Morocco with a touch of green – Part 2

Sunday, 15 February 2026

15 February got off to a chaotic start, as the clocks were due to change. During the fasting month of Ramadan, the clocks are set back by one hour so that the breaking of the fast in the evening can take place an hour earlier according to local time.

As it turned out, however, the staff at the local SIXT branch had overslept and missed the time change. The two gentlemen turned up half an hour late and apologised profusely. After an Italian engineer had been served first, it was my turn and I was handed the keys to a Seat Arona.

As soon as my luggage was stowed away and my mobile phone was connected, I set off on the journey eastwards, which would take several hours.

I spent the afternoon once again in the Taourirt area. Together with the well-known photographers from England and Northern Ireland, I waited there for the Al Atlas 101 from Fez. However, it failed to turn up, as did the subsequent Al Atlas 103. When the chance of getting a photo with the headlights on had finally vanished, we moved to a different spot to photograph a train from Oujda. The Al Atlas 206 was running on time and could be photographed with the DH 414 on its journey to Casablanca.

After taking the photo of the Al Atlas 206, we were at a loss: should we wait for the Al Atlas 103 or head to the branch line to Beni Ansar in the hope of catching a freight train? According to our German colleagues, a coal train was due to run to Jerada that afternoon.

The ‘Swiss opinion’ was to head to Melg el Ouidane and see if the goods train would cross paths with the Al Atlas 101 there. As it turned out, I was right: the goods train was already at the station. After a good quarter of an hour, DH 416 and DH 404 set off and were photographed at Melg el Ouidane.

After we’d photographed the coal train at Melg el Ouidane, we drove quickly to Ahl Oued Za to capture it a second time. Unfortunately, the Al Atlas 301 threw a spanner in the works: it was so badly delayed that it didn’t pass the spot until just a few minutes before sunset. The coal train followed at block intervals, accompanied by the sunset call to prayer from the minaret. For the DH 405, carrying the express train to Oujda, the lighting conditions were, however, fantastic.

I’d booked the Hotel Le Manoir again and was given an upgrade as a thank-you for my loyalty. I’d picked up a baguette and some hummus at the Marjane Market. That was all I needed that evening – I was simply tired.

Monday, 16 February 2026

Fog had been forecast for the morning in the region around Fez. So I decided against taking a photo of the regional train from Taza to Fez in the early hours. As it turned out, the forecast was wrong and the planned photo would have worked perfectly – though the locomotive was facing the wrong way. So I did everything right after all?

For the first westbound train of the day, I travelled to Sidi Harazem. Instead of the Al Atlas 101, a freight train unexpectedly turned up at its scheduled time. I managed to photograph the DH 427 on the truss bridge with a short block train.

The Al Atlas 101’s journey from Casablanca to Beni Ansar takes more than ten hours. The express train is hauled by an Alstom Prima II as far as Fez, after which a diesel locomotive takes over. On 16 February, it was the DH 373, a GT26CW-2 built by EMD in 1974. The passenger train left Fez about half an hour late. Shortly afterwards, the DH 373 was also photographed pulling the express train on the truss bridge.

I had planned to photograph the Al Atlas 202 at the Idriss 1 reservoir that day. However, the time change associated with Ramadan threw a spanner in the works: at my chosen vantage point near Matmata, the side lighting was already very poor. I looked at a few other spots, but none of them really did the trick. Eventually, I found a position that was passable. As well as the obligatory view of the lake, it also offered a lovely flower-filled meadow. It wasn’t long before the silence at the reservoir was broken by the sound of the diesel locomotive from TZV Gredelj. The photograph shows the DH 412 hauling the day’s first express train from Oujda to Tangier.

A coal train from Beni Ansar Port to Jerada was scheduled for the afternoon. Following a successful morning in Sidi Harazem and Matmata, I therefore headed eastwards into the desert once again.

