Railway Construction, China

A lovely cover I received from China, featuring a set of train stamps issued in 2006.

All stamps are of the same value and represent the following respectively:
- the top left stamp is called "Raising Speed and Increasing Capacity"
- the top right stamp is called "Material Transportation"
- the bottom left stamp is called "Border Port Transportation"
- the bottom right stamp is called "Transportation in Agriculture"

the stamps' technical details are:

Date of issue: December 28, 2006
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: Photogravure

the issue also includes a souvenir sheet featuring a high-speed train, which according to some sources has been printed with a special technique which allows you, under UV lights, to see the control numbers, a map of China as well as a route map of the Chinese railway. I havent tested this in order to confirm it or deny it (need to find UV lights somewhere first), but if it is true, then that's really interesting.

Size of S/S: 127 * 76 mm
Stamp of S/S: 90 * 40 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13

Thanks a lot to Huang for sending these great stamps to me!

World Champion in Water Polo - Melbourne 2007, Croatia

Apart from tennis and Formula 1, sport related stamps and cards are not really in my scope of collecting...but when something great is received, it is worth to show it, and this cover is a perfect example for that!

Goran used this mini sheet on his letter, which portrays the Croatian water polo team, the world champions of 2007, at the tournament held in Melbourne.

The event lasted from March 19 to April 1, where Croatia had not lost a single match throughout the tournament and had beaten Hungary 9-8 in the final game.
Stipe Karadžole says "Though it may sound unfair in respect to them, but all of the sudden, just like that – quite suddenly – the words “Croatian water polo players” came upon the lips of all of us and at this moment all the adjectives modifying these four words blend into one – magnificent"

no description can demonstrate what water polo players go through in their careers; along with that, they always find themselves shadowed by the more powerful sports and spend their time in swimming pools and fitness centres. Hours, weeks, months and years of training often remain unpaid for at the competition itself. Despite all this, the Croatian water polo had never lost its status in the world framework (or better to say in European frameworks because the almost complete top can be placed within them) but the medal was like the “forbidden fruit”. Particularly the golden one. In the seventies, the water polo players stepped onto the pedestal “only” three times – always a step below the gold: it was silver at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, and silver medals at the European championships in Florence and Kranj. But now the Croatian water polo touched the shiniest pedestal and this is what makes the gold from Melbourne historic. The goalkeepers Vićan and Pavić, the players Hinić, Smodlaka, Đogaš, Vrdoljak, Barač, Burić, Bošković, Bušlje, Kunac, Joković and Marković, the selector Ratko Rudić and the other numerous strong accompanying trumps, all these are the reasons why the Croatian water polo recorded the finest moments in its history in March 2007. The whole scenario had become even more perfect on account of the rivals who were part of their battling path. For years Hungary was the first letter in the ABC of water polo, and not infrequently they were flanked by Serbia. A rough qualitative description would even divide the representative world of water polo in two parts – Hungary and Serbia had made one and all other national teams made the other half of the world. In Australia, though, Rudić’s players managed to break through among the “elevated”. They had won against Serbia in the semi-finals in a wondrous way and then, in the great finals they beat Hungary. This is a team that can be best described in such a way as to compare them to the Brazilians in football. Because Hungary has dominated the water polo since the 19th century; this sport is their national pride, but in the finals Croatia was – “the water polo Brazil”. Frano Vićan rose to the surface from the swimming pool like an octopus and it is one of the unjust matters of this championship that he was not proclaimed the best goalkeeper. The offensive players Smodlaka and Hinić dealt with the foulest business in the swimming pool, Vrdoljak dragged on as a captain in some delicate moments, Bošković showed that what he held in his hands was a canon; Đogaš routinely used his great qualities, while Marković and Joković displayed the fact that they were the future of the Croatian water polo. Referring to Rudić, it suffices to say that he has 21 medals from great competitions to his credit and that he is the coach with the greatest number of trophies of all times. This is why his strong hand, in the water polo intelligence, was priceless. Along with all the individual qualities, what has been built upon, was a top-grade defence, a rationally conceived attack and what the team sport cannot do without: the water polo players have, from the very beginning been cast one into another – the positive team spirit and belief in success have led the thirteen players toward the greatest success of the Croatian water polo in history.


