This section contains photos taken recently with some comments, a blog. These pictures also appear in their respective categories if there is an album yet.
Use the "Map This" button at the top right to see a map with the photo locations pointed out on it.
If you need help in finding places, or if you are visiting the area and would like some more input on places to go, drop me a line at pix [at] mtnsub [dot] org. (you know what to do with the 'at' and 'dot' thingies...)
Use the "Map This" button at the top right to see a map with the photo locations pointed out on it.
If you need help in finding places, or if you are visiting the area and would like some more input on places to go, drop me a line at pix [at] mtnsub [dot] org. (you know what to do with the 'at' and 'dot' thingies...)
1-Dec-2009
The dark winter months are a bit of a challenge for photography. Once you look past the "sun over your shoulder" paradigm, though, I think the subdued light and moody colors actually offer a lot to the enterprising photographer.
Here's Traxx 2822 with a chemical train bound for Antwerp from Germany. The move has crossed over onto the normal (left) running track at Block 16 in the background and skirts Montzen yard westbound as it continues its journey. Much of the cross-border chemical traffic moves in tank cars, but some also travels in containers as evidenced by the mixed consist seen here.
2822 with chemical train 41548 Ludwigshafen/D - Antwerp-BASF) passing Block 16 in Montzen westbound.
The dark winter months are a bit of a challenge for photography. Once you look past the "sun over your shoulder" paradigm, though, I think the subdued light and moody colors actually offer a lot to the enterprising photographer.
Here's Traxx 2822 with a chemical train bound for Antwerp from Germany. The move has crossed over onto the normal (left) running track at Block 16 in the background and skirts Montzen yard westbound as it continues its journey. Much of the cross-border chemical traffic moves in tank cars, but some also travels in containers as evidenced by the mixed consist seen here.
2822 with chemical train 41548 Ludwigshafen/D - Antwerp-BASF) passing Block 16 in Montzen westbound.
21-Nov-2009
Montzen yard continues to see some activity 11 months after B-Cargo pulled out. The private guys still make use of track capacity to store trains, as evidenced here by Trainsport (Rurtalbahn) with a Ford train with their blue G2000 V203 for power.
TSP seems to always have a few engines around, their class 66 and another G2000 with a sugar train were present as well. They usually congregate around tower 15 in the middle of the complex, while DLC parks their 66s near their "gas station" on the south side near the customs shed.
Rurtalbahn/Trainsport G2000 V203 with Ford autotrain in Montzen.
Montzen yard continues to see some activity 11 months after B-Cargo pulled out. The private guys still make use of track capacity to store trains, as evidenced here by Trainsport (Rurtalbahn) with a Ford train with their blue G2000 V203 for power.
TSP seems to always have a few engines around, their class 66 and another G2000 with a sugar train were present as well. They usually congregate around tower 15 in the middle of the complex, while DLC parks their 66s near their "gas station" on the south side near the customs shed.
Rurtalbahn/Trainsport G2000 V203 with Ford autotrain in Montzen.
15-Nov-2009
Just returned from a gorgeous week of railfanning in absolutely abysmal November weather along the Settle & Carlisle railway in Yorkshire and in the Peak District of Derbyshire.
November rain and darkness - challenging; insipring; different. The pictures are now available in two galleries in the Great Britain section.
Garsdale in the blue hour - station and signal box, looking north.
Just returned from a gorgeous week of railfanning in absolutely abysmal November weather along the Settle & Carlisle railway in Yorkshire and in the Peak District of Derbyshire.
November rain and darkness - challenging; insipring; different. The pictures are now available in two galleries in the Great Britain section.
Garsdale in the blue hour - station and signal box, looking north.
29-Oct-2009
I was required to take a short trip to the British Midlands at the end of October. A few trackside hours could be woven into the schedule. Pictures have been uploaded to the Worcester & Warwickshire gallery in the UK section.
Interestingly, this trip came almost exactly one year after my first trip to the UK, also the weekend after change to winter time. Amazing how the months fly past...
Anyway, here is a teaser with my favorite train of the week, the soon-to-be-rerouted 6Z48 in charge of Colas' finest at Leamington Spa. It had to stop to let a Crosscountry Voyager in from the Coventry branch to the right, then throttled up and ran through the station on the through track.
Colas Rail 47812 alias D1916 with the 6Z48 (Burton-upon-Trent to Dollands Moor empty steel) accelerates into Leamington Spa.
I was required to take a short trip to the British Midlands at the end of October. A few trackside hours could be woven into the schedule. Pictures have been uploaded to the Worcester & Warwickshire gallery in the UK section.
Interestingly, this trip came almost exactly one year after my first trip to the UK, also the weekend after change to winter time. Amazing how the months fly past...
Anyway, here is a teaser with my favorite train of the week, the soon-to-be-rerouted 6Z48 in charge of Colas' finest at Leamington Spa. It had to stop to let a Crosscountry Voyager in from the Coventry branch to the right, then throttled up and ran through the station on the through track.
Colas Rail 47812 alias D1916 with the 6Z48 (Burton-upon-Trent to Dollands Moor empty steel) accelerates into Leamington Spa.
20-Oct-2009
A recent road trip allowed for a short stopover/food break in southern Hamburg. A strategically located KFC next to the main freight artery into and out of the port cannot be a bad combination.
Within a few minutes this Eurorunner - EVB 42011 - appeared with a container train in tow. Weekdays will net many photos in a short time as the railroads continue to carry a lot of freight, economic problems or not.
EVB 42011 with container train eastbound in Hamburg-Hausbruch.
A recent road trip allowed for a short stopover/food break in southern Hamburg. A strategically located KFC next to the main freight artery into and out of the port cannot be a bad combination.
