European Railways in the 1990s Trois Ponts Station (Belgium SNCB) on 19th April 1999

[@pehess2495]

Good evening, nice film, thank you! It is true that the electrification of a line is synonymous with major changes to the installations and rolling stock....

[@spompey]

Many thanks as always and my sincere wishes...Mark

[@Tom-Lahaye]

This video is gold to me, I do not live that far from the Liège-Luxembourg line (line 42) and in 1999 and 2000 I was sometimes three times a week on this line for train spotting. Also shot quite some video, and still have to upload it all. I never forget the howl of the class 55, the Belgian diesel I encountered the most. Sadly I don't have much footage before the masts for electrification went up, and when the electric traction took over my interest in this line was gone. Trois Ponts was quite good for the vigorous starts of the passenger trains, they notched almost instantly up to 6 or 7, sometimes even 8, and you can hear the traction motor diverts quite well.

[@spompey]

Yes....agree wholeheartedly.....Many thanks Tom and best regards...Mark

[@AndreiTupolev]

I suppose the Belgian version of Three Bridges. Belgium was another country full of charismatic diesel locos; don't those Roots blown EMDs sound awesome. Note also absolutely no graffiti; the point when European railway companies gave up trying to fight it was the point at whuch civilisation ended. That's still something we very rarely see in Britain, which is one small point of pride to hold on to

[@spompey]

Yes, although it is a constant fight against the ugly thing.....many thanks Andrei, always appreciated....Mark