Indian Summer at the Koper Ramp

Prologue

The Koper Ramp captivated me relatively early on. After my first visit in 2020, I kept going back there time and again. After all, where else can you find a single-track mountain line with plenty of freight traffic and Nez Cassés?

In the autumn of 2024, shortly after my trip to Slovakia, I spent a few days in Slovenia, where, amongst other things, we went to take photographs at the Koper Ramp. Although we managed to take some great pictures, the autumn colours were rather underwhelming. The trees were either still green or already bare.

A year later, therefore, the idea of travelling to the Koper ramp in autumn took shape once again. Thanks to some clever scheduling and a public holiday, I had time for a short trip in the first week of November. I was also able to persuade Noel to join me on a joint photography trip.

Wednesday, 5 November 2025

Shortly before 8 am, the night train from Zurich pulled into Ljubljana. As I got off, I happened to bump into Christian from Basel, who had travelled to Slovenia for the same reason. As our plans were fairly similar, I assumed we’d cross paths again over the next few days.

First, I had to pick up the hire car from SIXT. I’d booked a small SUV, a VW T-Cross or similar, but there weren’t any of those left. I had the choice between an Opel Grandland for an extra 44 euros a day and a Ford Tourneo. Reluctantly, I opted for the Mini Transit and drove straight to Črnotiče on the Koper ramp.

At the first spot, I hadn’t yet managed to photograph a Brižita in ideal lighting conditions. However, it wasn’t the Nez Cassé that kicked things off, but a one-off at SŽ: the blue Taurus 541 016.

I didn’t have to wait long before I could hear a Brižita in the distance. A short while later, I’d got the shot of the 363 011 pushing the train.

Luckily for me, the photogenic block train stopped at Črnotiče station. After passing a freight train and a locomotive-hauled train, 363 019 continued its journey towards Ljubljana.

Next on the agenda was the spot near Dol pri Hrastovlje. It was only feasible for just under an hour, as by 1 pm the shadows of the trees were already stretching across the tracks. Here, too, I was hoping for a Brižita, but had to watch as all three freight trains were hauled by a Vectron. My favourite was the Vectron 1293 055, which was on its way to Koper Tovorna with a tank wagon train.

The lower the sun sank, the more intensely the autumnal trees began to glow.

From the football pitch near Dol pri Hrastovlje, I had a good view in both directions and was able to quickly get the drone into position. I wasn’t treated to much train traffic, but at least SŽ sent a tank wagon train hauled by 541 012 past.

After the sun had set, I set off for Italy, as Noel had by then arrived in Trieste. It was his great wish to take the tram to Opicina. So we arranged to meet near the terminus.

After I’d crossed the border, a major accident occurred in a tunnel. Nobody was injured, but traffic came to a complete standstill. I was stuck in the tunnel for nearly an hour and couldn’t get in touch with Noel as I was in a dead spot.

After what felt like an eternity, some staff from the motorway maintenance department turned up. We were instructed to reverse all the way to the next exit. Shortly afterwards, I was finally able to get in touch with Noel. He told me, meanwhile, that a bus was running instead of the tram anyway. If only he’d just taken the bus to Koper...

We then headed back to Koper with Noel in the Ford. At Kamarin Bar Grill, we treated ourselves to a delicious mixed grill platter. Afterwards, we bought a few snacks and drinks at Spar and drove to the Admiral Casino & Hotel near Škofije.

Thursday, 6 November 2025

The breakfast buffet was okay; the coffee was a bit better. We couldn’t stay long, though, as there was a photo opportunity at Prešnica shortly after sunrise. We didn’t have to wait ten minutes before the howl of a Brižita could be heard in the distance. Shortly afterwards, 363 016 turned onto the line towards Koper, hauling a colourful train of tank wagons.

With the Nez Cassé in the bag, it was time to move on to Zanigrad. After we’d driven up the gravel track, an orange Fiat Panda with Italian number plates was already parked in the car park. I know the driver well: Andrea from Lombardy had, once again, the same ideas as me.

Shortly afterwards, more photographers arrived at the spot. Our conversation was interrupted when a Brižita could be heard in the distance.

We’d got the shot we’d been hoping for! Nevertheless, we waited for a few more trains to pass. After the last photo, however, a suspicious silence soon fell over the tracks. From Zanigrad, we could see a car train coming from the direction of Koper turning round at Dol pri Hrastovlje and heading back towards the port. As it turned out, the container train we’d photographed earlier was causing problems and had to be towed away.

After moving to a different spot, we were able to photograph 646 004, a shunting locomotive from the port of Koper, with the broken-down train near Dol pri Hrastovlje.

