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Changes

What has changed on RailPics, by version.

v0.3.3 Improved shade calculation and SEO

September 2026

  • Shade calculation accounts for distant terrain and tree canopies where suitable ground data are available. The timeline and loading feedback have been improved.
  • Search engines can discover photos through cleaner internal links, direct page numbers and more focused tag directories. The gallery shows more photos per page and loads the first image earlier.
  • Photospot pages no longer show the most frequently photographed time range.

v0.3.2 Minor bug fixes

September 2026

  • A photospot's editing mode can be closed again: “Close editing” now sits right beside “Save”.
  • Jumping to a place on a page no longer lands behind the header.
  • A photographer's photospots open the map directly.
  • New regions and named railway lines as tags: Prättigau, Fürstenland, Simmental, Emmental, Malcantone, Glarnerland, Turiec, Västra stambanan, Fès–Oujda and Neves-Corvo.

v0.3.1 Google Maps on the map, and a map to pick the location when uploading

September 2026

  • The big map runs on Google Maps: Google's cartography, satellite view and zoom, with the familiar layers, tools and photospot previews on top.
  • When uploading and editing, the location can be picked on a map again. It is the same map as the big one, with the same layers and photospots; clicking a photospot takes its position.
  • The front page and the location previews on photo and photospot pages show Google maps.
  • A photospot shows the coordinates of its preview photo, on the map too.
  • The fine lines between tiles on the satellite view are gone, and a photospot preview can be closed again over a dark picture.
  • Drone photos are no longer given a description of “default”.

v0.3 A new home page and a map page of its own

August 2026

  • The home page is an overview again: a preview of the map, plus the newest trip reports, photospots and photos.
  • The map has an address of its own and stays one click away under “Karte” in the header. It does everything it did before.
  • Saved links to the map keep working.

v0.2.2 Map: sun position, time bar and statistics

August 2026

  • The sun position ring now stays put when the map is panned.
  • Shadow calculation messages sit above the time bar, which keeps its height.
  • The time bar is wider, and on a phone the time, date and sun readings have fixed places.
  • The map tutorial can be dismissed for good, across devices for signed-in members.
  • Statistics show exact values, and the header search offers better suggestions.
  • Map links and map handling on a phone have been corrected.

v0.2.1 Sign-in, notifications and regions

August 2026

  • Google sign-in and secure linking of existing accounts are integrated.
  • Email verification, welcome messages, activity reminders and the weekly recap are ready in both languages and configurable in the profile.
  • Travel reports have a new editor, cover photos, safe links and the same comments as photos and photospots.
  • Profiles, licences and Flickr links have been expanded; approved members are easier to find through site search and search engines.
  • The photospot map and planning tools are introduced more clearly; map zoom and the mobile footer have been smoothed out.
  • Regional tags cover more well-known railway lines and US subdivisions.
  • Security checks, private original files and automated CI checks have been strengthened.

v0.2 Statistics, moderation and polish

August 2026

  • Personal statistics page: one chart with a selectable series, a date range slider and view counting
  • Drone shots can be deselected on the map; roads on the satellite view are quieter and switchable
  • Replies to comments and @mentions with notifications
  • Administration reorganised: definitions for operators, classes and vehicle families, a user directory, a moderation log
  • Reworked appearance: clean edges, stronger typography, a new accent colour
  • Sun position on the photo page, photo replacement in the editor, and many small fixes

v0.1 Public release

August 2026

The first public version. RailPics is a platform for railway photography: photos with vehicle and location details that group themselves into photospots and appear on a map.

  • Upload photos, with location and time taken from the EXIF data
  • A map of every photospot, with map layers, sun position and light angle
  • A gallery with search and filters by operator, class, vehicle family, country and camera position
  • Photospots, named after the place they are in
  • Travel reports with your own photos embedded in them
  • Profiles, comments and personal statistics
  • Import from Flickr groups
  • German and English, light and dark appearance