Life on the railroad Photo

Photographer’s Note

Life on the railroad

Ordinary day
In one of the villages
along the SNIM ore railroad.
We are not far from Ben Amera (see workshop)
the second largest monolith in the world
after Ayers Rock.

______________________________

The ore train

The ore is transported by railway from the mine to the Nouadhibou harbor facilities. SNIM owns and operates its own railway.
Railway operating features: Standard gauge(1.435 m).
Single track railway: 700 km long.

It also features nine passing points, and six maintenance bases spread along the railway, each base servicing an approximate one hundred kilometer block

Both the weather conditions and the train load (an average of 22.000 tonnes per train, with an axle load of 25 tonnes) pose specific maintenance problems such as the tracks being buried in sand, premature rail wear, or difficulty in maintaining good track geometry...

The ore trains are pulled by three or four 3.300 HP General Motors tank engines located in front of the train and dragging 84 tonne payload ore wagons (up to 210 wagons per train), along with an average of ten miscellaneous wagons (whether flat cars or tank wagons...).

The total train length can reach up to 2.5 kilometers. Usually three loaded ore trains circulate simultaneously with three empty ones.
from http://www.snim.com/carnet/trainEn.html

macondo, jcdurka1 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

avigur_11 (21307) 2008-01-14 11:45

Excellent composition, Luca. The POV, and the perspective created by the rails, created a nice frame to the red figure. I also like the WS image, which is beautiful.

bluebubble (286) 2008-01-14 11:45

Ciao Luca,
Well, it seems we've almost been to Mauritania at the same time! :-)
Except we did not choose the same way there.
I like the perspective of these rails with the vibrant red color of the woman's veil contrasting with the pastel tones around her.
Well done,
Bea

scalerman (25787) 2008-01-14 11:48

Luca: simple, elegant, and well-composed - really like the heat mirage rising from the hot earth. fine work. regards, c

Mateja (413) 2008-01-14 11:55

Ciao Luka
nuovamente una fotografia molto intensa, semplicemente chiara nella storia della poverta'. Complimenti anche per i colori,
Mateja

BennyV (4919) 2008-01-14 11:56

Hello Luca,

This is a great picture, even though I wonder if it wouldn't even have been better if the woman was walking towards you.

Benny

angela926 (1882) 2008-01-14 11:57

Hello Luca,
very good composition and point of view, good sharpness and excellent depth of field, i feel the distance that she must walk! excellent colors and contrast. very well done!
Angela

limule (3977) 2008-01-14 12:01

Hi , this picturfe is a beauty. The little green sign in the back is a very nice, finishing very well the reading of the image by a kind of goal to achieve for the woman. Geraldine

smarcell (14653) 2008-01-14 12:57

Un immagine che racchiude il tipo di vita in certe zone del mondo. e che descrive piu' di tante parole. Un binario verso il nulla, sabbia, e niente altro. Si percepisce il caldo, il vento, il secco dell'aria.
Bellissima, come sempre.
Stefano

brandstaetter (14434) 2008-01-14 13:18

Ciao Luca,
bellissima questa impressione da nessun luogo.. piu´bello ancora il workshop, che mi paice tanto. Credo che ho gia´visto quel sasso in Google Earth. Hai la data GPS ?
Bravissimo !
Ciao christian

Framboisilla (5402) 2008-01-14 14:18

Another nice composition in this desert place... Beautiful atmosphere again with the red woman...

Best regards,
Stéphanie.

macondo (13273) 2008-01-15 1:23

A very good shot, Luca.
I like the way the woman's bright red gown stands out in contrast with the dry, minimalist background. The placement of the subject in the frame is excellent, and the railway lines are used superbly to creat perspective and to conjure thoughts of a journey. There is no sign of where she is walking to, except perhaps that green sign. And then what?
Regards,
Andrew
And thanks for the interesting notes!

francesav (622) 2008-01-15 2:29

Ciao Luca,
bellissima immagine, composizione molto ben curata, con le linee dei binari che tagliano l'immagine e portano lo sguardo verso l'infinito, ottima definizione e bei colori con il rosso acceso della veste della donna(?) che attrae loattenzione di ch osserva.
veramente una bella immagine.
Saluti.
Francesco.

jcdurka1 (1940) 2008-01-15 2:42

Great shot, I like how you've captured the perspective, using the railway and the woman.
The WS is great too.
Very well done,
Jean-Claude

capthaddock (28640) 2008-01-16 18:42

Maybe no desert texture on this one, but equally impressive is the geometry of the tracks and the bright clothing of the figure, weel done Luca.

It looks like the Algeria trip is back on track, I just need a hote confirmation in Alger city, I contacted both Adrarbous and a hotel directly, hopefully they will repond soon. I have only a hair width of time to send my passport to Washington and receive it back in time for my flight. (oh the stress was memorable this time)

everlasting (10942) 2008-01-25 1:19

such a good pov, luca. so simple but so elegantly framed. The red cloth contrast so well with the landscape.
----------------
Back from 3 wonderful weeks in Burma stopping only in Mrauk U and Ngapali, (where I met Leo) Was just a fantastic trip.
Elaine

smash2707 (2516) 2008-01-27 18:35

Nice composition, Luca. Good perspective. I especially like the contrast of the red gown with the rest of the pale colors in the image. Well seen, Yvonne

Iva_R (1296) 2008-02-15 9:09

Re-bonjour,
Encore une que je trouve vraiment superbe. Les couleurs sont chaudes, et le drapé rouge de la robe de cette femme semble presque évoquer un mouvement de danse.
Iva