The Flickr Technik Image Generatr

The maintenance of the facilities also includes cleaning. Chur station of the RhB Arosabahn. Switzerland, April 28, 2025. (4/4)

The Arosabahn does not run on its own train path within the city of Chur, but rather like a tram on a publicly accessible road. The technical equipment must be installed under the road surface. Under these covers is a Thales axle counter AzLM at Chur station. From a signal box perspective, the train is signal-controlled. The road signals for cars and pedestrians are integrated, but the signal box cannot detect when a road user behaves incorrectly. The train driver must therefore also drive by sight. Switzerland, April 28, 2025. (1/4)

An RhB axle counter built into the street at Chur station. These facilities are maintained by the SBB. This also includes the switches that I have documented previously. Switzerland, April 28, 2025. (2/4)

In the shaft next to it there is a communications unit is hidden. So under the yellow hoods there are not just simple cable distributors. For security reasons, I have to hold back with technical details. It's quite complex. Switzerland, April 28, 2025. (3/4)

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

Acrylic marker and ink on paper 9.85" x 13.85" May 9, 2025. www.saatchiart.com/en-jp/art/Drawing-Foroyingar-Reconnais...

southern festoon on crimson clover

This machine shoots, is programmable with punchcards, and needs catchfences for low flying ships, so they don't get away in case they derail.

A tram car of the city of Lisbon’s famous tram line 28E on an empty run passing through the steeply ascending Rua dos Cavaleiros (in English: "Street of the Knights"), Lisbon, Portugal

Some background information:

Lisbon's tram line 28E is one of six tram lines in the city. It connects the distinct areas of Graça, Alfama, Baixa, and Lapa in downtown Lisbon with the neighborhood of Prazeres. The historic tramcars used on the line, the exceptionally steep sections for an adhesion railway, the tight curves, and the route through narrow old-town streets have all contributed to the line’s popularity, especially among tourists. Like the circular line 12E, with which it shares part of the route, line 28E has become particularly beloved.

The "famous line 28" is now considered one of the most iconic sights in the Portuguese capital, and riding it is seen as a "must-do" when visiting Lisbon. However, the tram cars are always crowded, which is why getting on them at the stops is almost impossible and can take up hours of waiting. Originally launched in 1928 between Rossio and Estrela, the line was gradually extended to cover much of old Lisbon. In 1984, a major network reform gave it its current form, combining segments of older tram lines into a single east–west route through the city’s hills and narrow streets.

Due to the extremely narrow roads in areas like Alfama—sometimes just four meters wide—buses cannot operate there. That’s why, unlike many other tram lines that were replaced by buses, line 28E remains essential and continues to run with classic electric trams. Since the 1990s, the line has used one-way trams with turning loops at each end, removing the need for trams with driver cabins at both ends.

With an estimated population of almost 568,000 within its administrative limits and 2,961,177 within its metropolitan area, Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Situated on the northern shore of the Tejo river near its estuary, Lisbon’s port can be called at by ships of any size.

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world and the second-oldest European capital city (after Athens). Although the first fortifications on Lisbon's castle hill are known to be no older than the 2nd century BC, recent archaeological finds have shown that Iron Age people already occupied the site from the 8th to 6th centuries BC. The Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians, are said to have called the place Alis Ubbo and used it as the only major natural harbor on the Iberian Atlantic coast. There are also evidences that Lisbon once was a Greek city, but its Greek name is unknown.

Under Roman rule, starting around 205 BC, the city was initially called Olisipo. In 48 BC, the town was granted Roman municipal rights and subsequently became known as Colonia Felicitas Iulia, growing into a larger town in the province of Lusitania. From 409 AD, barbarian tribes advanced onto the Iberian Peninsula from Gaul. During the late antique migration period, Alans, Suebi, Vandals, and Visigoths tried to occupy Lisbon.

In 719, Lisbon was conquered by Muslim Moors and later became part of the Emirate of Córdoba. The city, now known as al-Ushbuna, experienced its first major boom. During the Caliphate of Córdoba, the city was one of the most important ports, while Christian Galicians and Leonese repeatedly attempted to seize it. In 844, Vikings ravaged Lisbon and its surroundings.

