This is a follow up to our original 1st Blog post - I had promised a good friend that I would send him a video of this bridge, inspired by the fact that it was almost impossible to send as I had hoped gave inspiration to working out how to add it online and also use it on the MDR Direct Web site - well here it is and this makes one of several now all ready available to view.
Since posting this clip, John Hills emailed me and mentioned that the rake, as shown, might be the container train on the new route for container traffic traveling across Russia from China into Germany. John also wrote "Apparently there about 6 trains a week doing this long journey into the yard at Duisberg" Thanks John for your input.
We have another clip, shown 2 below, of a different PCC Container Train taken on the morning of 16th September 2019 whilst the above clip was taken on the 14th September 2019
Walking Back across this Railway Bridge I could not miss this opportunity to video the Loco and its rake of coaches. Wondering why it was traveling so slow I soon found out - there were two Railway Track inspectors walking the track going about their job - we don't get to see them in this clip but check out the next one. This video captured early on Monday Morning of the 16th September 2019.
Here is a clip from the flood plain taken on 16th September 2019 - and a huge long container train that travels the bridge. Was the bridge damaged or not...
Back on the Bridge and a highly decorated Local Passenger Train makes it's way across. Check out that Graffiti.
Still on the Bridge but this time we go to find the German Soldier's Guard Turret - like a small bunker - This one had fallen down the embankment but was still in one piece after at least 70 years or more.
This clip has been added due to a request to see the other side of this bridge which is no longer used. It was a bit risky but non the less carefully taken. The clip shows us walking on each sleeper part of the way across the bridge and was taken in early morning of 16th September 2019.
* Note - at the end of the clip is something you don't get to see so much on a modern track system and that is the expansion rails. So very soon we will add another clip of this small section but most interesting stretch of Track - and and Peco produce a track expansion kit in 00 / HO scale as well - I suppose it makes sense as during the hot months the temperature can be as high a 44 degrees whilst in the winter can be a low as minus 23 so yes all the steel in the bridge and rails will indeed expand and contract so expansion joints were a must.
Even little clips like this don't go to plan... and as we start the expansion clip along comes this Diesel and its tankers and as always I just had to clip it to show you. Hope you enjoy. (17/09/2019)
And after the Diesel and it's tanks....... here is the clip of the expansion joint on the bridge as promised. (17/09/2019)
This is an interesting clip for those engineers amongst us. Having videoed the expansion joint I dropped below the floor of the bridge to show you the amazing bridge shoes which hold the bridge sections in place. Those small parts really do hold a lot of weight specially when a train and loaded wagons pass over.
In this video we take you under the bridge to view and go inside 2 WW2 German Bunkers which protected the bridge during WW2
I had hoped to catch this speeding Intercity rake, a newer train, in this lovely livery of the Polish State Railway PKP clip 17/09/2019
I never know what's going to come over the bridge and on this occasion it was one of the older local Trains - a short clip which I only just about got before we set off back.
This clip is about a small hidden Guards Check point Bunker which you have to pass on the way to or from the Bridge. We believe it would be manned by German Soldier Guards during WW2 checking access to and from the Bridge. Anyway check out the clip as see what you think.
We had finished these few day video recording the Bridge and this is a level crossing on the way back that caught us. An SM42 PKP locomotive with a full rake of PKP open wagons runs the level crossing and we just manage to catch it from the car.
This is the last clip for this blog now - and this is just the other side of the level crossing. We start with the Signal box and walk along side two locomotives one an Electric the other a Diesel - check it out and thank you for reading and watching these videos.
This took three days to shoot and some 6 hours to write up and an amazing 18 hours to upload these 15 clips. All in all over a period of 5 days.
All of the images and video content contained within these blogs are copyright protected
A Sony Xperia Mobile Phone was used to shoot these images and video
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