On Track - a Gricer's Tales
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Picture
EMU 679 stands at the buffer stops at Geronstère on 10.11.95
Belgium 10-11 November 1995

I know about 11th November being a public holiday in Belgium now, but I failed to spot it then... This trip was a beer run really but I did some track as well.

Friday 10th November 1995

Late decision, prompted by cheap fare, to go over and use up the last day on October's Tourrail ticket. Dashed down from Telford to Dover in time for an earlier sailing than booked, allowing plenty of time to drive to Dendermonde with a couple of catnaps en route. [In rest areas of course]. Arrived at Dendermonde in adequate time to leave the car in the station car park and catch 0507 to Lier achieving (in the dark) Dendermonde to Mechelen and the south to east curve at Lint. On from Lier on the 0600 to Leuven, to connect with the legendary 0644 to Brussel Noord via everywhere. Should have changed at Aarschot, to get a window seat! Anyway daylight was upon us by the time we did the 'up' Diagem-Harenheide curve. Phew. A rapid change at Brussel Q on to 0742 Luxembourg, taken as far as Namur, in order to connect with 0850 to Huy and Liège.

Picture
Well, you can't be trackbashing all the time. The Old Inn in Spa dispenses Rochefort beers and was found open on 10.11.95...
From Liège I carried on to Verviers Central and thence to Geronstère. I walked it back to Spa station via a local GBG pub (Rochefort 8, it being an Ardennais beer) , then caught a local from Spa to Eupen which arrived in the long IC platform 2, and another one back to Verviers and Liège.

Back at Liège I set off on 1406 to Hasselt where an enforced stop allowed time for a Westmalle Tripel in a deeply boring bar which shall remain nameless, before the 1537 to Genk. A search for a possible GBG entry in Genk was successful, with a most hospitable welcome at Bij de Waerd. Returned on the 1650 to Brussel Noord, just making the 1822 to Dendermonde. By car to Aalst, then train to Brugge and back via the 2314 Gent-Denderleeuw to do the curve from line 50A to line 50. The curve the other way was out for engineering, which didn't matter as I caught a local on line 50 back to Aalst.

Saturday 11th November 1995.

Stupid [on my side, not his!] conversation with The Man at the hotel who told me it was Sunday and the shops were shut. As it was Saturday this surprised me, but he eventually managed to make me understand that 11th November is always treated as a Sunday. So it proved, but after a round trip Kortrijk-Zottegem-Gent-Kortrijk by train I was eventually able to find Delicia in Roeselare open, and return home via Calais laden with autumn supplies.

Unfortunately (for me at least) most of my memoirs for 1996 and 1997 have gone missing. Some have recently [2023] come to light though not all intact, Of those that have surfaced the next relates to an ADL steam trip in Germany in April 1996.

