In November ’99, there were no signs yet of the big changes that the Belgian rail freight scene would undergo during the next 5 to 10 years. There’s no sign yet of any private operators, nor any modern traction. Crossrail would only start running 4 years later, and the 77 series diesel locos were still in an early stage of testing & delivery.We see SNCB … Continue reading Steel from the past
Our yearly family holiday was in the north of Istria, where we could enjoy sun and sea, and visit towns like Poreč and Rovinj. We were also located rather close to Koper, and this led me to spend 1 full day on the Koper ramp between Koper and Črnotiče. I kicked off the day right after sunrise in Dekani. Here I met fellow holidaymaker Björn, … Continue reading Holiday between Koper and Črnotiče
Last Saturday, we got some spectacular weather conditions in Flanders. Huge rainclouds, alternated by blue sky. Much possibilities for the light to be not that great, so I had to hope for good timing. Fortunately, there was more freight traffic than usual near my home town due to detours, increasing my chances. The first photo I made was bang on. I had to hold on … Continue reading The sunny escape
Winter 2023-2024 wasn’t one of the best. Understatement. It seems that this second half of March is finally getting a bit better. Therefore a small selection of recent dark photos, to prepare for the times when we get homesick for those short dark days. You’re welcome. Continue reading Are the dark days over?
Last year’s summer vacation was spent partly in the utmost south of France, in the canton of la Côte Vermeille. It was a family holiday so I didn’t spend too much time chasing trains, however on 2 mornings I got myself out of bed early enough to catch some interesting traffic. The region is splendid in many ways, so I consider this as only a … Continue reading Merveilles à la Côte Vermeille
Day 2 in Bulgaria. I can’t remember how we prepared for this trip, and maybe that’s the reason why we didn’t get to see so much. We started to check out action in Pirdop, destination of a copper train running from Olen, Belgium. We didn’t get to see the train, but saw a lot of parked imported locomotives. Old British Rail power was resting next … Continue reading Bludmilla!
A very interesting train to photograph, is rush hour train 8001 from Schaarbeek to Oostende. Here it’s seen near Oordegem, under a brick bridge still standing strong. But for how long? Continue reading Vintage loco and dito bridge
Today the part of Belgium where I live saw some snow. That’s a rather rare thing, so after work I went out to shoot an evening rush hour train. Hoping for a vintage 21 series, but this new 18 series loco also worked well. 20 minutes delay was all that I needed to get it at the blue hour. The platforms of the station will … Continue reading Snowy opportunity
In may 2018, with 3 friends we managed to get a week off duty in order to undertake a trip to Bulgaria. Purpose of the trip: discover what Bulgaria’s railway scene has to offer. Immediately after getting off the plane we headed to Septemvri for an afternoon on the Rhodopen railway, which connects Septemvri to Dobrinishte. It serves for tourism, but is also an essential … Continue reading Rhodopen railway
On the to-do list before the end of the year were the evening southbound trains originating from the Hauts-de-France region. It was a very special evening. Upon arrival it was still raining quite hard, and I had to wait some time in the car before being able to go out without getting soaked. During the set-up for the photos, lightning bolts were still shooting around … Continue reading Not so silent night
Railscapes 