Technical details:

Value (of each stamp):       5 kn

Size:                                             105 x 68 (31,24 x 35,50) mm

Paper:                                          white 102g, gummed

Perforation:                                 Comb,14

Tehnique:                                    Multicoloured Offsetprint, Foil blocking

Date of issue:                              3.5.2007

Centenary of Railway Service in Hong Kong

An absolutely stunning piece of mail!!!!

This is the official souvenir cover issued by the Hong Kong post regarding the Centenary of its Railway Service. The issue consists of 6 stamps and all can be seen on this cover.

Over the past century, along with the rapid development of Hong Kong, local railway services have expanded to cover an extensive network of destinations. The railway system has advanced in stages with the times and introduced many new trains, from the earliest steam engines to diesel locomotives of the 1950's, to the automated electric trains of today - all for the purpose of providing our community with convenient and reliable train services. On 1 October 2010, the centenary of the railway service in Hong Kong was celebrated. To mark this occasion, Hongkong post issued a set of six stamps showcasing trains from different periods to commemorate important milestones in local railway history.

$1.40 Steam Train - The first train began to steam along the track of the section within Hong Kong of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, from Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu, on 1 October 1910. The steam engines from the early days were gradually replaced by diesel locomotives from the 1950's onward until they were all retired from service in 1962. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Hong Kong railway museum.

$1.80 Diesel Train - In 1955, diesel trains opened a new page in local railway history. The first two diesel locomotives in Hong Kong, No.51 and No.52, were named Sir Alexander and Lady Maurine respectively. Locomotive Sir Alexander is now kept at the Hong Kong railway museum for public viewing. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Clock Tower of the then Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui.

$2.40 Electric Train - The 1980's saw an era of electrification in Hong Kong's railway history. The first generation of electric trains, with the driver's cab front painted yellow as shown on the stamp, was in operation from 1982 to 1999. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the old Hung Hom terminus.

$2.50 MTR Passenger Train - Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) commenced construction in 1975 and was officially opened on 1 Octobr 1979, with trains running between Shek Kip Mei and Kwun Tong. Th Metro-Cammell Train or M-TRAIN for short, depicted on the stamp is the longest-serving model used by the MTR. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the International Finance Centre situated above the MTR Hong Kong station.

$3 Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train - The Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train (Ktt) has been providing non-stop train services between Hong Kong and Guangzhou since August 1998. The Ktt is the only train service using double-decked direct passenger train. A journey between Hung Hom and Guangzhou East Station takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the MTR Hung Hom Station.

$5 Airport Express Train - Airport Express Train started operation in mid 1998, take as little as 24 minutes to complete the 35.3-kilometre journey between the Airport and Central. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Hong Kong International Airport from aerial view.

Stamp Printing Details:

- Date of issue: 28 September 2010
- Paper: Paper with security fibres
- Process: Lithography
- Stamp size: 28mm x 45mm
- Stamp Layout: Pane of 25 stamps
- Perforation: 13.6x13.25 (one elliptical perforation on each vertical)
- Design: Clement Yick
-Illustration: Roxy Lau


Thanks a lot to Edward for this one!

125 Years of the Orient Express, Serbia

A fantastic FDC issued by Serbia on 09.06.2008!!!!

Ive already posted about the Orient Express joint issue between Austria and Romania....but this is what the story behind the Serbian FDC is.