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  • Home
  • The Tales
    • The Tales - Index
    • How it all began
    • 1991-1999 >
      • 1991
      • 1992
      • 1993 >
        • April 1993 - Belgium & Luxembourg
        • September 1993 - Germany & Poland
        • September 1993 - Belgium
        • November 1993 - Belgium
      • 1994 >
        • January 1994 - Belgium & Netherlands
        • January 1994 - USA
        • April 1994 - Luxembourg
        • May 1994 - Belgium
        • September 1994 - Belgium
        • October 1994 - Luxembourg, Germany, France
      • 1995 >
        • March 1995 - Belgium
        • April 1995 - Poland
        • May 1995 - The Netherlands
        • August 1995 - Belgium
        • October 1995 - Belgium
        • November 1995 - Belgium
      • 1996 >
        • April 1996 - Germany
        • May 1996 - Belgium and the Netherlands
        • July-August 1996 - Belgium
        • August 1996 - Anniversary tour
        • August 1996 - Belgium
        • September 1996 - Netherlands and Belgium
      • 1997 >
        • May 1997 - Belgium
        • May 1997 - Netherlands and Germany
        • July 1997 - Belgium and Germany
        • July 1997 - Germany
        • October 1997 - France
      • 1998 >
        • January 1998 - Germany
        • February 1998 - Belgium
        • April 1998 - Belgium and Germany
        • April 1998 - Netherlands, Belgium & Germany
        • August 1998 - Germany, Poland, Czech Republic
        • December 1998 - Germany
      • 1999 >
        • January 1999 - Germany
        • February 1999 - Belgium
        • April 1999 - Germany, Czech Republic, Poland
        • June 1999 - Belgium, Germany
        • July 1999 - Germany
        • December 1999 - Germany
    • 2000-2009 >
      • 2000 >
        • February 2000 - Germany
        • March 2000 - Germany
        • April 2000 - France
        • April 2000 - Germany
        • May 2000 - Germany
        • August 2000 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • September 2000 - Belgium
        • September 2000 - Belgium and Germany
      • 2001 >
        • January 2001 - Germany
        • February 2001 - Northern Ireland
        • March 2001 - Germany
        • April 2001 - Germany
        • May 2001 - Germany, Denmark and Sweden
        • May 2001 - Netherlands and Germany
        • October 2001 - Germany
        • December 2001 - Germany
      • 2002 >
        • February 2002 - Germany
        • March 2002 - Germany
        • April 2002 - Germany
        • August 2002 - Czech Republic
        • September 2002 - Netherlands
        • October 2002 - Germany
        • November 2002 - Germany (1)
        • November 2002 - Germany (2)
      • 2003 >
        • January 2003 - Germany
        • April 2003 - France
        • May 2003 - Germany
        • June 2003 - Czech Republic and Slovakia
        • October 2003 - Czech Republic
        • December 2003 - Germany
      • 2004 >
        • March 2004 - Germany
        • April 2004 - Various countries
        • May 2004 - Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary
        • August 2004 - Germany, Switzerland, Austria
        • October 2004 - Germany
      • 2005 >
        • April 2005 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • June 2005 - Portugal
        • August 2005 - Belgium and Germany
        • October 2005 - Germany and Czech Republic
      • 2006 >
        • January 2006 - Germany
        • March 2006 - Germany
        • May 2006 - Ireland
        • July 2006 - Germany
        • August 2006 - Germany
        • September 2006 - Czech Republic and Slovakia
      • 2007 >
        • February 2007 - Czech Republic
        • May 2007 - Czech Republic
        • June 2007 - Germany and France
        • October 2007 - Czech Republic and borders
        • October-November 2007 - Czech Republic
      • 2008 >
        • April 2008 - Czech Republic
        • April 2008 - Germany
        • July 2008 - Czech Republic, Poland
        • August 2008 - Austria (1)
        • August 2008 - Austria (2)
        • December 2008 - Czech Republic
        • December 2008 - Austria
      • 2009 >
        • July 2009 - Czech Republic, Slovakia
        • August 2009 - Austria
        • September 2009 - Slovakia
        • November 2009 - Austria
    • 2010-2019 >
      • 2010 >
        • April 2010 - Germany
        • July 2010 - Germany, Belgium, Netherlands
        • July 2010 - Austria
      • 2011 >
        • April 2011 - Austria
        • June 2011 - Germany and 6 others
        • October 2011 - Germany
      • 2012 >
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        • May 2012 - Germany
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        • October 2012 - Germany
      • 2013 >
        • March 2013 - Czech Republic
        • April 2013 - Germany
        • August 2013 - Germany
      • 2014 >
        • May 2014 - Germany
        • July 2014 - Germany
      • 2015 >
        • April 2015 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • June 2015 - Slovakia, Czech Republic
      • 2016 >
        • March 2016 - Slovakia
        • April 2016 - Slovakia
        • June 2016 - Netherlands plus 5
        • November 2016 - Germany, Poland
      • 2017 >
        • March 2017 - Germany, Poland
        • July 2017 - Czech Republic and Poland
        • July 2017 - Poland and Slovakia
      • 2018 >
        • August 2018 - the best laid plans of mice and men
      • 2019 >
        • July 2019 - Interrail part 1
        • August 2019 - Interrail part 2
    • 2020-present >
      • 2022 >
        • June 2022 - Interrail
        • September 2022 - Belgium
      • 2024 >
        • June 2024 - France, Belgium, Luxembourg
  • Contact