Night photography fascinates me. How to get good pictures in almost complete darkness?Previous attempts with flashes were frustrating. I didn’t like the whole setup with classic batteries: they are always empty when you need them, and flashes didn’t fire a bit too often. Also, separate battery powered remotes were needed.This year I tried a new system with rechargable high-capacity batteries and efficient flash units, with … Continue reading Into the night again
Since a couple of years now, Belgian rail freight operator Lineas is building up a network of train services around Tergnier. I’ve wanted to check this out for a while, and on August 7th of 2020 I finally made it there. We left before sunrise and started the day at Couvron-et-Aumencourt, between Tergnier and Laon. Lineas, Europorte and SNCF Infra made for a good start … Continue reading First time around Tergnier
One memory of a warm day in the Tergnier region. Vegetation was freshly removed and we were lucky to be there at this moment, with an unobstructed view on tracks and fields. Continue reading Looking out over the fields
Last weekend, works between Bruges and Ghent meant rerouting of rail traffic over scenic West-Flemisch rail lines, that otherwise don’t see that many freight and intercity traffic.Add to that a sunny Saturday, and no car available. What you get is an oldschool day trip by bicycle. Packed with photogear, tripod, lunch and water; led by the circumstances to get the most out of the day. … Continue reading Oldschool day out
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
Railscapes 