А small dream come true

Hello, today I want to tell/show you about my profession.

As a little kid, my dream was to become a machinist when I grow up. I often went to the train station to see the trains. I was admiring them so much.

Here I am on a steam locоmotive, only for the picture 😁:

Years later, this dream became a reality. I have been working in the sector for 15 years now and I would say that I still like my profession very much. I work in the freight services division. Before every shift, we go through a briefing and alcohol test. We inspect our locomotives for defects and if everything is in order we leave the service depot. The shifts are 12 hours long, while there is no physical strain, it is mentally challenging due to various reasons - old and depreciated locomotives, poor infrastructure, the sudden appearance of people and cars on the tracks, and many other unforeseeable factors. The work is in shifts, including holidays.

Despite it all, the pleasure of driving long and heavy trains is indescribable.

The locomotive I usually drive is a Skoda 40 series electric locomotive with a power of about 4200 hp and a weight of 84 tonnes. It can pull around 2000 tonnes train composition. If the freight is heavier, another locomotive can be attached.

My work does not interfere with my other passion - photography. As an amateur photographer, I always have a camera with me. Many of our routes are going through picturesque areas, and there are opportunities to capture some nice shots.