Welcome to "Phil's Loco Photos"

Another winter trip started with a flight to Szczecin as a winning airport with a rail connection it had to be done. I took the DMU into town and set about getting a PKP InterRail, it took a while! I left early next morning and went to Krzyż and Piła to check out the diesel action. I then continued south to Opole where I was staying for three nights. Next it was a trio of very nasty EN57 carts to get me to Rybnik and Bohumín to do the new international route that had just opened. On arrival back at Opole I found an SU42 on a single double deck coach on the line to Nysa, so took that, as it wasn't over inspiring I took DMU to Brzeg for new rack on way back north, and then back to Opole. Next day I went to Wrocław and a TLK to Łódź Chojny as this route is getting new PKP IC units. I then had to suffer one back to Częstochowa and then a couple of new EP09 got me back to Opole again. I set of with an IC to Katowice which went via Kędzierzyn-Koźle which only a few trains do. Then it was an EP09 to Ostrava and after a couple of local moves I took an EMU to Opava Východ for Sundays only hauled IC542 back to Ostrava-Svinov and the Vectron power on Regiojet IC to Praha for one night stay. North to Dresden next day and my birthday present was a short run with winner 146.018 from Dresden Hbf - Dresden Neustadt on my way to Leipzig. On arrival there I kept myself busy with 182s on S2 from Leipzig Connewitz - Delitzsch unt Bf and back. It was then a new 101 to Lutherstadt Wittenberg for another back and then a 182 to Dessau and another to Magdeburg. I waited for a 146.5 on new IC2 double deckers to Hannover which was only a few minutes late. Early rise next day and a 101 to Bad Bentheim and then a successful attack of the new 1700 diagrams to Enschede, giving me new track for the class. I then made my way to Amsterdam and had a good attack of the Benelux and ICD Traxx power. I stayed three nights at the new Mercure Hotel opposite Sloterdijk station. After a good trio of winners on ICD the service then fell apart, I went north to Apeldoorn and took DMU to Zutphen for more 1700 turns. Only about half were actually 1700 as booked so I soon returned to Breda and Rotterdam and then back to Sloterdijk. Made my way to Rotterdam next morning and then all Benelux services got cancelled due to a level crossing failure, at the second attempt I got a lift on a Thalys to Antwerpen where is then took me an hour to find anything loco hauled! I went to Bruxelles, then to Leuven and Gent and then back to Amsterdam for my last night. Short trip to Schiphol next morning and G-BNWB was the power back to Heathrow with nice comfy seats!