The Orient Express, luxury passenger train which connected West with East Europe, ran for the first time on October 4th in 1883. Its creator, Georges Nagelmackers introduced, on European railways, first luxury sleeping cars and restaurant cars. That was the time when political and economic relations, progressing trade and the beginning of modern tourism resulted in the big augmentation of the number of passengers. However, in those days, long trips by land were very strenuous and unpleasant. That is the reason why trains belonging to Nagelmackers CIWLT company (Compagnie internationale des Wagons - Lits et du Tourisme) achieved very fast a great success and set up new standards for travelling through Europe.
After several long routes, Nagelmackers decided to introduce a luxury train which connected Paris with Vienna, and by them also London and Berlin with countries in the Balkans and the capital of Turkey, Istanbul. Since the railway road through Serbia and Bulgaria was not yet finished, the first Orient Express communicated from Paris to Bucharest where passengers were ferried across the Danube and the Black Sea. This train, still called in those days the "Lightning train", passed through Serbia for the first time on November the first in 1885, reaching Niš which was its terminus. In 1888, when the railway to Sofia was finally finished, the train which, in the meantime, got a new name the "Orient Express", began to run on its direct route to Istanbul. After World War I, actual political relations brought up changes of this train's route. France and England wanted a faster connection with the Balkans and Turkey, so this train shortened its route through the Simplon Tunnel and was named the Simplon Orient Express. This period represents the culmination in the development of this train.
World War II and the political changes that followed significantly influenced the famous train. Damaged tracks and problems on boarders in relation with the Iron Curtain made the journey on the Orient Express problematic. Very soon, airplanes occupied the free space and took over the passengers. The most luxurious European train became an ordinary express train. in 1977, as a pale shadow of the legendary train, the famous Orient Express was withdrawn completely with the last Paris-Istanbul service.
Connecting for decades, on the most luxurious way two worlds, the Orient Express became the symbol of a lifestyle By using it, rulers, politician, rich men, artists, adventurers and spies have magnified its fame.
Immortalized in several literary works and films, the Orient Express is also well known to the younger generation.
For Serbia and other countries in the Balkans, the greatest significance of Orient Express was the highest quality connection to the most developed parts of Europe.

some technical details regarding the two stamps on the FDC:

 Width:          35.0 mm
Height:           29.0 mm
Denomination: 20 CSD/50 CSD
Layout/Format sheet of 8
Perforations:    13.25 by 13.25

The Cyprus Railway, Cyprus

Dear Silvan had prepared yet another great surprise for my mailbox, sending me these two fantastic FDC's!

And what sort of goes into my favour is that the Cyprus post issued two stamps instead one as planned (you can see them both on the on the FDC above. While the FDC below comes with a mini-sheet.

They were issued on 4th June 2010, and they portray a narrow gauge railway, that originally ran from Nicosia to Famagusta and was eventually extended to Kalo Chorio and Morphou, 1905-1951.

The technical characteristics of the stamps are:

Width 38.0 mm
Height 30.0 mm
Denomination 0.43 €
Layout/Format sheet of 8
Perforations 13 by 13

while the mini-sheet stamp has the following characteristics:

Width 38.0 mm
Height 30.0 mm
Denomination 0.85 €
Layout/Format miniature sheet of 1
Perforations 13 by 13

thanks to Silvan AGAIN for being such a kind visitor of my mailbox! :D

150th Anniversary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Great Britain

Recently I got this fantastic surprise in my mailbox from Laura. She saw this and reminded her of me and thought I may like to have it! This is one of the times when I think that a simple 'thank you' aint good enough but i just dont know which are the right words to show my appreciation for the thoughtfulness. Do you also get stuck with words like I do?

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first regular passenger-carrying railway, opened on 15 December 1830. Many distinguished guests, including the Duke of Wellington, then Prime Minister, attended the occasion. The day was marred when the member for Liverpool, Mr. William Huskisson was struck by the Rocket and died that evening.
Many prints and lithographs recorded the appearance of the Railway and its surroundings both during construction and after completion. These have provided the inspirations for the stamp designs, which show a train running through a landscape, which includes five familiar features of the Liverpool-Manchester route.

