Europe
Krakow (Poland) - 14th - 20th September 2018
Between the 14th and 20th September 2018 I visited Krakow (Poland) for a week long trip to explore the city of Krakow. Flying direct from Bristol Airport to Krakow with Easyjet we landed around 10:00. After collecting our bags we walked the short distance to the Airport Station where we caught the train into the main station in the city, Krakow Glowny. Our Hotel was also within walking distance of the station, but was also next to a tram stop which later gave easy access to the Old Town, Jewish Quarter and Main Square.
Poland is and has been undergoing huge change since joining the EU, and its clear that millions have been invested right across the country. The railways are also undergoing a huge modernization plan with new rolling stock, stations and high speed lines under construction. It does appear however that with mass investment has come mass disruption, with all the track and station upgrade work happening all at the same time.
Poland is and has been undergoing huge change since joining the EU, and its clear that millions have been invested right across the country. The railways are also undergoing a huge modernization plan with new rolling stock, stations and high speed lines under construction. It does appear however that with mass investment has come mass disruption, with all the track and station upgrade work happening all at the same time.
Innotrans - Berlin - 20th September 2018
The Innortrans event is held every two years in Berlin, Germany. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend this worldwide industry event which saw three UK trains launched at the event. InnoTrans is the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology and thus a media event of international significance. About 1 000 media representatives from 42 countries reported on InnoTrans 2018.
Every train manufacturer was in attendance. The huge event is held at Messe, Berlin in an events centre housed in 25 separate halls and including an outside rail connected display area. Trains from all over Europe are transferred by rail to be displayed for the worldwide railway media, manufacturing and procurement communities to view. Thousands of industry professionals attend Innortrans, It features everything from fully built trains right down to suppliers of nuts, bolts, and electronics. Innotrans is the one stop shop for railway business.
Every train manufacturer was in attendance. The huge event is held at Messe, Berlin in an events centre housed in 25 separate halls and including an outside rail connected display area. Trains from all over Europe are transferred by rail to be displayed for the worldwide railway media, manufacturing and procurement communities to view. Thousands of industry professionals attend Innortrans, It features everything from fully built trains right down to suppliers of nuts, bolts, and electronics. Innotrans is the one stop shop for railway business.
A Visit to Berlin - 20th/21st September 2018
As part of a visit to Poland in September I caught an International service from Poznan to Berlin, in order to attend the Innortrans Event in Berlin. Before flying home to the UK there was time to kill before our flight, so a morning was spent located at Berlin Schönefeld Flughafen. The Airport station is located on the Berlin Ring, and can be busy with freight. Equally it can be very quiet. Local passenger services operate every hour taking visitors into and out of the city as well and operating local passenger links. The former East German Station is ideally suited for photography and provides plenty of angles from which to take images off passing trains. The images below were taken between 10:00 and 14:00 on the 21st September during a wonderfully sunny morning, prior to the weather collapsing shortly after 14:00. A good variety of internal German traffic and International traffic was recorded during this time, including two European Class 66 Locomotives.
Switzerland - 13th June to 19th June 2016
Between the 13th and 19th June 2016, I visited Switzerland for a multi transport trip through the delightfully scenic, inviting and friendly country. I had previously visited Switzerland back in 2009 for a short rail based trip and have wanted to return to this country for some time. After many months of research and planning I embarked on the seven day adventure with two friends, with the sole purpose of recording the rail freight traffic on the Gottard route while staying in the picturesque village of Wassen. The opening of the new Gottard Base Tunnel later in the year would soon divert the majority of the passenger and freight traffic away from the classic mountain spirals and scenery which had made this route so famous over the years. While the opportunity was still there we chose Wassen as our base for the week
Belgium and The Netherlands - 27th April to 2nd May 2015
Between the 27th April and 2nd May 2015 I visited The Netherlands for a week, also visiting Belgium on route to and from the Eurotunnel terminal at Calais.
The week in Holland was centred around the Breda - Tilberg - Rotterdam area. Our visit to The Netherlands coincided with the closure of the Betuweroute (the new double track high speed freight line linking Rotterdam Docks with the Germany). This resulted in rail freight being transferred back onto its former route using the Tilberg/ Eindhoven mainline, making this particular line incredibly busy with rail freight between the normal passenger services.