Within a few minutes this Eurorunner - EVB 42011 - appeared with a container train in tow. Weekdays will net many photos in a short time as the railroads continue to carry a lot of freight, economic problems or not.
EVB 42011 with container train eastbound in Hamburg-Hausbruch.
17-Oct-2009
An unusual guest visited Montzen yard this weekend. It is 1812, one of the new class 18s being delivered to SNCB by Siemens (not to be confused with the vintage class 18 multisystem Co-Co engines). Here is a closer view of the engine.
Here it is parked next to the still impressive tower 15. To the left sit two Rurtalbahn Vossloh G2000s, and behind them their class 66. The line of derelict cars is owned by a private collector.
As if all that weren't colorful enough, dual rainbows announce an approaching rain shower.
An unusual guest visited Montzen yard this weekend. It is 1812, one of the new class 18s being delivered to SNCB by Siemens (not to be confused with the vintage class 18 multisystem Co-Co engines). Here is a closer view of the engine.
Here it is parked next to the still impressive tower 15. To the left sit two Rurtalbahn Vossloh G2000s, and behind them their class 66. The line of derelict cars is owned by a private collector.
As if all that weren't colorful enough, dual rainbows announce an approaching rain shower.
14-Oct-2009
Hot air ballons are a popular means of sightseeing in this area. Here two lift off from Trois Bornes ('three frontiers' in French) into the evening breeze as an empty limestone train returns from the Ruhr area in Germany for another load of the white stuff from the Maas valley.
These trains are a good indicator of the economy as measured by the output of the steel mills. At the height of the economic crisis of 2008/2009, they would run maybe once a week with 6-8 cars. Now they are back to their normal thrice-weekly schedule and generally are between 10 and 18 cars long.
By the time the photo was taken temps were almost at the freezing point. We hit -6 C that night - quite unusual for October.
Limestone empties 48566 (Oberhausen/D - Hermalle s/Huy) crossing the viaduc de Moresnet.
Hot air ballons are a popular means of sightseeing in this area. Here two lift off from Trois Bornes ('three frontiers' in French) into the evening breeze as an empty limestone train returns from the Ruhr area in Germany for another load of the white stuff from the Maas valley.
These trains are a good indicator of the economy as measured by the output of the steel mills. At the height of the economic crisis of 2008/2009, they would run maybe once a week with 6-8 cars. Now they are back to their normal thrice-weekly schedule and generally are between 10 and 18 cars long.
By the time the photo was taken temps were almost at the freezing point. We hit -6 C that night - quite unusual for October.
Limestone empties 48566 (Oberhausen/D - Hermalle s/Huy) crossing the viaduc de Moresnet.
13-Oct-2009
Fall is coming fast to eastern Belgium. The first of the "production" class 28s emerges from the deep shadows as she brings her train underneath the new bridge at Nouvelaar en route to Zeebrugge.
Photo time is getting shorter every day as we head towards winter. There won't be many more after-work outings with the changeover to winter time in two weeks.
2804 leading the 40216 (Desio - Zeebrugge-Vorhaven) in Nouvelaar.
Fall is coming fast to eastern Belgium. The first of the "production" class 28s emerges from the deep shadows as she brings her train underneath the new bridge at Nouvelaar en route to Zeebrugge.
Photo time is getting shorter every day as we head towards winter. There won't be many more after-work outings with the changeover to winter time in two weeks.
2804 leading the 40216 (Desio - Zeebrugge-Vorhaven) in Nouvelaar.
12-Sep-2009
This week we spent a few days on a short vacation down on the delightful Mosel river. Besides some wine sampling and some cycling in the beautiful early autumn weather, lucky timing on a break resulted in the only railroad-related photo of the trip.
DB class 181s are the usual power for the Intercity trains between Koblenz and Luxembourg/L. Such is the case here as a westbound passes St. Aldegund on the south shore of the river. Within 2 minutes it will reach Bullay.
The colors are already starting to turn, but so far only the chestnuts and a few other deciduous species have shod their greens. The vineyards themselves still have over a month to go before they will start to wear their blazing yellows. I plan to return for some foam in late October...
This week we spent a few days on a short vacation down on the delightful Mosel river. Besides some wine sampling and some cycling in the beautiful early autumn weather, lucky timing on a break resulted in the only railroad-related photo of the trip.
DB class 181s are the usual power for the Intercity trains between Koblenz and Luxembourg/L. Such is the case here as a westbound passes St. Aldegund on the south shore of the river. Within 2 minutes it will reach Bullay.
The colors are already starting to turn, but so far only the chestnuts and a few other deciduous species have shod their greens. The vineyards themselves still have over a month to go before they will start to wear their blazing yellows. I plan to return for some foam in late October...
26-Aug-2009
Merely a week later and I'm back in the Netherlands, in Sittard. Objective of the outing was to finally catch the SNCF Fret's CO2 train in good light (which worked).
The wednesdays-only Rail4Chem train between Dormagen/D and Lutterade was the bonus prize. Here PB01 comes sailing through the crossovers at the south end of Sittard, yarding her train in preparation for the runaround and short jaunt south into the DSM plant at Geleen.
R4C PB01 leading the 47712 (pressurized gas tank cars Dormagen/D - Lutterade) into Sittard.
Merely a week later and I'm back in the Netherlands, in Sittard. Objective of the outing was to finally catch the SNCF Fret's CO2 train in good light (which worked).
The wednesdays-only Rail4Chem train between Dormagen/D and Lutterade was the bonus prize. Here PB01 comes sailing through the crossovers at the south end of Sittard, yarding her train in preparation for the runaround and short jaunt south into the DSM plant at Geleen.
R4C PB01 leading the 47712 (pressurized gas tank cars Dormagen/D - Lutterade) into Sittard.
in this box:
New comment: Requires approval