From left to right, the first stamp shows the Rocket in its most original form and livery. Probably by the time the line had opened, the Rocket had been modified but the original form is more familiar. The background shows the Moorish Arch, just short of the tunnel into Liverpool.

The second stamp shows first and second-class carriages. The setting is the deep Olive Mount Cutting, a few miles up the line.

The third stamp shows an open third-class coach and a two-storey cattle truck full of sheep. These would not normally have been found together in the same train, but serve to emphasize the crudity of the arrangements provided for the poorer passengers. The landscape behind is Chat Moss.

The fourth stamp shows the first-ever rail-drive: an open coach carried on a truck and its owner's horse box. The background shows a cottage near the bridge over the Bridgewater Canal.

The fifth stamp shows a truck-load of merchandise covered by a tarpaulin and a red Post Office Mail van with its guard bringing up the rear of the train. The overcast industrial Manchester background highlights the commercial importance of the Railway.

The mixture of goods traffic is, of course, symbolic of the railway's scope rather than strictly accurate. Actual trains were either passenger or freight.

The five se-tenant stamps, issued on 12 March 1980, were designed by David Gentleman and printed in photogravure on unwatermarked, coated, phosphor treated paper by Harrison & Sons (High Wycombe) Ltd.
Format: Horizontal size 41x30 mm
Perforations: 15x14
number per sheet:100

The FDC was designed by David Gentleman
 
Laura, thank you again so much!! Thank you thank you thank you! This feels like such a precious item to own!

Lighthouses, Croatia

Sorry I havent posted ANYTHING here for over a month...true that in general I havent had much time for my blogs, but also gathering all the right information for this one in particular requires more time and patience, so I guess thats why I dont post here as often as on my postcard blog...but I promise from now on ill try to organize my time better and divided more fairly :)

Well, you know that my very soft spot goes to trains...but lighthouses are the closest behind them...and I cant possibly ignore this fantastic Lighthouse FDC coming from Croatia!

The FDC bears the three lighthouse stamps issued for this occasion...all bear the value of 3,10kn, where the first stamp shows the Vir lighthouse, the second one shows the Veli rat lighthouse, and the last one, the Tajer lighthouse.
Technical details about the stamps

Size: 29,82 x 48,28 mm
Paper: white 102g, gummed
Perforation: Comb,14
Tehnique: Multicoloured Offsetprint
Date of issue: 7.9.2010
Quantity: 100000

And some details about each of the lighthouses:

Vir
The lighthouse Vir is situated 40 km away from Zadar, to the north-west, and 20 km away from the historic town Nin. The nearest village is Križine, at a distance of two kilometres. Navigating from Zadar, parallel to the south coast of the island Vir, this lighthouse is easily spotted in the central part on the south-western coast, between the Cape of Pedink and the western Cape of Vrulje. The lighthouse Vir gives a recognisable character to the south capes of the island and marks the navigating direction to yachtsmen at night time. Built in 1881 at the north entrance to Zadar Channel, also today it sheds the light that can be seen from ten nautical miles away. The location of the lighthouse had been chosen by the Austro-Hungarian Office for Safe Navigation with the aim to mark for the night navigation the way to Zadar harbour, since the sea bottom in the wider aquatorium of the lighthouse slowly rises toward dangerous, shallow waters. The lighthouse building is a vast one-storey building. In the ground floor there used to be rooms for the lighthouse man while the dormitories and the apartment for his family were in the first floor. The facade is dominated by 11 meters high stone tower. Today, there is a deadly silence in the old building. Next to the lighthouse building there is a storeroom which once served as fuel storage and later as machinery room. The old water reservoir is also preserved. There is a legend about Vir and the hidden treasure from which only rare florins have been found to date. Today, the lighthouse is closed; its crew had been withdrawn after the automation of the lighthouse.

