Planned trip to Spain Easter 1995 (not that I got there!)
A planned Easter trip to meet up with Tim Reiner & friends in Spain to cover Easter week additionals which brought out a host of the very loud 333's every year. I had never been but they knew what they were doing!
These were the days of Boarding Cards - Boarding Card for the cross-channel boat, boarding Card for the overnight to Spain out of Paris Austerlitz...…. I had boarding cards for both & a couchette reservation out of Austerlitz.
Having the experience of losing 3 days on a previous Easter trip due to not making the cross-channel boat (a fatality involving my service just before it arrived at Sittingbourne where I was waiting on the platform) & having to wait until the boarding card period was over before I could travel, I had a bit of insurance this time having got FIP coupons for France/Lux & Austria just in case I got bowled somewhere. That somewhere turned out to be just outside the French portal of the Channel Tunnel!
Easter Sunday 16/04/95
3216) Waterloo International - Paris Nord 1744 Waterloo Int - Paris Nord 464km
3215)
We had just exited the Tunnel when an announcement came over the tannoy "the rear power car has shut down & we will be running at reduced speed all the way to Paris" - Bowled already!
I had a wallet full of Spanish Peseta's so on arrival into Paris I jumped on the Metro in a vain attempt to make my booked overnight - it was already gone & when I enquired if the 2nd one had any spaces it was fully booked (& you haven't got a boarding card!)
I didn't have a French timetable, just Thomas Cook, but it clearly showed that most of the normal internal French overnights do not run on Easter Sunday night - with the exception of the 0017 Paris Est to Strasbourg. Back on the Metro then!
Easter Monday 17/04/95
15023# Paris Est - Strasbourg 0017 Paris Est - Strasbourg 504km
I'm from Kent, we don't like the French as a matter of heritage (I haven't forgiven them for the 300 years war yet, my forbears couldn't go to the pub without fear of being press-ganged into the Navy to fight the buggers) so at least the locos were all winners! (# = Winner)
16657# Strasbourg - Colmar 0645 Strasbourg - Colmar 65km
16673# Colmar - Basel 0733 Strasbourg - Basel 75km
11293# Basel SBB - Zurich 0925 Basel SBB - Zurich 102km
11223# Zurich - Zurich Flughafen 0749 Geneva - St.Gallen 10km
11214# Zurich Flughafen - Romanshorn 0607 Brig - Romanshorn 76km
I'd heard that Kempten had crashed a 628 recently and a report of 2 x 212 (BIG!) were doing Immenstadt - Oberstsdorf shuttles Vice so I decided to go for them - but would they be out on Easter Monday? I had enough Deutsche Mark's for a ticket to Immenstadt but that was about it.
Boat Romanshorn - Freidrichshafen Hafen 1236 Romanshorn - F.Hafen
215 009# Freidrichshafen Hafen - Freidrichshafen 1324 Freidrichshafen Hafen - Ulm 1km
I didn't think my FIP Swiss pass was valid for the boat & I had no currency so I avoided the Gripper on route (many years later I realised I was valid!) and it's always nice to get a winner off the Hafen - it can't be classed as a Ned leap as it's the booked move off the boat (honest!)
Anyway I still had a drastic lack of Deutsche Mark's so a 20 minute dash to either change my Peseta's for some (no as the Exchange places were closed for Easter) or find a cashpoint (no as not many towns in Germany had them yet) Cheers!
I bought my FIP single to Immenstadt with all my cash (I'd also not eaten since Paris! at least the Euro allows you to do things like Eat) and set off non too confidently......
218 464 Freidrichshafen - Lindau 1310 Radolfzell - Lindau 34km
218 222# Lindau - Immenstadt 1446 Lindau - Munchen 68km
Unbelievably the Top & Tail 212's had produced! My only hope was if the Ticket Office would exchange some Peseta's - a big sign in the window saying "NO EXCHANGE" put paid to that.
I took a couple of phots and I was thinking of effing it to Obertsdorf where they WOULD have a cash point IF the Guard didn't evict me on the way!
I popped outside the station but it's only a small village no chance of a cashpoint here, on making my way back onto the station an unmistakable sight exited the Buffet on the platform and started walking towards the subway to go for the 212's - John Sandham, 2 bags in one hand & a "Pot of Slops" (cup of tea to you) in the other!
