ONCF DH 416 + 404 / Oued Metlili – Taourirt

Thanks to the information from the stationmaster at Oued Metlili, we knew that a coal train would be travelling from Beni Ansar Port to Jerada that afternoon. Having taken a few photos in Sidi Harazem and Matmata during the first half of the day, I set off back into the desert. Just like the day before, the two DH 416 and 404 locomotives were pulling the goods train. We’d already been standing at this spot the day before, waiting for the coal train. Unfortunately, it had been sided in Taourirt to make way for the Al Atlas 301 bound for Oujda. I didn’t have this problem on 16 February, as the express train in question was running just under an hour late. The other problem was that I had to contend with the city traffic in Taourirt. And ever since traffic lights were installed on Boulevard Mohammed VI, the 50-second red phase can really put a spanner in the works. As I drove towards the spot, I could already see the freight train climbing the ramp in the distance. Here, too, I had to sprint to get the shot right.

Automatically translated from German. Show the original

Vehicle

DH 416, DH 404

Operator

ONCF

Photospot

Douar Ouled Ramdane, Region Oriental

Taken

16. Feb. 2026, 4:38 p.m.

Licence

All Rights Reserved

Camera position

From the ground

Photo type

Railway

Camera

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Focal length

27 mm

Aperture

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/2000s

ISO

400