In the 11th century, Lisbon was part of the Moorish Emirate of the Aftasids from Badajoz. Starting in 1093, Count Raymond of Armous, a younger son of Duke William I of Burgundy, was given rule over Galicia by King Alfonso VI of León. From there, he launched campaigns against the Moors in the south, temporarily managing to occupy Lisbon.

At the beginning of the 11th century, the south of the Iberian Peninsula was still under Moorish control. But in 1147, in the course of the so-called Reconquista, the Siege of Lisbon led to the city's final capture by the Portuguese under Alfonso I. In 1255, Lisbon became the capital city of the new Portuguese territory and in 1290, the first Portuguese university was founded in the town. During the last centuries of the Middle Ages, Lisbon expanded substantially and became an important trading post with both Northern European and Mediterranean cities.

When the Spaniards had expelled the Jews from Spanish territory, many of them fled to Lisbon. But even in Portugal they either had to convert to Christianity or leave. In 1506, an anti-semitic movement among the Old Christians of Lisbon culminated in a massacre lasting four days in which some 1,000 to 4,000 New Christian residents, converted descendants of Sephardic Jews, are estimated to have been killed.

Most of the Portuguese expeditions of the Age of Discovery set out from Lisbon during the period from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century, including Vasco da Gama's expedition to India in 1498. In the 16th century, Lisbon’s golden era began: The city was the European hub of commerce between Africa, India, the Far East and later, Brazil, and acquired great riches by exploiting the trade of spices, slaves, sugar, textiles and other goods. This period also saw the rise of the exuberant Manueline style in architecture, which left its mark in many 16th-century monuments, including the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery.

The succession crisis of 1580 initiated a sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal and Spain under the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1589, Lisbon was the target of an incursion by the English Armada led by Francis Drake. The Portuguese Restoration War, which began with a coup d'état organised by the nobility and bourgeoisie in Lisbon in 1640 amd ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, restored Portuguese independence.

In the early 18th century, gold from Brazil allowed King John V to sponsor the building of several Baroque churches and theatres in the city. Prior to the 18th century, Lisbon had experienced several significant earthquakes: eight in the 14th century, five in the 16th century, and three in the 17th century. But the earthquake of 1755 was the most davastating one. It destroyed 85 percent of the city's structures, including the Ribeira Palace and the hospital Real de Todos os Santos. An an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Lisbon residents of a total population estimated of 200,000 to 275,000 wer killed. And in the coastal areas north of Lisbon even more people were killed by the following tsunami.

This catastrophic event shocked the whole of Europe and left a deep impression on its collective psyche. However, the city was rebuilt quickly and largely according to the plans of prime minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the 1st Marquis of Pombal. He decided to demolish what remained after the earthquake and rebuild the city centre in accordance with principles of modern urban design. It was reconstructed in an open rectangular plan with two great squares: the Praça do Rossio and the Praça do Comércio.

In the first years of the 19th century, Portugal was invaded by the troops of Napoléon Bonaparte, forcing Queen Maria I and Prince-Regent John to flee temporarily to Brazil. By the time the new King John VI returned to Lisbon, many of the buildings and properties were pillaged, sacked or destroyed by the invaders. The development of industry and commerce determined the growth of the city and Lisbon grew farther from the Tejo river.

In 1911, Lisbon refounded its university after centuries of inactivity. In the 20th century, the city was also the site of three revolutions. The first ond of 1910 brought an end to the Portuguese monarchy and established the highly unstable and corrupt Portuguese First Republic. The second one of 1926 ended the first republic and firmly established the Portuguese Second Republic. And the third revolution of 1974, the so-called Carnation Revolution, put an end to the right-wing regime and reformed the country to what it is still today, the Portuguese Third Republic.

Modern Lisbon is the political centre of the country and hosts the government, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court of Justice and the Armed Forces. It is also the residence of the head of state and the centre of Portuguese diplomacy, with ambassadors from 86 countries residing in the city, as well as representations from Taiwan and Palestine. About 2.96 million people, who live in the Lisbon metropolitan area (representing almost 28 % of the Portugal's population), make Lisbon the third largest metropolitan area in the Iberian Peninsula after Madrid and Barcelona.

Short-tailed blue

southern festoon on European birthwort

southern festoon on European birthwort