We also visited the fascinating city of Rotterdam, using the high speed rail line between Breda and Rotterdam. The purpose of the trip was to view the sights of the city and capture the extensive city tram system. Rotterdam is a city of unique Architecture and provided some stunning backdrops to some of the images we took.
The week in Holland was centred around the Breda - Tilberg - Rotterdam area. Our visit to The Netherlands coincided with the closure of the Betuweroute (the new double track high speed freight line linking Rotterdam Docks with the Germany). This resulted in rail freight being transferred back onto its former route using the Tilberg/ Eindhoven mainline, making this particular line incredibly busy with rail freight between the normal passenger services.
We also visited the fascinating city of Rotterdam, using the high speed rail line between Breda and Rotterdam. The purpose of the trip was to view the sights of the city and capture the extensive city tram system. Rotterdam is a city of unique Architecture and provided some stunning backdrops to some of the images we took.
France - 3rd June to 11th June 2014
Between the 3rd June and 11th June 2014, I traveled to the Savoie Region of France for a one week railway holiday to record rail traffic in the foothills of the Mont Blanc mountains. Having flown from Bristol International Airport to Geneva we exited via the French sector before picking up a hire car for the week. After a pleasant drive through the mountainous region our first night was spent in Amberieu, before following the main line south to Chambery (via Curloz and Aix Les Bains) the next day. Chambery would then be our base for the remainder of our stay. During the week long visit we planned a mix of car travel (for the best photographic opportunities) and visits to two cities (Lyon and Grenoble) using SNCF rail travel.
Germany - 13th to 17th May 2013
Between the 13th May and 17th May 2013 I flew out to Germany from Bristol Airport to spend a week in Berlin. The trip had been planned for a few months, where we had put an itinerary together for a week long trip. The plan was to cover various aspects of the German Railway Transport scene along some sightseeing, good food, beer and a half day visit to Poland. We stayed in the centre of Berlin at Alexanderplatz, which has good train and road connections, as well as easy access to the main city and eating establishments. The week provided improving weather and a good variety of freight and passenger trains.
Switzerland - July 2009
During July 2009 I visited Switzerland with good friend Wayland Smith. We flew from London Heathrow to Zurich with Swiss Air before using the excellent Swiss Rail system to travel into the Graubünden Region of Switzerland. At Landquart we then switched from the standard gauge mainline network to narrow gauge 'Rhatische Bahn' (Rhb). Our base for our stay in the stunning country, was the ski resort of Davos, however at the time of our stay there was little skiing or snow to be seen. We then used the punctual public transport in order to access photographic locations set in the stunning Swiss Alps.
During our stay we used the popular tourist ticket, the Graubünden Pass, this starts at Bad Ragaz and then encompasses all stations within region 4 of the Swiss rail map below.
During our stay we used the popular tourist ticket, the Graubünden Pass, this starts at Bad Ragaz and then encompasses all stations within region 4 of the Swiss rail map below.
Belgium - 22nd May 2008
During May 2008 I was given the opportunity to travel to Belgium at the invite of Infrabel on behalf of Railway Herald.
The Invite was provided by Infrabel (The Belgian Railway Infrastructure Management Company) for the railway media to view the extensive upgrade
work having been carried out on the Belgian railway network at its
ports. Before attending a press conference in Ostendee. This short trip
was an enthusiastic favour to assist with the popular online railway
magazine, rather than a trip for pleasure.
This short gallery of images features the article written for the online magazine as a result of the guided tours of the Belgian port visits at Antwerpen, Oostende and Zeebruge.
This short gallery of images features the article written for the online magazine as a result of the guided tours of the Belgian port visits at Antwerpen, Oostende and Zeebruge.
France, Luxembourg, Belgium & Holland - July 2003
July 2003 was my first taste of European Traction involving a 1200 mile multi country road trip passing through four countries in seven days. Teaming up with Charles Woodland and Wayland Smith (and later Paul Richards) we planned an intensive trip which would allow us to capture some of the busy passenger and freight scenes in each county we visited. After driving to the Port of Dover overnight from the South West we caught the early morning Hoverspeed Seacat over to Calais. From here we embarked on a 300 mile jaunt down to Metz located close to the border with France and Luxembourg.
All of the images in this gallery are scanned from 35mm Slide's taken on my original Minolta 404 Si, at the time of this trip I'd not converted to the digital medium.
All of the images in this gallery are scanned from 35mm Slide's taken on my original Minolta 404 Si, at the time of this trip I'd not converted to the digital medium.