a century of steam

No, it's not a train climbing the embankment from Wellington to NIMT tunnel 1, but a scene taken in Belgium in 1963 of a goods train tackling the climb at Frameries.  Unlike neighbouring Holland, Belgium has quite a bit of hilly terrain, mainly in the south of the country.

This is one of the 135 photos - each occupying a page - in the 4th book in a series called Un Siècle de Vapeur/Een Eeuw Stoom, covering steam locomotives in Belgium since the beginnings in the mid 1830s to the 1960s, although there are a few taken in neighbouring countries in the last chapter.  About 60% of the pics are portraits and the balance action shots in different settings.  Some of the photos taken in the 1960s are colour, the rest are black and white.  For those into European steam, this series of books will be desirable additions to the library, even though the price is a tad dear.  270 x 210 mm landscape format, hardcovered.