ONCF DH 416 + 404 / Melg el Ouidane – Taourirt

After services on the diesel line had run without any major disruptions for several days, things went pear-shaped on 15 February. All express trains were running with significant delays, some of which exceeded 1½ hours. This was highly unusual for the ONCF, which has a better track record for punctuality than many Central European state railways. After managing to photograph the Al Atlas 206, coming from Oujda (وجدة), near Taourirt (تاوريرت), I was at a loss: should we wait for the delayed trains from Fez (فاس) or head to the branch line to Beni Ansar (بْني نصار) in the hope of photographing a freight train? According to the stationmaster, a coal train was due to run to Jerada (جرادة) that afternoon. However, we had no precise information. The risk of missing the goods train whilst moving to a new vantage point was not insignificant. Yet when we reached the spot near Melg El Ouidane (ملقى الويدان), the goods train was visible in the distance at the station. After passing the delayed Al Atlas 101, the two locomotives, DH 416 and DH 404, picked up speed, and shortly afterwards the cameras clicked. We then followed the train all the way to Taourirt (تاوريرت), but the ONCF traffic control cost us the shot. The freight train stood in the station for over an hour, waiting to be overtaken by the Al Atlas 301, which was also running late. As the muezzin’s call to prayer rang out at sunset, the coal train thundered up the ramp.

Automatically translated from German. Show the original

Vehicle

DH 416, DH 404

Operator

ONCF

Photospot

Melga el Ouidane, Region Oriental

Taken

15. Feb. 2026, 4:14 p.m.

Licence

All Rights Reserved

Camera position

From the ground

Photo type

Railway

Camera

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Focal length

50 mm

Aperture

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/2000s

ISO

640