More Trains and Tortoises

This seems to be a recurrent topic; trains and tortoises.

But I had work up north today, and thus passed by the Tripoli Train Station. I must have passed this station a hundred times, and every time I’d tell myself; I have to go in and take pictures. After last weekend’s treasure, I couldn’t pass by it again without going in.

Mind you, it has taken me a total of some 18 years to actually stop and walk in. Climb in. It’s not like it is open to public.

There are a total of 7 (!) complete locomotives still on the tracks. Complete is of course a relative expression; they seem to have all the parts, but they are a bit rusted. Some have entire trees growing out of them. I am sure that you could sell these things to some collector outside, and make good money out of it. But as it is, these things have been standing here for as long as I’ve lived here, and they haven’t moved an inch since. And probably even longer.

There are two hangars and a number of auxiliary buildings, but most of them are in very poor state. However, at one point in time this must have been a pretty big station for those days.

What was surprising though was that these locomotives are still oozing out tons of oil. Thick black diesel oil, seeping pout, and running over the land, standing in puddles. I wonder what that does to the quality of the drinking water in town. But who worries about oil in his drinking water when the water pipes of the Tripoli Water Company are made out of asbestos. I was told. It seems to be safe. All in all, I am mighty glad I do not live in Tripoli.

And what did I stumble on? A little tortoise, probably of the same family as last week’s, all stuck in oil. A rescue mission was in place, and while the first tortoise was released last week, the second one is now being cared for. I am now the Beirut Tortoise Rehabilitation Center.

And I am now 'trained and tortoised out' for a while.

Next topic; Palestinians. Stay tuned.