This photo was one of several images from a series of photos taken during a meet on the SNIM Railway.
Somewhere in the Sahara Desert far east of Bon Lanuar. Running for about 6 hours since stopping in Choum, our train pulls up to the west switch of a meeting point. The dynamic brakes from the two SDL40-2 locomotives howl across the desert. The air brakes squeal and sparks fly from what is left of the burnt up brake shoes as the our train comes to a stop. The stars shine bright above. The headlights of our locomotive go dark, as do the the lights in the cab. I look at my watch, it shows 4 am. Nap time for the crews I thought. I sit there in the darkness, laying as the locals do atop piles of iron ore, counting the meteorites that burn up in the atmosphere. Twenty minutes goes by, I count five. Then, the distinct hum of EMD locomotive power rumbles in the distance, echoing between the sand dunes. The headlight of the oncoming train becomes visible, spotlighting the dunes it passes, like the border guards we had been passing throughout the night on the Mauritania & Western Sahara border. I watch one of the assistant drivers slide down the ladder, flashlight in hand, preparing for a roll by inspection. From atop the iron ore loads, the silhouette of our two SDL40-2 locomotives is visible as the opposing train’s headlights guide the way into the siding. In this moment, scenes like this are why I enjoy documenting the railroads. Even internationally, the fundamentals of railroading are timeless. In the most desolate and darkest of places, there is always something to see. The shutter of my camera clicks, drowned out by the approaching hum of the soon to be passing train.
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