Railroad workers call it “rolling stock” when they talk about trains. But when locomotives and wagons are pushed onto the sidings and forgotten there, nothing rolls or moves anymore. This “standing material” deteriorates over time and is exposed to the elements and vandalism.
“Little by little, they became part of their environment and integrated into the natural cycle of nature. Rotten beams then cause locomotive sheds to collapse, rotting wood and crumbling steel create the breeding ground for ever new biotopes that photographers and biologists alike are fascinated by. They emerge Hardly imaginable communities with their own unique aesthetic. The oft-quoted morbid charm of decay is just as attractive as the romantic train when it was still steaming through the area,” writes Johannes Glöckner in the foreword to his book “Lost Trains – Abandoned locomotives, empty halls and ghostly train stations”which has now been published by Geramond.
The journalist, photographer and filmmaker tracked down his objects on countless trips to several continents and documented the decline of the railways for the illustrated book. The result is a surreal kaleidoscope of rail traffic, line closures and stations that are no longer served by trains.
The most impressive are the photos of the steam and diesel locomotives that have now been overgrown by nature again, the anonymous cemeteries for vehicles that will never run again.
More photo series on the topic:
– Retro photography photographs from the early days of the German Federal Railway
– Places to be scary Ghost train stations in Germany: Where trains no longer come
– Estación Canfranc Royal Hideaway from Barceló: The Canfranc ghost station awakens from its slumber and becomes a luxury hotel
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