Video of steam train pulling through snow-capped mountains is from Germany, not Himachal
A video of a steam train passing through snowy mountains has gone viral. Users claimed that it is a scene from Himachal Pradesh.
By Sunanda Naik Published on 6 Feb 2023 6:18 AM GMT
HYDERABAD: A video of a steam train passing through snowy mountains has gone viral. Users claimed that it is a scene from Himachal Pradesh.
As winter approached, snowfall has been witnessed in some areas in India.
A video of a steam train passing through the white sprinkle of snow has gone viral. The video reminds people of the movie 'The Polar Express'.
However, Himachal Pradesh is also blanketed with snow right now. The question remains. Is this video from Himachal Pradesh?
Fact check
NewsMeter found the claim to be false.
On performing a reverse image search by taking the keyframes of the viral video using in InVid tool. We found an image on the Instagram handle of a German landscape and travel photographer uploaded on January 27, 2022. When we match the image with the screenshot of the video, we found both to be the same.
The caption of the video tells the entire back story of the video: “In yesterday's poll, this picture came out on top with 82 to 81 votes. The backgrounds of this shot are not as idyllic as one might think. You stand on the outside platform of a swaying train, when it's below zero I hold my face and hands in the ice-cold wind. Depending on the curve position, I quickly run from left to right and vice versa. If the wind is unfavorable, I get the steam, small particles in the mouth and eyes are not so cool.”
The hashtags used in the post are a clear indicator that the image is taken in Germany.
Taking Germany as a cue, we perform a keyword search on YouTube with the phrase' Germany Steam Train in snowfall' and found multiple videos titled 'Winter train rides through the Harz mountains in Germany' and more.
Lastly, we found a media report by The Guardian in which they wrote about the 125th anniversary of steam trains operating in the Harz mountains of Germany.
The image used in the report looked like the viral one.
Therefore, the viral video of the steam train is from Harz Mountain, Germany, and not Himachal Pradesh.
