Industrial snapshot - Interrail 1983…
“Whilst most of the photos I took back in 1979 on my InterRail holiday are of beautiful buildings, pretty girls and wonderful landscapes there are a smattering of rail related scenes…
I don’t have any notes but believe this to have been either Vienna or close to the Czech border. A candid snap through the open gateway of a factory whilst I was walking the streets between trains, or possibly seeking a hostel somewhere. Looking back of course I wish I had taken more film, made more notes amd captured a little more of the railway around me - but the optimism of youth, I thought the rail scene would always be around”.
Of course, a work of fiction and set whilst I was very little, this wonderful scene itself was captured on my 100x25cm layout ‘Kohlenbachbrücke”. The gritty black and white photo, the decrepit Trabant and characterful ex-OBB shunting locomotive all work together to help set the time and place. The wonder of model railways, modern phone cameras and our imagination. Until next time, more soon…
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Hi James, very nice photo and convincing memory; it took me a few seconds to realise! Best, Jonathan
ReplyDeleteThank you Jonathan!
DeleteAs a child, I lived in central Europe. To get to school, I had to take a privately owned railway into the centre of the city, and then swap into their mountain railway. As we worked our way back out of the city centre, we passed through an industrial area that looked a lot like that picture there. One of the industries we passed by was a microchip manufacturer (back when those things were the size of the larger lego bricks). The area was packed with fully paved sidings leading to (for the time) high tech, rail served, industries. This reminds me a lot of that. Lovely view and an evocative tale.
ReplyDeleteThat is a wonderful tale - and lends credible weight to my flight of fancy - thank you!
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