Saturday 19 December 2009

Winter on the tracks

Heading north to see what's happening on the 'Elka' - the L-shaped road being the S79 down from Sasanki to the south of the airport, then across to Puławska - I walk alongside the railway tracks.

Above: Osóbka southbound for Radom. The nearest (unelectrified) track is the one that runs from Okęcie sidings to Siekierki power station, used a few times a day by coal trains.


Above: Somewhere between the crossings at ul. Baletowa and ul. Karnawał. Right: Signals at the approach to the Okęcie sidings.

All along the line where open fields adjoin the tracks, I note that the snow-drift fences have not been put up. They should act as a barrier in case of heavy snowfall and strong winds; they're still stacked up by the trackside (below).

A trio of diesel locos used for hauling coal, an SM42-714 (left) heading two SM48s with different pattern cabs (SM48-117 in the middle, SM48-087 at the end).

2 comments:

pinolona said...

so nice to see trains actually running in the snow! Why can't other countries (ahem France, UK and Belgium) get their respective acts together?!
Lovely winter pictures, so atmospheric!

student SGH said...

it appears that the sight of three engines on our nearby siding becomes quite common. Yesterday while I was crossing the track between Stara and Nowa Iwiczna I saw quite similar footprints in the snow.

I last saw works around ul Poloneza on Wednesday, later they probably must have suspended it due to low temperatures. The ground could have frozen and maybe the diggers could move it. And pouring concrete and putting up pillars of the viaduct wouldn't be the best idea when it's so frosty.

Then they works won't move on before Christmas (a typical excuse: "there's no point in starting if we'll have to finish tomorrow), the same will happen in the slack time between Christmas and New Year's Day and you'll see the progress around 5th January, weather permitting.