Set out to open the book in NS, even more hit and miss than expected! 2 x 1200s on ski trains were a nice bonus though.

Captions actually provided on the phots this time!

A weekend around the Balkans leading up to the Kosovo Mercia Tour;

• Flew to Podgorica with Ryanair for 24 hours in Montenegro
• Day train over the stunning Bar to Belgrade line then a day in Belgrade
• Belgrade to Skopje for a couple of 661s
• Skopje to Kosovo for the charter in Kosovo and back to Macedonia
• Indirect route home via Skopje-Charleroi flight and Eurostar

 

A hasty trip to exercise the red pen for a few days…

A week or so Summer’s bash started off in Belgium covering the PFT Bocq “Cockerill Gala” that was really a mixed traffic do. It all fell to bits with failures all over the place but still an enjoyable day.

Performing were: 5128 (just!), 5941, 6077, 6106, 7005, 7305 & 7341, kettles 64149 and “Tublize”. Also on site were 202020 (CFL 1602) – jacked at start of day, 5001 and 6406 (demics on show) and 5183 which wasn’t out.  At various times there were more failed than working locos with 202020, 6077, 6106, 7005 and 5128 all in trouble at one time or another!

Weekend in Belgium for another Mercia Tour – two excellent days with PFT/SNCB diesel power – and just a little spinning electrics around Brussels

A quick Bank Holiday trip to Belgium and the Koln area to do some scooping…

 

A quick trip to Belgium to do the Spring Mercia tour

Decided to cover the SNCF 67400 turn to Tournai on the way over, so leapt off the Eurostar at Lille Europe for the conventional route forward with 67589 dropping us nicely onto 2125 into Brussels. The Mercia tour used 5166 as the main train engine with 2810 and 7840 assisting as we covered various lines down towards the German border. On Sunday with and a big change from last year in that nearly everything is now Class 18s we took the opportunity to head out to Dendermonde on a diverted service via Brussels West and cover the 21s on the Kotrijk axis (although one was a cart vice!) before an evening Eurostar back.

A quick trip to Belgium to have a play at a couple of preservation events which were taking place over their Assumption Day holiday weekend.

Took an evening Eurostar to Brussels Thursday evening which meant we could cover the morning peak and get some 23s in the book among umpteen other engines, then headed down to Namur in the evening. Saturday’s move was to cover the Chemin de Fer du Bocq preserved line gala day, which runs from Ciney to Spontin and Purnode although the setup is a bit odd. Got all five diesels that were out in, just, as some were doing very little. A couple of 20s returned us to Brussels for 1314 up to Gent where we would stay the night – nearly got stuck for food owing to the station being miles from town! The reason for being in Gent was to cover Sunday’s Gent-Eeklo workings with 5404 and 5910 top and tail on load six being very entertaining and also a nose around the display at Eeklo which was part of a steam gala (featuring some ex-ICI British built contraption) then back to Brussels for a Sunday evening Eurostar back home.

Please click on individual photos for full captions, only brief details are shown here.

2140

2355 2364

1802

2006

2377

1187

cart

2002

5183

202020

5941

6077

1352

2142

5404

PB13

5515

5910

A quick weekend trip to Belgium to cover Mercia Charters “The Alter Ego” Railtour from Brussels down to Luxembourg and return which featured ex SNCB and ex CFL ‘AFB’ power. 

We travelled out Friday, naturally spinning a few engines in on Brussels ned leaps, did the tour Saturday and then got a Sunday evening Eurostar back to St Pancras after another play around Brussels (25 SNCB engines scooped without even really trying…)

For full detailed descriptions please see individual photo pages – only added brief captions here.

Tour Gen:

5404: Bruxelles Midi – Nivelles – Charleroi Sud – Tamines – Namur – Jemelle – Libramont (rev) – Bertrix – Virton – Rodange

1604+5404: Rodange – Petange

7309: Pètange – Fond de Gras

2001: Fond de Gras – Bois de Rodange

7309: Bois de Rodange – Fond de Gras

1604+5404: Fond de Gras – Pètange – Esch-sur-Alzette – Bettembourg – Luxembourg – Ettlebruck – Kautenbach – Troisvierges

5404: Troisvierges – Gouvy – Aywaille – Angleur – Liège Guillemots – Liege Bank 🙂 – Landen – Leuven – Bruxelles Nord – Bruxelles Midi

3003/3004 St Pancras

5404 Arsses

7309 Fussebech

5404 7309 Fussebech

1604 5404 Fussebech

2001 Fond de Gras

1604 5404 Fond de Gras

1604 5404 Troisvierges

6242 Gent

2003 Brussels