Germany 20/04 to 23/04/1991 "Kaarst your mind back in Time"
An outward trip with Neath (Steve Thomas) to Germany, with the main aims for myself of various new track for diesel, before meeting up with Neath again for a day, partly to cover a new class 217 diagram - a Mondays Only pilot turn from Schwandorf to Regensburg, the first time the class had appeared on booked passenger work since we'd started bashing in the Fatherland. # denotes new Locos.
Saturday 20/04/91
We did the overnight cross channel ferry, being the usual means of getting to Europe after a Friday at work in the offices above Waterloo station. You normally got into Ostend about 0315 - time for a couple of beers in the hellfire Titanic bar (open 24 hours) just down the road . I then did my normal move in Belgium - catch up on some sleep whilst collecting more mileage behind a rateable 1600 electric.
1603 Oostende - Düren 0532 Oostende - Köln 311km
Straight onto a winner 212, I was working my way down to Euskirchen for new track - the Bad Münstereifel branch.
212 270# Düren - Grevenbroich 0919 Düren - Neuss 34km
141 448# Grevenbroich - Köln Hbf 0954 Mönchengladbach - K.Deutz 35km
111 134# Köln Hbf - Köln Nippes 1047 Bergisch Gladbach - Düsseldorf Wehrhahn 2km
111 170 Köln Nippes - Köln Hbf 0957 K.Worringen - Bergisch Gladbach 2km
215 136# Köln Hbf - Euskirchen 0635 Nordeich - Trier 40km
215 117# Euskirchen - Bad Münstereifel 1207 Euskirchen - Bad Münstereifel 14km
215 117 Bad Münstereifel - Euskirchen 1234 Bad Münstereifel - Euskirchen
That new track done, chance to cover a few more 215 turns on my way over to Bonn.
215 045 Euskirchen - Kall 1210 Köln Deutz - Gerolstein 24km
215 034# Kall - Euskirchen 1243 Gerolstein - Köln Deutz 24km
215 111# Euskirchen - Bonn 1401 Euskirchen - Bonn 34km
111 128# Bonn - Remagen 1354 Köln Deutz - Koblenz 20km
212 255# Remagen - Bad Neuenahr 1514 Remagen - Kreuzberg 10km
The reason for coming down - the 213's that mainly worked this steeply graded route now had a changeover diagram, running under the wires (new track for diesel) through to Bonn in the process.
213 340# Bad Neuenahr - Bonn 1505 Kreuzberg - Bonn 30km
110 317# Bonn - Bonn Bad Godesberg 1441 Dortmund - Saarbrücken 7km
213 339# Bonn Bad Godesberg - Heimersheim 1647 Bonn - Kreuzberg 21km
212 328 Heimersheim - Remagen 1656 Kreuzberg - Remagen 8km
So all four 212 / 213 turns covered - not bad going on a Saturday afternoon.
111 116# Remagen - Koblenz 1658 Köln Deutz - Koblenz 39km
Then Premier power forward down the Rhine.
103 218# Koblenz - Wiesbaden Hbf 1054 Westerland - Frankfurt 98km
420 751 Wiesbaden Hbf - Mainz 1953 Wiesbaden - Frankfurt Sud 10km
218 386# Mainz - Frankfurt Hbf 1803 Saarbrücken - Frankfurt 40km
103 221# Frankfurt Hbf - Mannheim 1644 Hamburg Altona - Karlsruhe 79km
Time to get settled on tonight's overnight, shame I didn't bother with the loco number, probably bowled by a 110.
??? ??? Mannheim - Frankfurt Hbf 1922 Basel - Hamburg Altona 87km
103 239# Frankfurt Hbf - Hamburg Dammtor 1922 Basel - Hamburg Altona 529km
Daily Total = 1512 KM
Sunday 21/04/91
218 456) Hamburg Dammtor - Lübeck 0635 Hamburg Altona - Oslo 65km
218 494#)
I had leapt for my first new track for diesel of the day, Lübeck to Lüneburg. (I recently wrongly reported 1st doing this route on another, later trip) but this makes more sense - I always tried to do new track in daylight hours.
218 158# Lübeck - Lüneburg 0617 Kiel - Lüneburg 79km
110 365# Lüneburg - Hamburg Hbf 0958 Lüneburg - Hamburg Altona (Relief) 49km
Time to hunt some Rabbits!
