111 079 grumbles out of Cologne West, heading towards Wuppertal with the RB48 in tow. Older pic, taken while meeting up with *
JSH50.
I'm certain I've mentioned this before, but I'm currently leaving the house early in the morning, in the dark, and return in the evening, also in the dark, which is kinda bothersome for stuff that requires light, such as... Oh yes, photography! But by far the bigger problem is that I adore old and outdated shit, like 110s and 103s for example, and without those, I find it hard to get off my ass in terms of embarking on photo tours. Now I'm sure that modern trains can make for good photos, but it just doesn't give me the same sense of fulfillment when I take a photo of some EMU that I see every ten minutes, compared to shooting some old heap on its last deadline extension.
Also, I'm kind of jealous of a certain Markus Tigges, who (like me) often submits scrapyard pics to well known railfan forums, and with whom I've been on photo tours a few times this summer. Back in the 80s, he was an apprentice at the AW Opladen, one of the largest locomotive workshops in Germany, which was closed down for dubious reasons in 2003, despite protests and hunger strikes.
If you're interested, here are some threads:
Locomotives before and after major overhaulsCrash-damaged locomotives waiting for repairsGeneral overview of the lot, including the brand new first-generation ICE power headsNow to most of you, it's probably a bunch of pictures with trains on them. But to someone who lives here and knows the place, it's just mind-boggling! To me, Opladen has always been a huge and empty place, where one can only find remnants of the former railroading days. But when I look at those photos, I realize that this was once a railroader's town! That the now empty lots were entirely covered with well kept railyards, that now disused tracks were once full of freshly painted locomotives, that now empty halls were once full of noises, people at work, or in other words, life!
Makes me outright melancholic to compare that to today's Opladen, where even the station roof was too much of an expense and got torn down...
I know that the saying "Everything was better in the old days!" is kinda old and untrue. But if you're a railroader from Opladen, I'd find it hard to argue against it.
`anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
Sta.sh
