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Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam Zuid, Wilhelminapier, Rijnhavenbrug, Strandway (uncut)
There’s something ominous about this scene. As if the big BosKalis trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) ‘Strandway' is ramming thru the Rijnhaven bridge (2012 Quist Wintermans Architecten).
But there actually is some ominousness at play here. Not in the context of the bridge, but in that of the good old Rijnhaven (1895) itself. The Strandway’ is entering it for its..............redevelopment. Of course, this is Rotterdam ;-)
Some background: This harbour was created in 1895 to offer shelter for Rhine vessels (rijnaken), when during the winter these vessels could not operate due to the freezing of the rivers.
After the creation of the Rijnhaven (Rhine harbour), the transit freight traffic to Rotterdam continued to increase and the new Rijnhaven was made suitable for large sea-going vessels by deepening it. As planned, the Rijnhaven became an important port for the transhipment of bulk goods 'on stream' - the sea-going vessels were moored on buoys, separate from the quay and their cargo was moved directly to rhine ships. In de 70/80s of the last century, the Rijnhaven lost its transhipment function and was brought back to its old function. In 2015, the rhine ship berths were moved to, among others, the Maashaven. Enabling the redevelopment of the old harbour.
It will be partly (30%) filled up to enable the realization of amongst others an office/apartment building strip with up to 200m high edifices, called the 'Skyline Posthumalaan' with an adjacent park and city beach. And there will be the floating Rijnhavenpark too here.
In the BG is a sliver of HNY (former HAL head office), Mecanoo’s Montevideo (2005) and Foster’s World Port Centre (2000).
This somewhat silly ".7xEF36mm f/1.2" in the camera/lens description, flags the use of the Viltrox Canon to Lumix mount adaptor / speedbooster.
This is number 253 of Urban Frontier.
BNSF 8579 is pushing the back end of a long freight train through the historic north river industrial district in Saint Louis, MO. USA. We are just a few hundred feet west of the Mississippi River. You can see the Gateway Arch to the south and a rendition of it on the painted jersey barrier in the foreground. The mostly abandoned warehouse has 250k square feet and is for sale for $2M.
A EB Manifest train rolls thru downtown Bartlett, IL during one of the numerous snowfalls in the 2013/14 winter
From out looking in, taking a step away to think and to appreciate what lies within.
Location:The Black Club
For Steam Sunday here's another recent one from my trip down to Pennsylvania for the best steam show in the east.
This trip was the fourth Iron Horse Ramble of the 2025 season and the second to travel from Nesquehoning north over the Lehigh Division mainline to Pittston, this time to coincide with the annual tomato festival in the latter town. The sold out 14 car train consisted of a HEP generator car, five standard coaches, a diner, two crown class coaches, two dome cars, two pullman sleepers, and two private OCS cars for owner and president Andy Muller Jr. and his guests. Leading the train is RBMN 2102 a 4-8-4 which was built in the Reading Company's own shops in 1945 using parts from a former 76-foot Class I-10sa consolidation 1923 Baldwin locomotive. The RDG created a fleet of 30 middleweight engines in the T-1 series capable of both freight and passenger assignments.
Here is the return trip back to Nesquehoning just a few minutes after its 5 PM departure from Pittston. The train has made a big horseshoe through the backyards of the Wyoming Valley and is now oriented southwest offering perfect light. They are charging past the signal through the interlocking at MP MC175.5 on modern day Reading and Northern's Lehigh Division Mainline, the former Lehigh Valley Railroad freight mainline. This interlocking marks the division point between the Lehigh Division main and the Susquehanna Branch and also guarded the crossovers and connecting track to Norfolk Southern's Sunbury Line main which is out of sight less than 200 ft to the left. This connection dates from 1973 and provided a direct link from the former Delaware and Hudson (modern day NS) and Lehigh Valley (modern day RBMN) mainlines and was used for decades to provide D&H and later CP access via trackage rights to Newark and Philadelphia. Alas when CP sold half of the D&H to NS their trains disappeared forever, and then in 2019 NS rerouted their last thru train when the Allentown hump yard was shuttered as a result of PSR driven changes and today nothing uses this connection.
Dupont, Pennsylvania
Saturday August 23, 2025
A NS stacker rolls through the fog westbound at Tipton, Pennsylvania under the signal bridge not long before sunrise - November 3, 2017.
Homily071623OT15Sunday
Wow, what a thought provoking and long Gospel reading. I was going to read the optional shorter Gospel reading but then my homily would have been longer. In the longer version of the Gospel, we get a beautiful parable and then an explanation of how we are to interpret it. It is not hard to to understand.
