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
On a beautiful sunny Sunday a passenger train heads south, linking Liège to Luxembourg via the magnificent valley of the Amblève river. The cows remain highly uninterested, the green grass must be way too good – and the last they will get for a couple of months. Continue reading Grass is green, trees are orange
This is the shot I wanted to make in Slovakia. It all was perfect, until… As happens so often, the sun disappeared behind the clouds right when the train is there. It was a matter of seconds before it would be back, but of course the train wouldn’t wait. 6 disappointed photographers… however, I am glad I made the photo. I’ll have to return another … Continue reading A reason to come, and to return
I continued following the line from Usti nad Labem Strekov to Lysa nad Labem. It was a nice road to follow, but photo opportunities were scarce. In Libochovany I found a spot to park the car though, and the view turned out to be quite interesting. The town on the top left of the photo is Dubice, and is located on the other side of … Continue reading Looking out over the valley
Between Needles and Kingman, both Interstate 40 and the BNSF transcontinental line run south and east of the Black Mountains. This mountain range stretches from Lake Mead in the North until the point that is shown here, at a place called Haviland, where a westbound container train runs along the southern part of the range. This zone is also called the Black Mesa. In the … Continue reading Black Mesa
The Dead Mountains provide a view over the Sacramanto Wash, and the wooden trestle over it. The river bed is completely dried up at this time of the year. The roads are treacherous here. That is, if you make a U-turn and get off the asphalt in the sand. We got stuck indeed. Fortunately, a friendly man, who happened to have a chain in his … Continue reading Lots of sand
The Needles Subdivision north of Needles was unknwon terrain to us. We had driven through the region twice, but never really explored it. Time to bring some change. Landscape-wise, it is a desert. The railroad line is surrounded by hills, allowing for good views. Here we see the Sacramento Mountains in the background, and a container train heading west in nothing but dry desert. The … Continue reading Desert view
We met the next train in Klondike, in front of a backdrop formed by the Bullion Mountains. The 3 engines are working hard pulling their load through the curves and up the hill. As is mostly the case, you need luck with train traffic. Despite the great weather and the beautiful locations, we didn’t get to see any more trains. When the sun was gone, … Continue reading Bullion Mountains
In Ludlow, we started following the National Old Trails Road, aka Route 66. Following this legendary road leads the slow traveller past long forgotten restaurants, motels and gas stations. It follows BNSF’s transcontinental railroad, or at least the parts of it that we explored in California and Arizona. This makes route 66 a must-see for every railfan. Along the road you discover great places, and … Continue reading National Old Trails Road
A westbound doublestacker runs through Ludlow, now populated by creosote bush instead of people. The remains of the town can be seen in the center of the image. The interstate highway, main reason of the town’s disappearing, can be seen on the left. Of course, trains don’t need to make intermediate water stops anymore. Technological advance made this town obsolete. Continue reading In the wide open desert
Railscapes 