3 photos, 3 regions, 1 day. I started the day in Drongen on the 4-track section of line 50A from Ghent to Bruges. The second freight train that came through was the Railtraxx containershuttle from Oradea to Zeebruges. Second destination: Idergem, between Geraardbergen and Denderleeuw, where I could catch a 1344 with a train connecting Longeau to Aalst.Third destination: Berneau, for a few trains in … Continue reading Cargo from west to east
At the time this photo was made, diesel traction between Liège and Luxemburg had ended only a few months ago. As such it become more usual to see blue 55’s on freight trains, as proven by this example. With a heavy coal train to Germany, sisters 5502 and 5519 are singing loud to pull it up the hill.During the summer of 2000, I started going … Continue reading Yellow and blue oldie
Some history combined in one picture: the historic town of San Gimignano is seen in the far background of the picture, while one of the oldest diesel engines from Trenitalia is pulling a train towards Siena.More pictures of this diesel trip can be found on a dedicated page. Continue reading San Gimignano
Summer 2020 was a strange one. We had booked our vacation a few months before, when things were still called normal. Situation stabilised right on time, and we were lucky to be able to enjoy our yearly holiday in Italy. In Tuscany, the trains between Firenze and Siena are still run with the last survivors of the D.445 series diesel locomotives. A visit to the … Continue reading Dinosaur hunt
This is the last photo I made of a B-Logistics train. 10 days later, the company was rebranded to Lineas. It was all about the name then: we had to wait a few more days before the first Lineas styled locomotives would exit the workshop.On a nice April evening, we see 1329 with mixed freight train 41898 on the way to Antwerp. It left Somain … Continue reading The end and a new beginning
Another shot of the same train as one week earlier, with a different consist. On April 11th 2017, almost exactly 3 years ago, an SNCF TRAXX locomotive was seen transporting coal wagons towards France. Continue reading Same but different
As shadows were getting longer, a distant noise announced the train I came here for. The rush hour train with a 21 series locomotive was nice, and a freight train would only make it better. The then regular SNCF train towards France was about right on time and marked the moment to head home after a succesfull photo-evening. Continue reading Tubes for France
What is now a classic view may be over sooner than later. The 21 series locomotives are being phased out, just like the M4 coaches. They are now primarily used on rush hour trains, just like the 22 series locomotives with their M2 coaches a couple of years ago. They may seem unintersting now, but we’ll look at the pictures with nostalgic feelings once the … Continue reading Nostalgia to come
During the commute home, I had noticed a couple of times a train pulled by an SNCF TRAXX in the early evening. With the days getting longer, a few photo opportunities presented.We see a coal train coming from the direction of Gent, towards France. The rail line is starting a big S-curve here, that will end up in Gent-Sint-Pieters station. A really long time ago, … Continue reading Coal, and some history
Railscapes 