At Taourirt, I turned onto the road towards Nador and Melilla. Near Douar Lagouartia, I found a suitable spot and began waiting for the goods train. About an hour earlier than expected, the headlights of the two diesel locomotives, DH 416 and DH 404 appeared in the distance. Shortly afterwards, I took the first photo of the chase.

Chasing the freight train was to be the main event of the afternoon. After taking the first photo near Douar Lagouartia, I set off in pursuit – only to be stopped shortly afterwards by the race marshals. I received a verbal warning for what was apparently a rather significant speeding offence.

The exchange with the gendarmes didn’t last long, but by then the train had gained quite a lead. As soon as the road was clear again, I was able to overtake the coal train and take a second photograph of it at Ouled Zerrouk.

In Melg el Ouidane, the coal train was subsequently shunted onto a sidings. After crossing paths with the Al Atlas 101, it picked up speed again, as the line to Jerada was now clear. At Ouled Zaid, just before the junction near Taourirt, I managed to take the third photo of the chase.

I had already been waiting for the coal train at this spot the day before. On that occasion, it had been taken off the main line at Taourirt to make way for the Al Atlas 301 bound for Oujda. This wasn’t an issue on 16 February, as the express train in question was running just under an hour late.

Instead, I had to contend with Taourirt’s city traffic. Ever since traffic lights had been installed on Boulevard Mohammed VI, the 50-second red phase could really throw a spanner in the works. As I drove up to the spot, I could already see the freight train climbing the ramp in the distance. Once again, I had to sprint to get the shot.

After taking this photo, I decided to photograph the coal train once more near El Aïoun. Every few kilometres, I had a view of the railway line from the main road – and realised that my lead wasn’t exactly comfortable. Fortunately, the gendarmes on duty waved me through at every checkpoint. No sooner had I reached the outskirts of El Aïoun than the freight train could already be heard and seen in the distance.

After taking this photo, I called off the chase and cycled off, over the moon, towards the sunset. My destination was once again the Hotel Mia in Fez. After checking in, I popped into the Marjane Market on the opposite side of the road. Before going to bed, I drew up a rough plan for the following day.

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

As I left the hotel in the morning, the sun was shining right in my face. Full of optimism, I set off for the day. According to the weather forecast, the morning was set to be rather overcast; a veritable armada of clouds had been predicted.

However, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Instead, I soon found myself driving through thick fog, which didn’t lift even during the one-hour drive to the Idriss I reservoir. I therefore had to forget about the spot I’d planned near Oulad Ayyad. I drove there anyway, hoping that the fog would clear in the remaining 40 minutes before the train passed. I was wrong: the fog kept pushing further and further towards Matmata. I decided far too late to change my spot. For this to still work, the Al Atlas 101 would have to be delayed – but the app didn’t show any delay at all. No sooner had I parked the car than I could already hear the diesel locomotive approaching in the distance. Thanks to a sprint, I managed to get the photo anyway. Pictured is the DH 410 pulling the Al Atlas 101 on its journey from Fez to Beni Ansar.

I’d also had my eye on this little bridge near Bouhlou, close to the disused Chebabat station, during this trip to Morocco. Under normal circumstances, however, it’s a bit tricky to get a shot: the light would be perfect for the Al Atlas 503, but with this train, the locomotive is always facing the ‘wrong’ way – that is, with the long front end at the front.

The time change during Ramadan came in very handy. This meant I could photograph the day’s first express train, the Al Atlas 202, with an extra hour’s front lighting. On this day, the DH 417 was tasked with hauling the express train from Oujda to Fes.

Next on the agenda was a photo at the Idriss 1er reservoir, which was filled to the brim. The DH 420 was photographed near Oulad Ayyad whilst hauling the Al Atlas 301 from Tangier to Oujda.

