-Piatra Olt-Caracal-Corabia, Craiova-Pitesti-Curtea de Arges (only some local services/mixed with Desiros and loco-hauled trains).
Those cabins take me back to taking a night train from Amsterdam to Tirol to go skiing in the 90s😅
Wow, I bet that was an experience! 😍
@@SuperalbsTravels I mean the actual skiing was the most exciting part but yes, as far as I remember the beds were comfortable enough, and in the beginning, before cutting costs, the breakfast was really good. And as a 9-13 year-old, a night train is magical regardless
10:33 I laughed so much , best part of the video ! 😂😂
It caught me by surprise, but hey, it works! 😂
Yep, that's a very nice place to spend a day. Sad there's no inflight (yeah, I know) food offering, but I wouldn't expect it, tbh, on a four coach consist.
True, the best option is to bring your own snacks.
7:05 - I say Yes! :D - try the Siemens Desiro Night Train from Baia Mare to Timisoara. Priced as InterRegio of course. I wish you a good night :))
Not the overnight one! 😭😭😭
Five hours in a 'regional train' isn't unusual for Amtrak (US). We did this a couple of months ago for Amtrak California run down the coast to San Diego from north of Los Angeles. So try out their regional train....it might be fun. Meanwhile, we've been on one of those overnight trains on the Budapest / Bucharest run. The car we were in was the same type but rather better condition. The fun bit here is crossing the national border, this happens around midnight -- you get woken up twice, once by the Hungarians, then by the Romanians.
Do they still do that? I did that journey in 2004, and the border crossing was the most film noir experience I’ve ever had; aggressive dogs and handlers stationed the length of the train, which was shunted out into an empty floodlit train yard; armed police and grim border guards; a full search of every compartment, including the roof cavities. Wouldn’t have missed it!
@@chriswalford4161 Our journey was in 2016. There was still residual activity but no dogs, searches or what-have-you. The two Hungarian border guards looked the business -- HiViz vests, all the usual police stuff from the utility belt, portable computer for the passport information. The Romanians had a little old guy with a small notebook and ballpoint pen. (BTW -- The train started out with an electric locomotive, when it split it got a diesel and then for the last leg from Brasov it was back to electric.)
Yes everybody loves drugs and other trafficking
I travelled with a CFR Couchette 2021 from Sibiu to Budapest.
An ex Deutsche Bundesbahn Bcm...
Retro MAX !
Awesome! 😂
Very interesting!👍🏼
Well made.
Keep on filming!😊
I‘ll subscribe…🍀
Thank you! 😃
Amazing review, thanks
Thanks for watching!
I hope you liked going back in time. I love going with trains in Romania.
Was really fun!
Awsome train journey volog
Thank you! :)
Oh, memories. Back in 2016 I took this night train from Cluj-Napoca to Iaşi. The sleeper carriage was different, I guess from east german railways, but it looked "more luxurious", but still very old fashion. Overall this was the best sleeping in train I've ever had.
Awesome, Romania sure has a lot of brilliant second-hand vehicles.
You should try it, how bad can it be?
Not sure I want to spend 5hr+ on a local unit! 😂
@@SuperalbsTravels Surely it would pull a lot of attention, right?
@@yugomonke1Hahaha, hopefully... 😂
Amazing video
Thank you so much! :)
@@SuperalbsTravels no worries
Great Video!
Thank you!
Great trip report
Thank you!
Great trip. Sometimes, older carriage have better ride quality than modern one, in terms of seating or bedding.
Very true! This one was amazing!
Small correction: the second carriage isn't a couchette car, it's a Halberstadt type 22-96 car with seats, divided into 3 compartments at each end with a 5 seat configuration and a semi-compartimented seats in the middle
Oh my god! It's meant to be a couchette car, I bet the passengers booked in that had a very miserable night! Thanks for the correction.
0:17 reminds me of the movie "murder on the orient express"
Hahaha, thankfully without the 'murder' bit! 😂
Very interesting. In November I'm taking a 4 day, 4600 Km trip across Canada in train cars built in 1954, a decade before I was born.
6:23 In Baden baden(Germany) the main Station is 4 Kilometres from the city centre😂
That must be really annoying!
@@SuperalbsTravels you always have to take a bus but…
Luckily I don’t live there😅
Did you Ride a German IC 1 (the older one) yet?
