The BeerTrain

A two person trip to Germany with a day-trip to Prague thrown in, Me (Poodle) & Betty (David Icke - no not THAT David Icke - the other one!) We would be joining up with Neath (Steve Thomas) and Bonty (Clive Muspratt) for most of the trip. # again denotes New Loco. Saturday 20/09/1997 87 033   Crewe - Euston  0945 Liverpool - London Euston 158miles 3102)     Waterloo International - Brussels Midi 1227 Waterloo I - Brussels 377km 3103) 2721       Brussels Midi - Aachen 1654 Brussels Midi - Köln 159km 110 454  Aachen - Köln  1654 Brussels Midi - Köln 70km Rather than the usual scratch moves around Cologne prior to the overnight we met up with Neath & Bonty then headed to the Früh brewery tap where we had arranged to meet Chris Fudge and a group of his fellow 47 Bashers who were embarking on a German beer trip. We certainly kept the Kobes busy as the beer comes in 0.2litre "Test Tubes" & we are more used to drinking 1/2 litres.....  103 220  Köln - Freiburg 2005 Amste

A single manned trip including my first ever visit to Austria. New locos again denoted by #. The trip began with the Crompton roadshow on a Gonad charter to Folkestone Harbour behind 33114, I leapt off this then went via Dover for a ferry to Ostend. Saturday 07/12/1991 33114         Finsbury Park - Folkestone Harbour 0613 Potters Bar - Finsbury Park 90miles These were run every Xmas by a Surgeon & were always wedged with drunk nurses (normally on the return leg!) you cannot believe how they festooned the insides of the coaches with all manner of Xmas decorations - they were on their way to do a drunken out & back ferry move. There was also a disco in the Brake van... Boulogne crossed out as I told them I was leaving at Folkestone! 33114 at Folkestone Harbour 2127#       Ostende - Brugge 1604 Ostend - xxxxx * 2719#       Brugge - Brussels Zuid 1634 Ostende - xxxxx * 2554#       Brussels Zuid - Brussels Nord  1754 Brussels Zuid - Amsterdam * 1604#       Brussels Nord - Aachen 165

My first ever single manned trip to Germany, my 3rd trip overall. I had decided to avoid having to watch The Great Escape again on Xmas day or being sardined in a pub on New Years Eve. New track for diesel (in daylight) & of course winning locos being the main aim.(New locos again denoted by #.) Thursday 27/12/1990 No messing today a daytime channel crossing straight onto an overnight. 1603           Ostend - Koln             1702 Ostend - Frankfurt 350km 103 193#    Koln - Mainz              1702 Ostend - Frankfurt 185km 110 461#    Mainz - Frankfurt       1715 Amsterdam - Wien 38km Daily Total = 573km Friday 28/12/1990 103 177#    Frankfurt - Gottingen  1922 Basel - Hamburg Altona 241km A quick leap here to head back south I had a couple of diagrams to cover at Geissen. 103 190#    Gottingen - Geissen     2314 Hamburg Alt - Munchen 191km 216 189#    Geissen - Limburg       0548 Giessen - Koblenz 65km (new track for diesel) 212 116#    Limburg - Geissen       0604 Koblenz - Giesse