Our Gospel reading begins…”Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.” Already, I can relate with Jesus desiring rest. If you are like me…I find great peace in the rhythm of water and the sound waves. But his moment of peace, turns into an opportunity to teach the large crowd that gathers around HIM. Our first reading gives us a context for “Parable of the Sower,” that God’s word will not return to HIM empty but will achieve the end for which it was sent. May, I add whether we like it or not…whether we are aware that we are participating or not. God is speaking to us a variety of ways which includes through; the church, Holy Scripture, creation and others. The Gospel acclamation for today states it quite clearly: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower, all who come to him will have life forever.”
The question that arises is whether we are listening or not. Today’s parable gives us four degrees of listening. Theses scenarios are simple and engaging. Let’s talk about each for a moment.
First, we have the seed that is landing in a hard and well worn path. These individuals hear the word but do not understand. I love birds…so every other day, I sprinkle bird seed a long a cinder block wall in my backyard. The birds come and feast on the seed. The path Jesus is talking about must be very hard and compact. Seeds will be smashed or gobbled up. At no point is the seed allowed to sprout, the heart is left empty.
Secondly, we have the seed that is being tossed on rocky ground and has no soil for it to sprout. These individuals receives the word with joy, but when challenged fall away. I have met many people in RCIA throughout the years who have had the zeal of a convert. Many fall away rather quickly over what I call petty issues. It can be very discouraging, especially when it is stressed in our teaching that even faithful Catholics can say mean things…we are still very human, but our relationship with Jesus is the reason we assemble.
The third scenario feels like the one category that we can all relate to or even find ourselves being challenged by. The seed that is landing among thorns. Theses individuals hear the word, but worldly cares…choke any growth that takes hold, and the plant bares no fruit. One thorn I constantly read about is how believers in Christ live in a fantasy world. No, I say. Why is it that Hollywood only gives us superhero movies. I read recently that most people have what is called, “Superhero fatigue.” Where is the truth to be found? Not in our Politics, Not in our insane consumerism, Not in our social media accounts. As believers we are in a reasonable position to say who is leaving in a fantasy world?
Finally, there the seed landing on rich soil. These individuals hear the word and understands it and put it into practice. I believe most of us here have received the word on the rich soil of our hearts and we are baring much fruit in how we act and speak to others. We are listening constantly!
Carmelite, Ruth Burrows, in her book Essence of Prayer states:
“But faith, to be real faith, is incessant, always operating, governing the entirety of life with nothing whatever left out: governing our thinking, our point of view, the forming of judgements, our actions.”
Divine love offers itself in the sacrament of the present moment. The accent is not on what I can give to God, how I can serve God, but `what do YOU want me to do?' and the answer is in front of our noses, in what needs doing here and now, rising out of the actual situation we are in.
up until this point in the journey we think that
we could go back, we could turn around
- but in reality -
eyes up, chin forward - Push Thru
For this week's Steam Sunday here's another frame of this scene from what has become an annual fall pilgrimage to the best steam show in the east. Reading and Northern 2102 is seen on the first of three fall foliage round trips from Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe and return.
She is seen here charging thru Nesquehoning at about MP 117 on the modern day RBMN's Reading Division mainline, the former Central Railroad of New Jersey Railroad branch built in 1870 as Nesquehoning Valley Railroad Company. Rsing prominently in the background downtown on Railroad Street can be seen the blue onion domes of St John the Babtist Orthodox Church. The church of Byzantine design was built in 1936 by Andrew Gerber of Scranton who used girders of World War I vintage, and it has no posts or supports under the huge dome and main edifice of the church.
The buildings at left were once the KME fire truck plant which closed in 2022 but has since been purchased by the railroad and is now home to multiple departments and maintenance facilities for on and off track equipment. To learn more check out this article: www.republicanherald.com/news/reading-northern-nesquehoni...
This stout 4-8-4 was built in the Reading Company's own shops in 1945 and from the railroad's corporate website here is a bit of history:
The company, using parts from a former 76-foot Class I-10sa Consolidation 1923 Baldwin locomotive, created a fleet of 30 middleweight engines in the T-1 series. The goal of building these locomotives was to be able to haul both freight and passenger traffic along the rails.
The original Baldwin-built I-10 class, which were large 2-8-0 locomotives, would become the T-1 class, converted to much larger 4-8-4 engines by redesigning and lengthening the Boiler and replacing the Frame and Wheels with brand new parts. Baldwin supplied the parts, but the rebuilding was done in the Reading Railroad’s own Shops right in Reading, PA.
Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania
Saturday October 5, 2024