Due to the time change for Ramadan, it was no longer possible to photograph the Al Atlas 204 on the two bridges at Sidi Harazem. The only train in the right light was the Al Atlas 503, although the locomotive was facing the wrong way. For want of better ideas, I nevertheless drove to the well-known truss bridge. Whilst driving through Sidi Harazem, I spotted a freight train at the station waiting to cross paths with the express train from Oujda. I decided to give the Al Atlas 503 a miss and drove back up the winding road. Just under half an hour later, the unmistakable sound of the diesel locomotive running at full throttle could be heard in the distance. Hauling a load of almost 2,000 tonnes comprising 25 grain wagons and six steel wagons, the DH 427 struggled its way up the gradient.

I then drove to the stations at Ain Sbit and Touabaa to find out where the goods train would cross paths with the Al Atlas 204. After I’d informed my British colleague that the freight train was standing at Touabaa, I joined my two German colleagues, who’d found a lovely spot near Oulad Ayyad. In the clear, beautiful evening light, the DH 427 thundered past us with its heavy freight train.

This spot above Sidi Harazem is the classic vantage point for the evening express trains travelling eastwards from Fez. On my first visit there in February 2026, however, it was immediately apparent that the famous ‘motif tree’ had literally vanished into thin air. Only a tree stump remained as a reminder of the tree that had once stood there. A beautiful flower-filled meadow, however, did not make the spot any less charming. In the golden evening light, just a few minutes before sunset, I was able to photograph the DH 417 as it pulled the Al Atlas 303 up the ramp to Ain Sbit.

I said goodbye to my German colleagues and, after a stop at Pizza Hut, drove back to my hotel in Fez. I didn’t have any real plans for the next day, as it was forecast to rain all day. Nevertheless, just in case of the unlikely event of sunshine and blue skies, I set my alarm.

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

When I looked out of the window in the morning, the sun was actually dazzling me. So I packed my suitcase and helped myself to a few more Moroccan flatbreads from the breakfast buffet. I hadn’t planned on travelling far eastwards, but taking a photo on the outskirts of Fez was certainly within the realm of possibility. Once there, however, I had to face the facts: a thick layer of haze was rolling over Fez, and the light was growing increasingly dim.

I therefore decided to switch to ‘tourist mode’ and visited the old town of Fez, including the Chouara tannery. After an enjoyable drive, I continued on to the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca in the evening, where I was able to enjoy the sunset over the Atlantic. I then treated myself to a cordon bleu taco at the nearby shopping centre before heading to the airport. There, I returned the Seat Arona and took the shuttle bus to the airport hotel – this time with the genuine intention of setting off for home the following day.

Wednesday, 18 February

Thanks to the shuttle bus, I reached the airport within five minutes. Check-in took a little longer, and I also had to wait an unusually long time at the departure counter. However, once the exit stamp was in my passport, my heart rate slowly began to settle again.

The flight was uneventful and smooth, and we landed at Milan Malpensa on time. As I was one of the few passengers who benefited from the ‘fast-track’ EU/EFTA/CH, it wasn’t long before I was on the S-Bahn to Lugano. Thanks to CBT and GBT, I was home a good three hours later.

Epilogue

Looking back, I’m very glad I went on this trip. At the reservoir and in the unusually green countryside, I took some photographs that are unlikely to be replicated in quite the same way any time soon.

I was exceptionally lucky on the diesel line east of Fez. As well as the regular express services, I managed to take a surprising number of photos of freight trains. I was able to follow the coal train to Jerada and, by chance, caught two different freight trains around Sidi Harazem. The outcome was quite different on the phosphate railway to Khouribga: I didn’t manage to take a single photo of a goods train there.

After I returned home, it emerged that the first new diesel locomotives from CRRC had set off on test runs. The first of these new locomotives are now already operating regularly in Morocco. This is likely to mean not only the end of the DH 350 and DH 370 series; the comparatively young DH 400 are also expected to be relegated to secondary services.

In any case, this won’t be my last visit to Morocco. With a view to the FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2030, virtually the entire ONCF fleet is being renewed. Anyone who still wants to photograph the ‘old’ ONCF would therefore be well advised to plan a trip sooner rather than later.