Railroad workers call it “rolling stock” when they talk about trains. But when locomotives and wagons are pushed onto the siding and forgotten there, nothing rolls or moves anymore. This “standing material” deteriorates over time, is exposed to weather and vandalism.
“Little by little, they became a part of their environment and integrated into the natural cycle of nature. Rotten beams then cause engine sheds to collapse, while decaying wood and crumbling steel create the breeding ground for ever new biotopes that photographers and biologists are equally fascinated by. They emerge Hardly imaginable communities with their very own aesthetics. The much-cited morbid charm of decay is just as appealing as the romantic little train when it was still steaming through the area,” writes Johannes Glöckner in the foreword of his new book “Lost Trains – Abandoned locomotives, empty halls and spooky 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 decay of the railways for the illustrated book. The result is a surreal kaleidoscope of rail traffic, of line closures and of stations that are no longer served by trains.
Most impressive are the shots of the steam and diesel locomotives, which have since been overgrown by nature again, the anonymous cemeteries for vehicles that will never set off again.
More photo series on the topic:
– Retro photography Photographs from the early days of the Deutsche Bundesbahn
– Places to scare Geisterbahnhöfe in Germany: Where no more trains come
– Estación Canfranc Royal Hideaway from Barceló: The Canfranc ghost station awakens from its slumber and becomes a luxury hotel
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