218 488# Hamburg Hbf - Hamburg Wandsbek 0948 Hamburg Hbf - Bad Oldsloe 6km
218 327# Hamburg Wandsbek - Hamburg Hbf 0925 Bad Oldsloe - Hamburg Hbf 6km
103 200# Hamburg Hbf - Hamburg Altona 2345 München - Hamburg Altona 7km
218 281# Hamburg Altona - Bordesholm 1031 Hamburg Altona - Kiel 85km
628 222 Bordesholm - Neumünster 1125 Kiel - Neumünster 12km
218 169# Neumünster - Rendsburg 1124 Hamburg Altona - Flensburg 39km
218 176#) Rendsburg - Hamburg Altona 1042 Frederica - Köln 92km
218 189#)
110 316# Hamburg Altona - Bremen Hbf 1042 Frederica - Köln 122km
The diesel route from Bremen to Uelzen next (via Soltau), again all new track for diesel.
218 251 Bremen Hbf - Uelzen 1626 Bremen Hbf - Uelzen 126km
110 301# Uelzen - Hamburg Hbf 1758 Hannover - Hamburg Hbf 85km
No time for beer, more 218's to cover instead.
218 462#) Hamburg Hbf - Bad Oldsloe 2014 Hamburg Hbf - Lübeck 40km
218 486#)
218 324 Bad Oldsloe - Hamburg Hbf 1802 Rostock - Hamburg Hbf 40km
218 490# Hamburg Hbf - Hamburg Wandsbek 2148 Hamburg Hbf - Ahrensburg 6km
218 337# Hamburg Wandsbek - Hamburg Hbf 2124 Bad Oldsloe - Hamburg Hbf 6km
110 292# Hamburg Hbf - Hamburg Altona 1746 Düsseldorf - Flensburg 7km
110 426# Hamburg Altona - Hannover 2309 Hamburg Altona - München 185km
Daily Total = 1057 KM
Monday 22/04/91
103 241# Hannover - Ansbach 2309 Hamburg Altona - München 631km
It's amazing how far you could leap to cover more winner track, arrived on time so the move to cover the Windsbach branch was on. Neath re-joined me at Ansbach off a totally different overnight from Leipzig, highlighting the plethora of overnights available at the time.
151 007# Ansbach - Wicklesgreuth 0625 Ansbach - Nürnberg 11km
212 102 Wicklesgreuth - Windsbach 0639 Wicklesgreuth - Windsbach 12km
212 102 Windsbach - Wicklesgreuth 0700 Windsbach - Wicklesgreuth 12km
We went our separate ways, Neath went to do Cadolzburg & Ebermannstadt, I went to do new track around Steinach.
141 378# Wicklesgreuth - Ansbach 0644 Nürnberg - Ansbach 11km
141 027# Ansbach - Steinach 0709 Treuchtlingen - Würzburg 32km
212 069# Steinach - Rothenburg ob der Tauber 0821 Steinach - Rothenburg 12km
The world famous picture-postcard perfect Medieval town, it would be many years before I spent a day here with my wife, today I didn't even get off the train...
212 069# Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Steinach 0903 Rothenburg - Steinach 12km.
That branch done, rather handily the other diesel hauled line over to Neustadt (Bay) was also required.
212 101# Steinach - Neustadt (Bay) 0936 Steinach - Neustadt (Bay) 30km
The (Bay) in the title refers to the State (Bayern (Bavaria)) to distinguish this New Town from the many others in Germany.
141 037# Neustadt (Bay) - Furth (Bay) 1050 Neustadt (Bay) - Nürnberg 33km
I re-joined Neath here, front bay behind the loco of course.
110 120# Furth (Bay) - Nürnberg 1015 Coburg - Nürnberg 8km
A walk over to cover the line out of Nürnberg Nordost to Gräfenberg, the line was due to close the following month to be converted into a Metro line so was a must-do for the winner track.
In an unusual show of German non-efficiency it was reprieved and the service went hourly, up from the previous 5 trains a day. In later years it turned into a bit of a diesel gala, especially when all the services ran Top & Tail due to lack of Driver Trailers!
211 046# Nürnberg Nordost - Gräfenberg 1210 Nürnberg Nordost to Gräfenberg 28km
211 046 Gräfenberg - Nürnberg Nordost 1318 Gräfenberg - Nürnberg Nordost 28km
There was a tram linking Nordost to the Hbf, however we never did work out how to buy a ticket to travel on these (I have at least once "effed it" on one of these trams!).
Next the days main aim, work our way to Weiden to pick up the train now diagrammed to be piloted by a rare class 217!
218 240 Nürnberg - Neukirchen 1451 Nürnberg - Praha 45km
218 201# Neukirchen - Weiden 1531 Neukirchen - Weiden 52km
Neath required the route from Neukirchen, for a change I didn't! Great news when our forward train arrived with the unique TEE liveried 218 217.
This would provide a colourful scene at Schwandorf should the 217 produce.
218 217# Weiden - