After the SNCF infrastructure train I didn’t really know what to do next. I didn’t expect another freight train to Cambrai soon, so I was looking for something else to do. Too late I thought of the Eurocity to Paris, whic would be positioned well for the sun south of Busigny. But there was also a freight from Aalst heading south, so I gave that … Continue reading Busy behind the graveyard
Almost 2,5 hours after 60023 brought some cars for maintenance to Achiet, I captured it with some freshly maintained cars. After capturing the Lineas grain train to Tergnier, I looked for still another spot, as I expected the train from Achiet to be rather short. This new location gives a better view on the town of Feuchy, with the Roman-style Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil church towering above. Continue reading Maintained cars
I expected the train serving Achiet to return to Somain, so I drove to Feuchy to look for a spot. On the map it looked good, but in reality I had to look really good to find the position from where a minimal amount of bushes would be in front of the train. First I got an empty Lineas grain train headed for Tergnier. Continue reading Exploring Feuchy
With no long-distance trains on the way, I concentrated on finding a spot for the train serving Inveho UAB, a freight wagon maintenance facility located in Achiet. Wagons are brought in from Somain before noon. The return train with serviced wagons arrives back in Somain around noon. Continue reading Wagons for maintenance
On a beautiful Friday morning beginning of July, I drove to the north of France. Very early, because I wanted to see the morning rush of trains to the terminals in Somain, Dourges, Lille. Many trains leave these terminals southbound in the evening, their counterparts arrive north in the morning. I chose the line from Amiens to Arras. Unfortunately, northbound trains were held in the … Continue reading Quiet morning rush
We spent this year’s vacation along the coast of lake Garda, in the north of Italy. After the pizza, pasta, and good wine, it was time to spend some hours along the rail line running nearby for dessert. And which place would be more appropriate to go to than Dolcè? Dolcè is located along the freight corridor between Innsbruck and Verona. This beautiful section of … Continue reading Dessert during the Garda holiday
Almost 10 years ago, on July 4 of 2015, I stood on this exact same spot. 10 years later I tried with different material, reaching a bit higher. And offering a very different view.The Railtraxx shuttle to Linz had 266 017, aka PB12, as a leading unit. This loco used to run for Crossrail Belgium until a few months ago. It exchanged its red coat … Continue reading Higher up in the air
The past few days have been very sunny and warm. Apart from working in the garden, this is also good weather for spending some time along the tracks. Tuesday evening after work I rushed to Hoeselt. I didn’t expect much, but I found out that HSL Belgium’s 186 383 was scheduled for a train to Antwerp. After parking the car though, I saw that a … Continue reading A colorful evening
The Belgian series 27 locomotives have nearly reached the end of their lifetime. Only 18 more locomotives are running: 15 in their original livery with SNCB, 2 with Certus Rail Solutions in a nice colorful livery, and 1 truly unique locomotive with SNCB in their white-yellow livery. This makes the locomotive very popular with railfans.Last Friday, right before lighting my barbecue, I was able to … Continue reading A rare specimen
Wednesday March 19 2025 was a very sunny day, and I was glad that I was able to take a day off work. Some interesting traffic to and from the stone quarry of Quenast was announced. First of all, TUC RAIL with a train headed to Schaarbeek, hauled by two class 55 locomotives. These locomotives may have lived their last winter, as rumors go that … Continue reading Late winter diesel day
Railscapes 