European Railways Graide Station (Belgium SNCB) on 19th April 1999

[@ckikilwai2]

Thank you so much for uploading these! Love the high quality!

[@spompey]

You are most welcome and many thanks...best regards...Mark

[@Tom-Lahaye]

Lucky spot having 204.004 on a service train, it was destined for the heritage fleet and as such the only unrebuilt class 52-53-54 apart from the empty hulk of 5206 residing at Ronet and sadly later scrapped. 204.004 aka 5404 would end regular service early 2000 and become part of the heritage fleet permanently. You got all the blue class 44s 🤣, sadly no red/yellow ones or class 45s, very similar but having 2 GM 6-71N engines where the class 44 had a single twin bank 6-71N, these were essentially the Detroit diesel 71 series engines but marketed by GM for railway use. These are two stroke and this explains the high pitched noise. The triplet class 52-53 was underway to pick up a train with steel products from Luxembourg and then returning triple headed, I have seen this train on a few occasions. Very similar spectacle as the tripple headed 37s on the Consett iron ore trains. I don't know if you went to other places on the Athus-Meuse line as there were quite some sections not yet spoiled by masts and catenary wires when you filmed this.

[@spompey]

So many thanks Tom for the valuable info you have provided, very much appreciated by myself and all.....My sincere wishes and gratitude to you....Mark