railfanning

The Postal Bureau of the Fraternal Republic of Utraijnia

The Postal Bureau of the Fraternal Republic of Utraijnia is Utrainia's public mail service. The have a long and proud history, stretching back to the founding of the country itself. To celebrate this fine establishment, our roving correspondent was tasked with following the daily mail run.

Post Master Alenski has been making the daily run for many decades and is a familiar face to all in Utrainia. Each day, the mail train stops at his small unassuming mail office and offloads the day's deliveries. His trusty station wagon is almost as old as his velocipede.

After sorting the mail, Alenski pushes out his velocipede and swings it onto the rails. These days he carries a small radio to let Train Control know when he is on his way, however he is so punctual that it is hardly necessary.

More photos from my camping trip

Some more photos from my recent camping expedition. I like this bit of coast line, lots of different places to climb out and get photos from. After I'd pitched my tent I climbed back around the coast a bit and waited for a train. I was soon rewarded by a huge freight train growling up the coast. The sun had set by now, but the headlights were making their presence known, as were the triple locos on the head.

After that it was quiet for a while so I headed back to the camp. While I was gathering up some driftwood for my campfire I head a distant rumbling, so I grabbed my camera and got ready:

Nice! A return freight heading the other way. I watched for a while then went back to toast some marshmallows.

The next morning I was up bright and early, woken by...

Gone camping

One of my favourite ways to escape for a weekend has always been camping by the sea. Since I was on my own this weekend, and it's been a while, I decided to spend a night under the stars. So I dug out my camping gear, loaded up the wagon, and set off for Utrainia's Coastal Highway.

I found a good spot to pull off, parked the car and gathered up my gear. After half an hour or so of clambering around the coastline I arrived at a nice quiet wee spot. I found a nice sheltered spot and pitched my tent. And as luck would have it I was right next to the mainline!

I fell asleep listening to the waves crashing into the shore, occasionally interspersed by clickety clacking as a train went past.

The next morning I rose bright and early to the fresh sea air. After breakfast I grabbed my book and camera and found a nice spot where I could comfortably read and watch the ...

A great way to end the day

After a week of overcast weather, it was with a happy heart that I saw some rays snaking into the office this afternoon. So after work I grabbed a quick dinner and camera in hand, headed off up the road.

As luck would have it, the regulars were there with a short manifest. I checked on the scanner and they were waiting to take possession of the next block, so I knew I'd have a good half hour or so of shooting. 

San Luis and Rio Grande SD90s

New motive power is rare is rare here in Utrainia, but this morning I got word that some very eagerly awaited locos were heading out for a test run. I made a quick call to the San Luis and Rio Grande yard office and found out their plans for the day. Seems they were scheduled to haul the prestigious Ski Train! To see the Ski Train running was great news, but with a pair of fresh SD90/43s on the front! Oh boy!

I immediately put all other plans on hold, topped up the car with gas and hit the road. I knew exactly where I could catch it, a nice little clearing up north where the double track turned into a single track section. As I got closer I noticed the weather closing in and soon there was snow at the sides of the road. Luckily I had chucked my All Weather Railfanning Crate in the back with plenty of warm socks, mittens, arctic-grade jacket and so forth. Winters here in Utrainia are known to be unforgiving, so it pays to be prepared.