Adding in the infrastructure

As I sort and scan the photos for my various steam loco memoirs books, I am reminded all too often that I should have spent more time using locations where I could not only capture steam loco action - but also the surrounding infrastructure. One major exception being photographing and filming steam in South Africa's Karoo region. Where I did mix the incredible Karoo semi-desert features with the infrastructure at such as Oranjerivier - that was full of poles, signals, ash cleaning set ups and lots of water columns.

Anyway, I am pleased as I scan my Mamyaflex 120 mm square photos taken at the wonderful rack railway that ran to the 'Iron Mountain' from Vordernberg in Austria, to come across some shots that show more than the two or even three loco trains attacking the rack sections with the empty wagons going to collect ore from the mountain. Taken on a very dull and very wet September day in 1973 when my truly wonderful and so very gricer husband tolerate late wife was with me a for a car tour of a decent number of Austrian and West German steam locations.

Topped and tailed by 0-6-2 rack tanks another load of empty wagons passes the small loco shed and is about to start on the first rack section at Vordenberg, as another 0-6-2 RT shunts the interesting yard.

Bryan