Steam Tram Twisk

This is Bello (1914), offspring of Berliner Machinebau AG. He’s blowing off steam. Not only to relieve pressure, but stridently, as a way of demanding attention – just like the conductor does with his hunting horn. Bello and his master are full of pride, because on 16 July 2010 somewhere between Medemblik and Hoorn, the steam locomotive clocked up its millionth kilometre. Someone painstakingly worked it out, for there’s no odometer. Keeping this locomotive running is a celebration of the past, of a time when the soul could still keep pace with the traveller. The washing that’s laid out to dry on the grass next to the station also harks back to those times. Nothing surprises Bello anymore.