Finse

Winter hitting hard in Finse, looks like something from Hoth in the Empire Strikes Back, wait was filmed there...

Christmas tree up and down and up and down... due to to wind. Here it is being righted again by some kids with saucer type sleds...

And down again a few moments later...

and 15 minutes later, webcam set to night mode, ... a train!

 And 1/2 hour later we hold hands and dance around tree...

Finse – 02.09.2013

First time back in Finse in ages and was able to catch a freight heading for Bergen and see the first traces of slushy snow on the platform... Welcome back.

Finse – 22.09.2012

First new snow on the mountain tops, old snow still hanging about, beautiful sunshine on this second day of Fall in Finse, Norway.

Plow Flies Through Finse

Just seen flying through Finse, a little plow/MOW unit at 1600hrs CET. 

And another one this evening at 2330hrs CET.

A nice late fall day in Finse

16:40 local time a nice fall day in Finse... The snow is blowing, it's cold, but the Christmas tree is up...

Webcams - But wait, there are more...

Railcam in Mierlo-Hout, Netherlands

Railcam started in 2001, as one of the subjects of the website cofoto.nl. Since July 2006 the url has changed to Railcam.nl. It's a famous hotspot, with a daily high number of visitors from every country in the world, and more importantly trains. The camspot is just 30 meters away of the railway crossing at Mainstreet/Mierloseweg in Mierlo-Hout, (municipality Helmond). Railcam 1 is installed in North western direction. Sound is also included so you can hear when the crossing gates start to close.

Plattling - Bahnhof LIVE

Plattling station is a central railway hub in eastern Lower Bavaria in southern Germany that sees a nice mix of traffic throughout the day. Here's an overview of the yard via Google Maps. No sound but a great overview.

Finse – 19.10.2011

In the beautiful crisp late October darkness the night train from Bergen to Oslo pulls into Finse... This could be Syracuse, any day now... Go to the webcam here.

Beautiful Day in Finse

A beautiful day in Finse, Norway with lots of people milling about and mountain bikers coming and going...

(Almost) Land of the Midnight Sun

Finse on June 8 at 11 pm Norwegian time... Almost midnight sun.

And here this one on June 10 at 1:30 am Norwegian time.

Trainspotting Finse, Norway

The web is great for trainspotting, making accessible unusual venues all over the world. One I discovered and got hooked on during the fall of 2010 is the Finse small station on the Bergensbanen in Norway.

 

Below the location in Google Maps.

View Larger Map

From Wiki, the Bergenbanen was a major engineering feat of the last century linking the capitol Oslo with Bergen on the North Sea coast in the west. The Bergen Line (Norwegian: Bergensbanen), also called the Bergen Railway, is a 371 kilometres (231 mi) standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway.^[1] The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, where the passenger trains go, a distance of 496 kilometres (308 mi).^[7] It is the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe,^[8] crossing the Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 metres (4,058 ft) above sea level.^[6].

Despite its remoteness, Finse is easily accessible and enjoyable from the comfort of ones home via the webcam that provides 24/7 real time video of good quality. The webcam can be accessed by clicking on the screengrab below. Lots of people watching too given the high traffic due to this area being a cross-country skiing mecca. An article in the Telegraph provides a lot more information about the region from a tourist standpoint. LOTS going on there including conferences....[Edit: Apparently the Hoth scenes in the 2nd Star Wars flick, the real ones not the computerized ones, were filmed in the area. Makes sense...]

Click image below to access Webcam

Finse Stasjon webcam page. Clock at bottom left counts down until departure of next passenger train. They don't stick around long. Crossing lights flash slowly (esp. when dark) increasing in frequency when a train is heading towards the station. Trains to Oslo appear from "tunnel" (man-made to protect turnouts...), trains to Bergen from the lower right.

The line is electrified and features a nice variety of modern stock, including the futuristic Class 73 emus.Also seen are various MOW trains, including plows, although the trains themselves seem to be doing most of the work and trains are seldom late, even in the worst weather. Below some images of the variety.

Class El 18 of the NSB on a dreary winter's day and heading towards Bergen.

Class El 18 of the NSB on a beautiful winter's day and heading towards Oslo.

Class 73 EMU, run as 4-car and 2x 4-car consists.

Flashes from the catenary of the night train to Oslo during a blinding blizzard. The train was on time...

CargoNet El 17

Class CE 119 of CargoNet, the Bombardier TRAXX (DB Class 185...)

Unloading the weekly supply train. There are no roads to this area...

Various MOW trains.

JBV (JernBaneVerket, the Norwegian National Rail Administration) Di3a NoHAB diesel

 

Can't wait until the longer days of spring and summer,

nevermind some nicer weather.

Enjoy!