This distance has a good reason. The former main station was close to the town centre, but Baden Baden is located in a Black Forest Valley (off the Rhine River Valley where the trains speed along. To make a stop in Baden Baden the trains had to go in and back out again on a branch line off the main line. Very time consuming. So the station Baden-Oos along the main line was turned into the main station with frequent stops of fast trains.
At least there is no frequent cancelation of trains like in some countries. Glad you enjoy the ride!
Exactly! It will always get you there, eventually. :)
You seem to have overlooked one feature of many sleeping cars of that era, assuming that carriage still has it: a self-emptying chamber-pot in a cupboard under the washbasin that empties onto the track when you put it away after using it. I believe that many coaches that originally had that facility had it removed on refurbishment because it was deemed unhygienic, though.
I can remember when the Cornish sleeper train had that feature!
Until recently, it was unusual to have holding tanks at all in most countries, hence the typical warning labels to avoid using toilets during station stops.
If you want a good desiro adventure, try Cluj-Napoca to Tg. Mureș
Nice video ❤
Thanks 🤗
I once did 3h in one of these Siemens regional trains on the way from Craiova to Sofia and it looks like you have to do it, too. Luckily the cracks windshield and windows were held together with tape otherwise I would had tought it would be unsafe 😅
great video as always bro 💯
10:17 Are the bogies of this electric loco illuminated for the safety of passengers on platforms or to facilitate inspections by railway staff? I have never seen this before.
would be interesting if you tried one of the longer Rail-Bus routes... some of them can get rather fascinating...
As always, I really appreciate the way you are doing the rails - but I am still waiting to check east Asian tracks like that one in Thailand and in Viet Nam as well as the even the famous, but pretty run down night train from Lisbon to Madrid - check it out! //
Lisbon to Madrid doesn't run anymore... sad!
But some more Asian journeys will be coming up in the future on my channel.
@@SuperalbsTravels Oh, real sad, that was a great experience!
love this video! you should really try a regional train for 5 hours. it's going to make you appreciate every small inconvenience on trains in the west
Hahahaha, okay maybe I will... I found one that is over 6 hours!
I bet this had some heart and sould wand wasn't one of these modern sterile trips. I like it
It was absolutely amazing if I am honest!
Interesting thanks for posting. I wish BR had kept its old coaches, its MK1's were much better than anything since
looks good. I looked at this on paper and was not that enticed by it but I think Ill try it. I have done the Astro train out of Bucharest- that was pretty decent.
Astra Trans Carpatic was amazing! But this is a more authentic railway experience. Both are solid options.
7:05 please try regional train😊
Maybe I will! 🤣
You should try the Desiro trains
Maybe!
I like it how everything you touch just falls off.🤣😂
Yo, could you please do Buenos Aires - Mar del Plata (or any long distance train in Argentina) please? It'd be nice to be represented in your channel
I'd love to visit Argentina one day, but it's not currently planned.
Oh trust me, theres something much worse than the desiro. In around 2010-2013, RegioTrans or Regio Calatori (whatever you call it), which is the same operator that uses Desiros like in 7:08, also operates former RIO & RIB units from France. Some have been modernised with AC and a new cab, while others remain the same as they were bought, its pot luck really. They are also used on very, very long routes like the Desiros.
I've used them before, they're super wacky! 😂
@@SuperalbsTravels Do you know what services they run on?
I just had one from Brasov to Bucuresti.
I once spent 6:30 hours in one of those Desiros... They are awful, with their tram-like seats.
That sounds brutal! 😭
Regarding the price, in order to actually understand it, you have to multiply by 2.5 time in order to see how us Romanians perceive it (purchasing power). Great review overall!
Back in the late '00s, when I was commuting for my university studies, I've accidently got on this train in Simeria at around 1-2am in the night, when I got off my train to Cluj-Napoca to buy me a sandwich from the non-stop Simeria station shops which were on the first platform. The "Hunger'' (how this train is called) was parked right next to mine (the Craiova - Cluj-Napoca night train) on the 3rd or the 4th line, and when getting back from the station shop, with both trains having nearly identical blue wagons, I have mistakenly got on this train instead of mine. The train departed not long afterwards, and looking to get back to my compartment I wasn't finding it nowhere in the train, so I became stressed and confused. But when the ticket controller and some passengers told me that I was on the Timisoara - Iasi train and that it stops in Cluj-napoca too, I got relieved. It arrived at Cluj-Napoca 35 minutes sooner than my Craiova - Cluj-Napoca train that I have missed earlier at Simeria, and luckly I met on the platform the nice ladies that were in my compartment on the first train who told me they gave my luggage to the controller. So I went to look for him and caught him up across the street, on his way to the station's office. He was carring my luggage in his hand. I took my luggage, thanked him for taking it and took the bus to my student dorm where I peacefully slept until noon, pleased that I eventually arrived in Cluj-Napoca, with all my belongings, despite the stupid mistake I've done that night.
