Traveling with the green railcars through the February landscape in the canton of Vaud (Photo report 18.02.2023)
Despite the mostly dreary February landscape, which is characterized by patches of brown grass and remnants of snow, there is a vivid splash of color in the form of the green-painted electric railcars from 1987, which operate on the ASD (Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets) railway line. These eye-catching railcars provide a welcome burst of color in an otherwise dreary season.
Today our photo journey starts at the small town of Aigle near the shores of the Lake Geneva in the Rhone valley. Aigle is the starting point for three former railway lines (and now merged into the TPC): AL (Aigle-Leysin), ASD and the AOMC (Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champerey) connecting over a large meter-gauge network ski- and holiday destinations in the greater region.
First Picture of Today
Equipped with my new 4 meter mono stand and my Nikon Z6, I headed off to taking some photos. After some not worthy photos on the AL line, we finally found a suitable location on the ASD to learn how to operate my mono stand with the help of my today's photo tour companion.
The vineyards offer excellent photo opportunities in every section along the line. A few months ago, to be exact: on the 1th of August 2022, I took a photo with a similar view just a few meters and a turn further up the line.
After taking the picture in Aigle, we had about an hour time before the next train went up to Les Diablerets. So we took a quick 20-minute walk through the Castle and the old town of Aigle and after refiling our snacks, we were ready to take a train up to Les Diablerets.
Up, into the snow
As we gazed out the windows of the railcar, taking in the beautiful scenery, we soon arrived at Plan Morier station. This station is a request stop and just a short walk away from Vers l’Eglise station. However, we almost missed our stop as the old railcars lacked any announcements or indicators for upcoming stops.
We spotted a suitable next photo location on Google Maps and verified it while passing by. We had about 25-minutes time before our train came back from the terminus station in Les Diablerets. That should be enough time to set up our equipment and the mono stands.
After shooting the photo, we had enough time on our hands once again. So we set out to explore the charming village of Vers l’Eglise, which features a beautiful old church located in the center.
As we had made a spontaneous decision earlier in the day to skip visiting the Lake Geneva SBB line, we weren’t prepared for the snow and decided it would be best not to walk 30 minutes along a Cross-country skiing trail to our next destination. As a result, we opted to take the next train instead.
Les Diablerets village
Because of the high demand in the skiing season, TPC uses two BDe 4/4 and an older wagon to make sure ski tourist have enough space to travel on the line. This winter-unique composition of the train was the last point of the improvised photo To-Do list of this afternoon.
One last time for today, we extended our mono stands to the maximum to capture the two ACMV/BBC meter-gauge railcars from 1987, with a maximal speed of 65 km/h, zipping by the village tourist apartments and wood sheds.
Last sunlights at Les Diablerets station
Just a few minutes before our return-train reached the terminus station, we made the decision to take advantage of the remaining sunlight and capture the peaceful, idyllic atmosphere of the ASD branch line.
And with this photo, I close today’s photo report.
Final words
Lately, I have decided to improve my English writing skills and have been regularly posting (mostly tech related content) on my Medium blog. The process has been both challenging and rewarding, as it has allowed me to develop my skills and explore new topics. I find writing to be a great way to express my thoughts and ideas, and I hope my readers appreciate the effort that goes into each post. I look forward to continuing to share my ideas and experiences through my blog.
Happy C̶o̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ photographing
