Tour Report: Freight Depot S.

After exploring the abandoned railyard, we made our way to the next location. This was the town's old freight depot, which is just a few minutes away from the railyard.

I had been there a few years earlier, but at the time most of the buildings were safely locked up.

Now, however, the perforated panels had been removed from many of the buildings, the doors had been kicked in and the windows broken, so we had access everywhere. Unfortunately, so did many vandals and sprayers, who had obviously already made their way around the site.

However, we weren't expecting anything really spectacular when we chose this place, so we weren't disappointed. Of course, there were still a few nice motifs, so we didn't have to leave empty-handed.

To find out about the history of this place and to check out all the photos, click the button below.

Tour Report: Railyard S.

After we finished our tour through the abandoned castle, we got on the way and drove towards the Harz Mountains where a very dear friend was expecting us for a nice barbecue on the campfire. It was still relatively early, and the weather was beautifully sunny, so we decided to make another stop at an abandoned railyard that wasn't really on the way, but a detour of about an hour was acceptable for us.

It took only about half an hour on the Autobahn, and we found a regular parking space right across the street from the abandoned railyard. To be honest, I had expected this place to be harder to get into, since it is located right next to an active railway area (and at the time of our visit, I hadn't seen any new photos for a while) - but it actually was really easy.

The fence had been removed on the backside of one of the engine houses, so that we could just walk onto the premises. Just as quickly, we found an open door and started taking photos.

At that point, we realized just how close we were to the active parts of the area, because railway workers were walking right past us with only the walls and wooden doors of the engine house between them and us.

From that point on, we tried not only to be quiet, but to be REALLY quiet!

From the first locomotive shed which was built mostly from bricks and wood, we moved West to the second engine house, which was a bit newer and built from reinforced concrete and steel, and covered with a wooden roof. The concrete structure allowed for larger windows and more light - and roll-up gates made from metal and glass that were almost completely transparent. Luckily, the workers had moved to a more remote location, so we weren't spotted - but it was still a bit exciting :)

Both engine houses had a unique character due to the different materials used and different lighting conditions. One had a warmer, more antique mood, whereas the other was colder and more modern, which I've tried to include in my editing of the photos.

Following the exploration of the locomotive sheds, we turned our attention to the administration buildings and smaller workshops. Of course, there had been a lot of vandalism, but there was also a fair share of nice decay for us to enjoy. The last building that we explored was especially enjoyable. The sun bathed the inside of the building in a yellow, autumnal light, emphasized by the yellow and blue paint on the walls - it was beautiful!

This place was well worth the detour - and we still were on time for our barbecue on top of the mountain :)

To find out about the history of this place and to check out all the photos, click the button below.

Railyard E.

The day after we visted the old Soviet military depot, my wife and I met up with our friends Nordgriller Urbex and Fotodokumentationen zu "Verlassene Plätze" to visit one or the other nice spot.
My wife and I got picked up and we all met up at a public parking lot near the first spot - an abandoned railyard that used tp be part of one the largest freight depots in Europe.
The access was more than easy - the area was not really fenced in and we were able to walk right onto the premises.
We had to be careful not to be seen, because a part of the area is still in use and there were workers running around the place.
But everything went well, we went from one building to the other and everything was fairly uneventful until this one moment...
I had just climbed through a window into one of the buildings and my wife was trying to hand me my camera and the tripod when the boards below here gave in and her entire right leg disappeared into the ground. At the same time, the arm holding the tripod with the camera shot up in the air in the heroic attempt to save the valuable equipment. Turns out both my wife and the camera were unharmed and there was in fact a better way to enter the building...
After about two hours, we left the place to head for the next location.


To find out more about the history of this great spot and to check out all the photos from this fascinating place, click the button below.

Railyard G.

The railyard that we had chosen as our second location before driving home was only a couple of minutes away from the repair factory. A short ride across town and we were there.
After a few minutes, we had spotted a way in. We parked down the street and walked back to the access. We just had to walk past a couple of buildings, down some stairs, and we were on the premises.
What we found was not particularly spectacular, but due to the great weather, we managed to get some nice shots out of an otherwise rather normal railyard.
What made this excursion special for me was that it once again showed me one of the great sides of this hobby. Coming from the city, I rarely get the chance to see animals in their natural surroundings, especially endangered ones.
The appearance of endangered species in front of me while exploring an abandoned building is something that I really like. It shows how powerful nature is in conquering places that people have left alone.
In this particular place I saw a fire salamander and a grass snake. They each quickly disappeared into the undergrowth, so there was no time to get a photo, but it was a unique moment for me nonetheless.


To find out more about the history of this old railyard and to check out all the photos from this nice spot, click the button below.

Railyard W.

The weather hadn't been too good since we'd left the hotel that morning, but the rain really started as we were leaving the airfield to go to the next location, a Soviet garrison in the middle of the city.
Unfortunately, that place has been turned into a construction site and cameras have been set up all over, so there was no chance and we drove off to the next spot.
The next possible location was an old railyard whose earliest beginnings date back to the early 1840s.
We found a place to park near the location, but the rain got worse. So we put on some rain clothing and went on anyway. After a few minutes we got to the railyard and found a way in right away.
The first part we explored had a roof, so the rain didn't matter anymore, and as we went on, the rain stopped and even the sun came out!
The railyard was huge, with lots of buildings to explore and two engine houses. One of those doesn't have a roof anymore and nature has really done a great job conquering it.


To find out more about the history of this railyard and to check out all photos from this interesting place, click the button below!

To find out more about the history of this railyard and to check out all photos from this interesting place, click the button below!