I had introduced John to Euro bashing in 1989 & he'd come on the next 3 or 4 trips with me (I was in charge of the Kursbuch!) so I shouted "John - Get Your Wallet Out!". Poodle what are you doing here? - don't worry about that lend me some DM's! He couldn't get his wallet out so I did it for him and legged it to the ticket office for a piece (& a sandwich!). Hallelujah.
218 291 Immenstadt - Sonthofen 1424 Ulm - Obertsdorf 8km
I took the 218 in front of the 212's to scratch Sonthofen in & get a different phot of the 212's.
212 031#) Sonthofen - Obertsdorf 1702 Immenstadt - Obertsdorf 13km
212 094)
212 094) Obertsdorf - Immenstadt 1748 Obertsdorf - Immenstadt 21km
212 031)
Saved by John Sandham whatever next! As I had no planned exit move later in the week, we arranged to share a Schones Wochenende ticket on the Ruhr next Saturday, I would pay him back then.
We even arranged which train to meet on (of course he wasn't on it being shocking at reading a Kursbuch!)
Mission accomplished (& with cash in my wallet!) time to head for Austria then buy a timetable!
218 438 Immenstadt - Lindau 1615 Munchen - Radolfzell 68km
6030038 Lindau - Bregenz 2003 Lindau - Bregenz 10km
1044 264 Bregenz - Innsbruck 2017 Bregenz - Innsbruck 198km
1044 264 Innsbruck - Salzburg 2300 Innsbruck - Wien West 255km
Tuesday 18/04/95
1044 063# Salzburg - Wien West 2300 Innsbruck - Wien West 317km
Oh joy I finally managed to exchange the Peseta's at W.West & pick up an OBB timetable. As I had somehow ended up in Vienna vice Spain time to head for the Narrow Gauge!
1042 592# Wien Sud - Wien Meidling 0742 Wien Sud - Graz 4km
1042 590# Wien Meidling - Leobersdorf 0752 Wien Sud - Murzzuschlag 31km
Time for another run on the scenic line to St.Polten great behind a hellfire loud 2143:
2143 005# Leobersdorf - St.Polten Alpenbahnhof 0925 Leobersdorf - St.Polten 76km
1099 005 St.P. Alpenbahnhof - Ober Grafendorf 1130 St.Polten - Mariazell 10km
I'd heard there had been an influx of 2091's (built 1936-40!) since their work had dried up on other lines & two were out!
2091 010# Ober Grafendorf - Ruprechtshofen 1153 O.Grafendorf - Ruprechtshofen 28km
2091 012# Ruprechtshofen - Mank 1237 Wieselburg - Ober Grafendorf 9km
2095 015 Mank - Wieselburg 1253 O.Grafendorf - Wieselburg 28km
5047 xxx Wieselburg - Pochlarn 1332 Kienberg Gaming - Pochlarn 11km
A successful little dabble there - the line between Krems & Sigmundsherburg had finally re-opened for loco hauled trains (but only 1 ran each day) and the Sigmundsherburg to Gmund line was supposed to be fully electrified - but the wires weren't all up - so the 2143's over there were now running in Electric loco timings & being given some stick to do so! New track all the way from Krems via Sigmundsherburg to Gmund for me!
1042 707 Pochlarn -St.Polten 1415 Amstetten - Wien West 34km
2143 042# St.Polten - Sigmundsherburg 1617 St.Polten - Sigmundsherburg 86km
2143 042 at Sigmundsherburg off the 1617 from St.Polten
2143 047# Sigmundsherburg - Schwarzenau 1724Wien FJ - Gmund No 51km
2143 045# Schwarzenau - Sigmundsherburg 1859 Gmund No - Wien FJ 51km
Two hellfire runs very impressive locos when thrashed for speed so I immediately decided to tailor the next day into another visit to the line - & get the rest of the track to Gmund.
1042 584# Sigmundsherburg - Wien FJ 1859 Gmund No - Wien FJ 92km
A long visit to the 7 Stern Braeu brewpub, with food, led to me not bothering to wait to get the loco number on the overnight - straight into a compo & Zzzz....
