Os 4624 Nové Zámky - Bratislava hl.st has just left Bratislava-Vinohrady.

For a location normally busy with freight traffic, this was one of three trains photographed here between 1400 and 1800 which was rather disappointing!

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A clean ZSSK Cargo 383209 'Martin' has not long left the Bratislava docks complex with its rake of open box wagons, seen here passing through Bratislava Ružinov, heading towards Nove Mesto.

This was a very lucky shot as the hourly passenger train had only just passed and a big band of cloud obscured the sun five seconds or so after the loco passed me.

Tags:   Vectron Siemens Güterzug

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The mainstay of domestic freight traffic in Slovakia for national operator ZSSK Cargo is the Skoda S499.0 "Laminatka" which dates from the mid to late 1960s. So called because the body is made from laminate material, these iconic machines unfortunately have a tendency to catch fire and burn well as a result.

ZSSKC 240038, dating from 1968, is pictured here at Bratislava-Ruzinov with a lengthy mixed freight train which it took over at Petržalka.

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383212 was part of the initial five Siemens Vectron machines that were delivered to Budamar Logistics in 2019.

Since then, three further batches of five have been delivered, all carrying progressively more colourful liveries with the latest being illustrated by 193808 being conveyed behind the train loco.

The train is a diverted Pn 47725 Ziltendorf (D) - Senica (SK) seen here passing Devínska Nová Ves heading towards Bratislava.

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These late 1960s built Class 240 Skoda 'Laminatka' machines are supposed to have been long since retired from hauling main line passenger train in Slovakia for national operator ZSSK. Nevertheless, they still cling on to life and in the last few weeks have been brought back out in a significant way - some days has seen 7 of them out working trains - to bolster the passenger locomotive fleet.

240092 seen here approaching Bratislava-Vinohrady with REx 1874 Šaľa - Bratislava hl.st and 240119 on the rear ready for the return working.

Of note, the train is passing through a neutral section and in various countries in Eastern Europe, drivers tend to drop the pantograph giving the unusual sight of a train with no means of powering itself. The practice, however, doesn't seem totally universal as other trains passing here didn't drop the pantograph.

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