Amenity packs always amuse me. Unless total emergency, why wouldn't you pack your own toothbrush/paste? Having a small toiletries bag in my backpack would be essential.
I agree, it does seem rather pointless. Don't think I used any of it!
Great. Thank you!
Even Romanians think that the trains are garbage. Glad you've liked it
Thats very cool!
Yes, because when I am born in poverty, all I want is new and modern. Once I move my way into the world and get ahead, I start to appreciate these things ;)
@@CalinFRc'è ai ma? Sărăcie este în Timișoara nu la Iași, cel mai urat oraș al Ro este TM, complet insipid. Toată lummea urca spre Oradea Cluj Arad, toți evita Tm. Asta cu banatul a expirat de mult. Foamea in Moldova a fost tot din cauza celor din Sud care s-au refugiat acolo și mâncau tot ce prindeau și tăiau toți copacii pana n a mai rămas nimic. Vai voi trăiati in lux hahaha.
your mother is garbage
@@HadrianTAZDe unde ai scos istoria asta alternativa? Esti plin de muci la cur si cacat la bot.
What years are the wagons built? I wonder because in Sweden there is a night train between Stockholm and Umeå and half of the train consists of unrenovated carriages from 1964 and 1965 and the rest 1980s carriages. So I wonder which train is the oldest.
I always wonder what do you do when you reach the end of these train journeys.
And yes, Id love to see you ride on the train you don't want too 😊
Depending on my schedule, I'll take a look around the place I end up, or take another train onward! Lots of different reasons to travel. 😁
top speed of the carriage is 140km/h btw as can be seen on the side of the carriage and the rotating doors look very similar to those that were used in Germany a long time ago
Because is the same car.
@@motorzbh oh I didn't know that. Sure he didn't mention it and usually he does mention such information
I've taken the regional train from Baia Mare to Arad - over 6 hours 😅
Burdujeni is the original name for what is now known as Suceava station. It used to be a border crossing station between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and pre-WW1 Romania. The station on the Austro-Hungarian side of the border was called Suceava, thus the Romanian border station had to be called differently. The old Suceava station still exists today and it is known as Suceava-Nord.
Timisoara is my hometown and I can tell you that the regional rides are such fun (if you don't care about back pains and drunk people) -> so no fun. Through the place I moved now (20km apart from Timisoara) both regional rides and the IR1831 (the former IR1838 - your video probably was filmed a couple years ago while it was still running) pass, so I'm no stranger to these. There are plans and projects to modernize the infrastructure and the rolling stock, but it's gonna take a while.
P.S. The only regional ride I would recommend you to do is the Timisoara Nord - Remetea Mica station (1hr ride) because of the scenery and the fact that the operator, Regio Calatori, bought a "new" diesel railbus.
What are those new diesel trains like? Are they former SNCF units? :)
@@SuperalbsTravels As far as I know, they are not. The diesel trains are called VT2E and I think they came from DB. But you'll have to time it right, because they are not running daily on that Timișoara Nord - Remetea Mică route.
@@just1daniVery interesting!
To correct myself, those were used for local transport in Austria, and were produced by LHB (currently part of Alstom group)@@SuperalbsTravels
Now the train is limited from Cluj to Iași (due to some stupid reasons from CFR Palace, Bucharest)
Better built than modern stock. ❤
Seriously, in what sense? Just because of nostalgic vibes? Have you tried the Finnish double decker sleeping-cars? Or a new generation Nightjet sleeper?
@@TangoMikeLimaprice of the ticket please?
It will be replaced by one of lower quality but more expensive
@@eedragonr You clearly have made up your mind and facts won’t help. Bye.
@@eedragonr In low season a ticket in an own compartment in a very modern sleeping car Helsinki-Rovaniemi (12 hours) can be had for clearly under 100€. (Just look for videos here on TH-cam that show Finnish night trains).
The problem with a generalisation is that a single counter-example can disprove it.
Like the birds on the window sills.
I love this generation of carriages. Glory times of Deutsche Bahn.
Crossed the country multiple times in those as a child. On the legendary Würmlipass.
Bet that was amazing. They must have been in great condition back then, too! :)