???? ??? Wien West - Salzburg 2330 Wien West - Innsbruck 317km
2143 045# Schwarzenau - Sigmundsherburg 1859 Gmund No - Wien FJ 51km
Two hellfire runs very impressive locos when thrashed for speed so I immediately decided to tailor the next day into another visit to the line - & get the rest of the track to Gmund.
1042 584# Sigmundsherburg - Wien FJ 1859 Gmund No - Wien FJ 92km
A long visit to the 7 Stern Braeu brewpub, with food, led to me not bothering to wait to get the loco number on the overnight - straight into a compo & Zzzz....
???? ??? Wien West - Salzburg 2330 Wien West - Innsbruck 317km
Wednesday 19/04/95
103 102# Salzburg - Amstetten 2300 Innsbruck - Wien West 191km
1141 002# Amstetten - Waidhofen 0510 Amstetten - Bischofshofen 23km
Shires Waidhofen - Gstadt 0552 Waidhofen - Lunz am Zee 6km
Time for more narrow gauge action:
2091 011 Gstadt - Ybbsitz 0610 Gstadt - Ybbsitz 6km
2091 011 on the 0630 Ybbsitz - Waidhofen
2091 011 Ybbsitz - Gstadt 0630 Ybbsitz - Waidhofen 6km
2091 011 at Gstadt on the 0630 Ybbsitz - Waidhofen
2095010 at Gstadt on the 0532 Lunz am See - Waidhofen / about to shunt its coaches onto the front of 2091011 on the 0630 Ybbsitz - Waidhofen then run combined forward to Waidhofen
2095 010) Gstadt - Waidhofen 0532 Lunz am Zee - Waidhofen) 6km
2091 011) 0630 Ybbsitz - Waidhofen)
A busy scene at Waidhofen. I'd arrived behind 2095 010 (on the right)
2095 008) Waidhofen - Gstadt 0710 Waidhofen - Lunz/Ybbsitz 6km
2095 009)
2095 009 Waidhofen - Lunz am Zee 0710 Waidhofen - Lunz/Ybbsitz 48km
2095 009 Lunz am Zee - Waidhofen 0942 Waidhofen - Lunz/Ybbsitz 54km
A lovely morning always a delight going up to Lunz (even if none of the locos are required).
6030307 Waidhofen - Amstetten 1121 Waidhofen - Amstetten 23km
1044 105# Amstetten - W.Huttledorf 0617 Innsbruck - Wien West 120km
4020 091 W.Huttledorf - W.Heligenstadt 1332 Huttledorf - Heligenstadt 14km
1042 663# W.Heligenstadt - Sigmundsherburg 1407 Wien FJ - Praha 89km
2143 045 Sigmundsherburg - Gmund No 1407 Wien FJ - Praha 75km
One of the locos from yesterday but I wanted to get the track in first then leap about scratching.
2143 052# Gmund No - Gopfritz 1648 Gmund No - Wien FJ 41km
2143 036# Gopfritz - Schwarzenau 1555Wien FJ - Gmund No 17km
2143 049# Schwarzenau - Sigmundsherburg 1859 Gmund No - Wien FJ 51km
2143 038# Sigmundsherburg - Hotzeldorf Geras 1840 Wien FJ - Praha 10km
2143036 at Schwarzenau with the 1555 Wien FJ - Gmund
2143 036 Hotzeldorf Geras - Sigmundsherburg 1925 Gmund No - Wien FJ 10km
???? ??? Wien West - Salzburg 2330 Wien West - Innsbruck 317km
Great fun & great thrash whizzing about on the Gmund line & the winners were nice.
Thursday 20/04/95
I missed out on the 1020's on OBB as my first visit had been a couple of weeks after they came off their Arlberg Banking & local jobs (not to my knowledge when I left the UK with the latest diagrams - so I covered the turns & had none!).
In the current diagrams a 1020 was shown taking the "Mimara" both ways between Villach & Jesenice - their only booked job, although it rarely dropped. I'd worked out a move to get a 1043 in the book, do the new track to Kotschach-Mauthen behind a 2043 and still be able to cover the inwards Mimara from Rosenbach.
