Strekov castle is a famous landmark in the Elbe river valley, dating from 1316. It is one of railay photographers’ favorite subjects in Usti Nad Labem. I had to go check it out of course, and in the course of an hour or so got quite a few cargo trains. Continue reading Strekov castle
After a refreshing night in Usti Nad Labem, in a hotel probably dating from the communist era, I checked out the immediate surroundings of the city’s main station. I didn’t have to wait a long time to see a cargo train cross the river. It is hauled by a Skoda 57E2 locomotive, dating from 1971, in the color scheme of Czech Railways’ cargo division. Vetruse … Continue reading Coal over the water
The Elbe also has a Czech name: Labem. On this photo, the train is running along the Labem river. Yes, I have finally arrived in the Czech republic. South of Decin, there are railway lines on both sides of the river. I had no idea where to see the trains, but I guessed cargo traffic woud run on the right bank of the river when … Continue reading Labem’s right bank
One recommendation when visiting the Elbe valley: try to avoid using a car. Roads that aren’t accessible and few parking spots give the car driver a hard time. And spots like this one are easily missed. It has been on my wishlist for a while, and I knew approximately where I needed to be… but had some difficulty locating it exactly. WIth a bicycle I … Continue reading Wish I had a bicycle
Siemens electrics have in the meanwhile taken over the traction of the Eurocity trains between Germany and the Czech republic – in september 2016 they were still all hauled by Skoda’s. These trains were part of the reason to go to the Czech Republic, apart from the fun of travelling to places I haven’t been to before. Continue reading Skoda rules
In the second half of september 2016 I had a week off work that I used for a trip to some – for me – unknown territory: the Czech and Slovak republics. Day 1 of the trip was the day to cover most of the distance: destination Dresden. I would use the following days to follow the Elbe river to Usti Nad Labem, and then … Continue reading Pilgrimage to eastern Europe
Above the town of Kaub rises burg Gutenfels, the 3rd castle I would photograph today. It was also used together with a tower in the river for toll purposes. Being the captain of a boat back in the days must have been fun: stopping in every town to pay toll. Sounds a bit like the French highway system 😉 Sun wasn’t cooperating, but this blue … Continue reading Burg Gutenfels
This is the last spot of the afternoon already: freight train traffic was scarce. A northbound intermodal train runs through the town of Braubach. “through” has to be taken literally here: it passes right in front of the houses. Considering this is one of the busiest freight lines in Germany, you can understand why inhabitants of the villages are complaining about noise. Let’s hope authorities … Continue reading A railfan’s dream house
An afternoon shooting trains along the Rhine river with my good friend Eurorailer started in Boppard. We mainly saw intercity trains, no freight. The sun was there fortunately, bathing the winefields in a warm glow and preparing the grapes for wineyear 2016. Continue reading Where the wine is growing
In our search of sunlight and snow, we ended back up on the north side of the Gotthard pass. The viaduct at Amsteg would get some of the latest winter light. It is located high above the small town. When the train exits a tunnel it enters the bridge immediately. Check out this alternative view: it shows it more clearly, from the other side. For … Continue reading High up there
Railscapes 