LOST LOCOMOTIVES

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THE LOCOMOTIVES GRAVEYARD - 16 PHOTOS DAYLIGHT

FULL MOON NIGHT EXPLORATION - 13 PHOTOS AT NIGHT

THE LOCOMOTIVES GRAVEYARD

Some years ago we explored a beautiful abandoned locomotives graveyard surrounded with heavy industry and urban ghetto. There are fifty 50 tons heavyweight diesel locomotives on the graveyard. Inside the depot it's dark and there is a desolate atmosphere hanging around, everywhere it smells like lubricating oil, petrol and mixed combinations of other unknown materials. Glass is spread widely over the ground, also watch your steps due to slippery oil. Trees are slowly covering the loco’s, give it a few years more and the graveyard will be taken over by nature. All of the diesel locomotives are having well known names like, Artemis, Cordoba, Colibri, Bakou, Albi, Bolero and Dakar for example.

To bad to see that a lot of graffiti did his appearance, as well as for the demolishing of windows and lamps. It looks like railway technicians have taken spare elements with rude force. Giant holes are made with gas burners, large but also small parts are taken away. Ugly scares is all that is left behind.

FULL MOON NIGHT EXPLORATION

After 2 or 3 revisit's to this fabulous location it is time to say goodbye and go for last round, "at night". Maybe just in time because trees and bush have been cut down, bounded and laid down next to the rail tracks. All of the diesel locomotives where removed from the depot. There are also traces of a coming demolition of the washing rooms with offices blocks.

Around midnight we entered the terrain again, the wind was strong, almost stormy and it was rather difficult photography with long exposures. The clear sky with stars and full moon gave a fantastic atmosphere. All though this Belgium city has a long criminal reputation, on the locomotives graveyard one only hears the wind blowing hard and the loud flapping of doors and components. Okay at some moments scary with the waving trees and bush which could look like the railway-police, some neighbourhood criminals or stoned and drunk hobos showing up. The sound of barking dogs was carried away by the wind, sometimes it seem way to close and at other moments it seemed luckily far away. Creepy!