1044 064 Salzburg - Schwarzach St.Veit 2330 Wien West - Innsbruck 68km
The joys of Austrian stock meant a nice comfy compo for a bit more sleep on the way to Villach
1043 010# Schwarzach St.Veit - Villach 0410 Schwarzach St.Veit - Villach120km
2043 074# Villach - Kotschach-Mauthen 0630 Villach - Kotschach-Mauthen 80km
A lovely run down this rural line with the mountains on either side as the sun was rising - spectacular. I knew by diagram a 2nd 2043 came back on the return - I thought one would be DIT but no they were Top & Tail and both powering. Not often you can do a branch line & get a winner both ways!
2043 074) Kotschach-Mauthen - Arnoldstein 0836 Kotschach-Mauthen - Villach 62km
2043 076#)(Top & Tail with both powering)
I always tried to spend as many daylight hours diesel hauled as I could no matter the country, you could do electrics in the dark. I spotted a move to double back from Arnoldstein on two more diesels instead of leaping to Rosenbach to cover the possible 1020 turn.
2043 071# Arnoldstein - Vellach Khunberg Hu 0947 Villach - Kotschach-Mauthen 28km
2043 070# Vellach Khunberg Hu - Arnoldstein 1000 Kotschach-Mauthen - Villach 46km
Two more winners job done. I was on the Klagenfurt end of Villach station waiting for my next move - What's this coming in from the West end? - DOH! 1020 003 on the Mimara!!
Judging by the joy of the 3 local cranks who then jumped out of the cab, shook the Drivers hand & went off to work they cannot have dropped often - bowled myself right out there!
Diagrams out of the bag - I will have to cover the return this afternoon!
In a state of near panic I went over to cover the Klagenfurt diesel turns vowing (like an Austrian once said) "I'll be back!".
1042 502# Villach - Klagenfurt 1207 Arnoldstein - Bruck a.d.Mur 38km
2043 057# Klagenfurt - St.Paul 1308 Klagenfurt - Zwettl 59km
2043 006# St.Paul - Eis Ruden 1411 Wolfsberg - Klagenfurt 8km
2043 012# Eis Ruden - Priel Hu 1357 Klagenfurt - Wolfsberg 23km
2043 062# Priel Hu - Klagenfurt 1527 Wolfsberg - Klagenfurt 74km
A highly successful bash all locos being winners, I'd had 3 Klagenfurt 2043's previously so did well to avoid them. Now back to Villach to see if the 1020 has stuck......
1042 557# Klagenfurt - Villach 1427 Bruck a.d.Mur - Arnoldstein 38km
Bowled by a 1110 - new class for me but not what the Doctor ordered!
1110 025# Villach - Rosenbach 0715 Leipzig - Zagreb 25km
1110 018# Rosenbach - Villach xxxx Ljubljana - Villach 25km
Time for a session in the Villach brewpub to wind down from missing the 1020, had a meal & tried all of their beers to drown my sorrows!
110 438# Villach - Salzburg 1950 Klagenfurt - H.Altona/Dortmund 188km
Friday 21/04/95
I now had to travel to the Ruhr in Germany the long way round, having no validity the quick way!
1044 208# Salzburg - Schwarzach St.Veit 2246 Munchen - Zagreb 68km
1044 269# Schwarzach St.Veit - Buchs 2200 Graz - Buchs 365km
11120# Buchs - Rorschach 0747 Sargans - St.Gallen 49km
11105# Rorschach - St.Gallen 16km
11295# St.Gallen - Zurich 0841 St.Gallen - Geneva Airport 87km
11217# Zurich - Basel SBB 1037 Zurich - Basel 88km
26109# Basel - Mulhouse 1233 Basel - Strasbourg 34km
25236# Mulhouse - Strasbourg 0920 Lyon P - Strasbourg 106km
15060# Strasbourg - Luxemburg 1015 Chur - Brussels 222km
1818# Luxemburg - Troisverges 1754 Luxemburg - Troisverges 69km
5505# Troisverges - Liege 1800 Luxemburg - Liege 91km
You can tell I don't do electrics much - all winners all day - then a nice evening diesel run up to Liege.
1603 Liege - Aachen 2003 Brussels Midi - Koln 53km
110 453 Aachen - Duisburg 2204 Aachen - Dortmund 134km
Mr Sandham SHOULD have got on the 2204 somewhere so I could share his weekend ticket - so where was he? We should have been doing a 111 no-sleep overnight to Hamm & back together (!) but I had to do it without tickets. It's a good job they don't grip much on a Friday night - too many drunks about - and for a change I wasn't one of them!
