2007

This is one of a number of snow photos I've taken in Cercany, this one being from the latest batch taken at the beginning of February.

Here's one of my few photos of a Czech freight train, this one taken in Cercany. The locomotive, a Class 742 diesel built by CKD sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, is a common sight on freight trains in Central Bohemia, and can also occassionally be seen on local passenger services.

I took this partly because other people were taking photos of THEIR film back in February. I guess these things go in cycles. Anyway, there's nothing exotic about Velvia, really, but of course Agfa Vista is no longer made, Ilford Pan F is a little hard to find but highly respected, especially among vintage camera users (which is why I have it), and Jessops is virtually unheard of outside of Britain, even if it's very common within Britain.

I shot this while waiting for a train to Bradford, England. YES! REALLY!! I'm sick of airlines losing my luggage. Anyway, I would have to take six trains, actually, one from here to Berlin, a couchette from Berlin to Brussels, the Eurostar Brussels to London Waterloo, the Underground Waterloo to King's Cross, a GNER Intercity 225 to Leeds, and finally a First Northern local to Bradford Interchange. I don't know if it was the longest train trip I ever took, but it was certainly one of the longest. In any case, I hope you like this sunset!! :-)

I took many, many different versions of this shot while waiting for the "Hungaria" to take me to Berlin. This locomotive would be our power, but for the moment it was waiting for the train to arrive with Slovak power on the point. The lighting was what struck me more than anything, though, as Class 371s are a dime a dozen in Holesovice.

This was the same sunset as earlier, only reflected in the glass of a shelter on my platform in Holesovice.

Just as the sunset illuminated other trains and objects, it also had the chance to illuminate the Pendolino, which showed up exactly when I was ready for it. I heard the announcement, ran a few meters, composed the shot, and clicked.

I'm really stumped as to what this machine is, although it's obviously some kind of MOW equipment. I'm assuming its a rail grinder, as it doesn't look elaborate enough to be a ballast cleaner. Does anybody know?

Finally, I had the treat of a freight train pulling through Holesovice ahead of my train, which probably explained why my train was about 10 minutes late.

Finally my train, EC170, the "Hungaria," arrived with a Slovak Class 350 electric waiting to be cut off and replaced with the 371 pictured earlier. It was about 10 minutes late, but ultimately I didn't miss my Berlin connection as a result.

The coaching stock on the Hungaria is usually Hungarian, appropriate to the name, and the Hungarian State Railway, MAV, is truly a throwback to the age of steam when it comes to luxury. This was the diner where I had a very good meal for dirt cheap while rolling through the night towards Berlin. The diner, I should note, is thoroughly modern, and authorized for 200Km/h operation, even if it looks like it was built in the 1930s.

Jumping way, way ahead in my story, this was after I arrived at King's Cross and got my camera out again. The Intercity 225 in the foreground would take me to Leeds.

If anyone can help me with the location of this and the next shot, I would be grateful. I didn't note the location, but took the shot because I wasn't sure if I had any shots of BGRf Class 66 freight diesels yet. In any case, here's a wild shot taken out of the side of my Intercity 225 going 125 m.p.h., or something close to that, on the way to Peterborough.

Here's my second Class 66 shot, even more desperate than the first, but actually better in some ways.

This was when we got to Grantham, a nice town but like Peterborough blighted by ugly car-oriented buildings. On the plus side, you can see the steeple of St. Wulfram's Church in the background.

Here's another mostly-ugly photo of Grantham, with yet another ugly shopping centre in the foreground, with the nicer, older buildings in the distance.

I again apologize for the sloppy composition of this photo. I often get my timing wrong at 100 m.p.h. This may be the fastest flat crossing in the world, and no, they haven't stopped using these things, whatever ignorant people on the internet say.

This was as we were rolling into Doncaster, where we stopped before continuing to Leeds. I didn't get the number on the other Intercity 225.