During our 2015 visit to the Harz, Gemany, I visited the depot of the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen in Wernigerode around dusk on two separate occasions. I have combined the results of both photo shoots in this album.
1 My first photos where made in the fading light of Friday, Sep 25th. Two Brocken locos simmer quietly before their shed
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5 Before proceeding with more photo let's first take a look at the standard procedure. 1. A train arrives from the Brocken via Western Tor, where the line's main maintenance depot is. 2. It moves to the final destination, passengers disembark. 3. The train reverses empty and the passenger coaches are stabled for the night in a separate shed about a kilometre away 4. The loco returns light engine to the coal stage 5. The fire is cleaned on the ash pit and a few metres further the engine is inspected and greased 6. Finally it is stabled on one of the tracks surrounding the turntable
6 Loco 247 of the 18:45 from the Brocken has just been topped up and is now turned to be put to rest.
7 The 19:30 from the Brocken arrives
8 while 247 dozes off.
9 The sky darkens and assumes that characteristic shade of blue that I was looking for.
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16 Just twenty minutes later the sky has blacked out. 222 returns from the coach shed for recoaling
17 and pulls away to the ash pit
18 to have her fire cleaned and prepared for the night
19 Steam, fire and light are ingredients for an ever changing display
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23 Finally she is turned
24 to her spur for the night
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26 240 has brought in the final train of the day and joins her sisters while being inspected
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28 240 makes her final move of the day
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33 Two days later I payed another visit at dusk and was able to capture 222's profile against the darkening blue sky
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35 5901 had returned from a special earlier this day and was now stabled to cool down
36 Over the ash pit
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39 247 ready to take the empty stock of coaches to the coach shed. Normally the engine simply reverses and pushes the stock back to the shed. Why the engine now ran round to the head of the train was not clear to me. I wasn't too sad about my ignorance as it gave me the opportunity to make this glorious shot.
