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
Thoughts of the last moment are sometimes the better ones, I must admit. While packing our stuff to go home, it appeared to us that we could still make it for the TER Service to Sarreguemines. This service was one of the last ones hauled a BB67400 series diesel. We won the race against the clock; in what were really the last rays of sunshine … Continue reading Last minute
We didn’t plan for shots in this direction, but with a southbound train approaching I gave it a try. Even though I was not satisfied with the result on the camera scren, I decided to keep this one, keeping in mind the advice of a good friend to always judge your photos on the computer screen. After some post-processing I had to change my mind and … Continue reading Always judge your photos on a decent screen
I’m always conscious of local culture when we’re out on a trip. A special interest in local beer culture makes a trip all the more interesting. In the background of this photo, you can see the buildings of the Brasserie Meteor. This independant brewery is home to Meteor (pils and lager) and Wendelinus (blonde and roussa), and also creates occasional brewings. We saw many trains, … Continue reading Brasserie Meteor
The wide plains north of Strasbourg allow straight tracks and fast trains. Here we see a local train that can ride 200 km/h. I’m sure this local doesn’t stop in every small village though. Continue reading High speed lcoal
The opening of the TGV-Est, planned for december 2016, would meant the end of the Eurocity trains between Brussels and Basel. Following all logic of French railways, passengers from Brussels to Switzerland have to use the TGV and pass through Paris… We love these classic trains, allowing cheap and relatively fast travel. That’s one of the reasons we were chasing them in the Vosges on … Continue reading Along the Marne – Rhine canal
When travelling around often, you get to know your favorite places. Whenever I travel between home and Switzerland, I try to include a stop at “Boulangerie Bernard” in the center of Mommenheim. Their butter rolls are de-li-cious and more than worth the short detour! On the morning of january 29th I had no effort convincing my fellow traveller to stop over at Mommenheim. We were … Continue reading A busy breakfast
This is probably the last photo I made of these magnificent French diesel locomotives in commercial service. As the pack of clouds was getting thcker and thicker, and the sun was starting to set, I kept on going for that one final shot. On the bridge over the railway at Maison-Rouge I enjoyed for the last time the thundering sound at high speed of a … Continue reading Dark perspectives
It was getting darker and darker. The clouds had finally won the battle with the sun. Continue reading “A lost battle”
Railscapes 