Following an interruption of more than four hours, the line was reopened shortly after 2 pm. Thereafter, all the queued freight trains rolled down to the Adriatic port at block intervals. Following a Hungarian survey train, a container train, a Rocktainer block train and a tank wagon train, the fifth and final freight train was, as hoped, hauled by a Brižita. In the bend above Črnotiče, 363 018 was photographed hauling a car train on its way to Koper.

The line closure from late morning onwards had one advantage: the IC between Koper and Divača was cancelled. This meant that freight traffic could run without having to take passenger services into account. Following the five freight trains from Ljubljana, four trains were on their way up the gradient by sunset. At the classic spot near Črnotiče, we were also able to photograph, amongst others, the car train that had been forced to turn back at Dol pri Hrastovljah five hours earlier. In the most beautiful and exceptionally clear evening light, the Brižita 363 014 was photographed on its journey towards Ljubljana.

Afterwards, we went for dinner at Picerija Oštarija Tonca near Kozina. Back at the hotel, Noel wanted to visit the hotel’s own games room. So we put up with the tedious registration procedure. Unfortunately, however, the casino only had slot machines and no staffed roulette or blackjack tables, which is why Noel decided against risking any of his money.

Friday, 7 November 2025

No sooner had we sat down for breakfast than I received a call from Andrea: a blue Nez Cassé was on its way to Koper. Because of all the phone calls, Andrea had by now been given the nickname ‘Italian Callboy’. On the drive to our first spot near Zanigrad, we spotted the freight train in question and were relieved to see that it was the blue Taurus, not the blue Brižita, that was attached to the train.

Once we arrived at the spot, we didn’t have to wait long before the next goods train rolled down the ramp. The Brižita 363 006 was on its way to the port with a Škoda car train.

After the blue SŽ Taurus 541 016 had reached Koper with a freight train, the locomotive was subsequently deployed in shunting duty at the Koper ramp. At the end of a heavy coal train, this unique blue locomotive was photographed near Zanigrad.

Before the light shifted too far across the track, a third freight train was photographed near Zanigrad. Here, the Brižita 363 011 can be seen hauling a container train on its way to Koper.

As the InterCity had been cancelled the previous day, Noel was keen to photograph the IC that day. Since a Stadler FLIRT was being used on that particular service, nothing could stop Noel from doing so. A block interval ahead of the FLIRT, the SŽ Taurus 541 018 arrived hauling a freight train – which, personally, I enjoyed photographing even more.

On the journey to Prešnica, we saw an SŽ EffiShunter travelling unladen towards Buzet. At the next spot on the plain near Črnotiče, we told Christian about it. After a quick check, he said that a return journey was planned for around 1 pm. This raised the question of whether we should risk making a detour to the other line. After all, it couldn’t be ruled out that the EffiShunter was merely on a training run. Before we could make a final decision, the next freight train, hauled by the Brižita 363 032, had already appeared.

In the end, we decided to head for the Slovenian-Croatian border area. It was worth taking the risk, as two Končar railcars were being transferred to Rijeka. Between the border stations of Buzet and Ilirska Bistrica, the SŽ EffiShunter 646 003 provided pusher services for the two HŽPP railcars 7023 008 and 6012 001.

In the afternoon, we travelled to Zanigrad again, this time to view the train from the other side of the track. A Rocktainer block train had been announced from Leoben, which – as it turned out – matched the locomotive’s colour scheme perfectly. Admittedly, I gave it a bit of a tweak in Photoshop to make the block train ‘pure’. The train was a welcome change from the ‘classic’ Rocktainer ORE services, which are a constant sight on the Koper ramp.

At Dol pri Hrastovlje station, the Rocktainer block train I’d just photographed crossed paths with a tank wagon train from Koper. This was hauled by the Brižita 363 022.

Hoping to photograph one last goods train to Koper before sunset, we drove up to the plain above Črnotiče one last time that afternoon. First to arrive was a Vectron with a 300-metre-long freight consist. In the block behind it, the pushing locomotive 363 022 rolled down towards Koper.

Shortly before sunset, SŽ finally sent another freight train down the ramp, hauled by the Brižita 363 031.

That was it. After three successful days of photography at the Koper ramp, we said goodbye to the colleagues we’d met and drove to Ljubljana, where I parked the Ford Tourneo in the SIXT car park. I was only too happy to do so, as the stop at the petrol station had nearly bankrupted me. That trusty Ford guzzled ten litres per 100 kilometres!

Before setting off, we made a detour to the Baščaršija restaurant, where we treated ourselves to a large portion of Sarajevski Ćevapčići with the usual accompaniments. Well fed and well watered, we then took our seats on the night train, which took us back to Switzerland.