Veli rat
The lighthouse Veli rat is 20 nautical miles air distance away from Zadar, to the north-west. Its strong light can not be seen in Zadar Channel since it is covered by islands that build a barrier in the aquatorium between Zadar and Dugi otok (Long Island), on which north-western cape the lighthouse stands. Not far away from the lighthouse there are settlements Veli Rat, Verunić and Polje. North from the lighthouse there is Pantera Bay to which the light of Veli Rat is a safe guidance for navigators sailing through this aquatorium. The Austro-Hungarian Office for Safe Navigation was carefully preparing technical documentation for the lighthouse tower of Veli rat. The south-western part of the Long Island (Dugi otok) is flat in configuration and the navigating route through this aquatorium is marked by a number of shallows in the south-western, western and north-western part. The light of the lighthouse is the guidance in the night to the mentioned Pantera Bay and the harbour Solišćica, the only shelter in this part of the island. The lighthouse was finished in 1849. The light beam of the power of 2000 watt at the 40 metres high top of the tower is visible from the distance of 20 miles. Interesting to mention is the fact that while building the tower more than 10,000 hen eggs had been added into the concrete mixture. The purpose of adding eggs was to provide higher consistence and better resistance to sea salt. Because of this peculiar additive the colour of the tower is specific and the tower is different from all other towers in the Adriatic. Even today, 160 years later, the surface texture of the concrete tower of Veli rat is in excellent condition. The interior of the lighthouse building has been completely renewed. There lives the lighthouse man with his family while the unoccupied rooms have been adapted according to tourist valorisation. The lookout – a platform at the top of the tower – can be reached over 176 stairs. From above one can enjoy a unique panorama of the nearby islands Molat, Ist, Sestrunj and Rava. South-east and south of the lighthouse there rests endless open sea and to the north, in the haze, the panorama is closed by the peaks of the mountain Velebit. After finishing the building of the lighthouse and making it functional, in the north part of its stone paved court, a small chapel was erected - the sanctuary of St. Nicholas, the patron of sailors. Veli rat is considered to be among the most beautiful lighthouses in the whole Mediterranean

Tajer
The lighthouse Tajer was built on the bigger of the Two Sisters Islands situated in the vicinity of Grpašćak cliffs. From the 15 miles distant Zadar the lighthouse can be reached through the labyrinth of islands, islets and rocks. The last barrier to reach it is a narrow straight Small Proversa, north of the Tajer Sisters. Already at this point the unusual, metal, red-white tower of the lighthouse Tajer can be noticed. When navigating from the other direction and passing by the cliffs of the Nature Park Telašćica at night, the light of Tajer is awaited as the announcement of the nearby shelter situated in a deep and safe bay. Tajer and the Tajer Sisters border in the north and east on the Koranti National Park, but belong to the Nature Park Telašćica. The lighthouse was built in 1876 on the Big Sister (Sestrica vela). The huge stone building dominates a small island valley, where at the time when the lighthouse was built a dense pine-tree wood had been removed and turned into a clear land. In comparison to other Adriatic lighthouses, the building is connected to the protruding metal tower by peculiar stone bridge on high arches. The building is a vast one-storey construction with the attic of a total area of about 500 square metres.  The steel tower is 47 meters high. Recognisable red and white stripes of the Tajer tower have not been changed for decades, which is the reason why the lighthouse has become the tourist symbol of the surrounding archipelago. The turning light signal is today automated and the energy is provided by solar panels and converters. A strategic position and the density of the nautical traffic in the area in high tourist season are the reasons why also today there is crew at the lighthouse, though it is fully automated and remotely controlled. On the Tajer Sisters there is also a small meteorological station, regularly collecting data which the lighthouse men check and forward by a radio station to the national Meteorological and Hydrological Service. The stone waterfront was also built by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The lighthouse is surrounded by vast stony terraces offering an excellent view to Dinara mountains. To the west, there are the cliffs of Telašćica while the south horizon is the desert open sea. The dense pine-wood covering the greater part of the Big Sister Island is also an ornithological reserve. .