Saturday 22/04/95
At some point during the LONG night Mr Sandham made an appearance! Some tale of a 232 failing so missing a connection - I said "John it was bound to fail as they are Crap!".
111116 Duisburg - Dortmund 0002 Dusseldorf - Soest 53km
111136 Dortmund - Hamm 0018 Dusseldorf - Hamm 31km
111136 Dortmund - Hamm 0018 Dusseldorf - Hamm 31km
111136 Hamm - Dusseldorf Flughafen 0237 Hamm - D.Flughafen 118km
I seem to remember stretching my legs to get some fresh air so I walked to Unterath, John looked after my bag until I got back on
111116 Dusseldorf Unterath - Dusseldorf 0505 D.Flughafen - Dusseldorf 10km
103 158# Dusseldorf - Duisburg 0502 Koln - Leipzig 24km
110 462# Duisburg - Wesel 0555 Duisburg - Emerich 35km
141 301# Wesel - Duisburg 0658 Wesel - Duisburg 35km
141 159# Duisburg - Krefeld 0634 Hamm - Monchengladbach 21km
215 014 Krefeld - Kempen 0600 Koblenz - Kleve 8km
215 013# Kempen - Krefeld 0745 Kleve - Koln Deutz 8km
110 261 Krefeld - Neuss 0745 Kleve - Koln Deutz 19km
215 128# Neuss - Horrem 0916 Neuss - Horrem 42km
215 128 at Horrem, required track from Bedburg to Horrem
110 272 Horrem - Koln 0722 Duisburg - Koln Deutz 18km
215 043 Koln - Koln Sud 1033 Koln Deutz - Kall 5km
215 036# Koln Sud - Koln 1005 Kall - Koln Deutz 5km
215 014 Krefeld - Kempen 1320 Koln Deutz - Kleve 8km
215 013 Kempen - Krefeld 1345 Kleve - Koln Deutz 8km
141 163# Krefeld - Oberhausen 1425 Monchengladbach - Dortmund 33km
232 xxx! Oberhausen - Duisburg 8km
110 272 Duisburg - Aachen 1622 Duisburg - Aachen 107km
1805 Aachen - Oostend 1814 Koln - Oostend 270km
215 014 Krefeld - Kempen 0600 Koblenz - Kleve 8km
215 013# Kempen - Krefeld 0745 Kleve - Koln Deutz 8km
110 261 Krefeld - Neuss 0745 Kleve - Koln Deutz 19km
215 128# Neuss - Horrem 0916 Neuss - Horrem 42km
110 272 Horrem - Koln 0722 Duisburg - Koln Deutz 18km
215 043 Koln - Koln Sud 1033 Koln Deutz - Kall 5km
215 036# Koln Sud - Koln 1005 Kall - Koln Deutz 5km
110 140# Koln - Rehydt 1118 Koln Deutz - Kaldenkirchen 54km
Graham Belton had told me the Rehydt - Dalheim branch was either closing or going over to Private Operator form the June timetable change, I couldn't see me doing it in time - until I didn't get to Spain!
212 050# Rehydt - Dalheim 1224 Monchengladbach - Dalheim 20km
212 050 at Dalheim off the 1224 from Monchengladbach. DB how it used to be - Integrated Transport even here with the bus connection waiting patiently.
212 050 Dalheim - Monchengladbach 1256 Dalheim - Monchengladbach 24km
110 305# Monchengladbach - Krefeld 1237 Aachen - Duisburg 24km215 014 Krefeld - Kempen 1320 Koln Deutz - Kleve 8km
215 013 Kempen - Krefeld 1345 Kleve - Koln Deutz 8km
141 163# Krefeld - Oberhausen 1425 Monchengladbach - Dortmund 33km
232 xxx! Oberhausen - Duisburg 8km
110 272 Duisburg - Aachen 1622 Duisburg - Aachen 107km
1805 Aachen - Oostend 1814 Koln - Oostend 270km
A disastrous start to the trip but a very good accumulation of new track & loco's, in the countries I was more used to bashing, turned it into a very good result. The Gmund 2143's in Electric timings were fantastic - I can still hear the thrash now!
Comments
Post a Comment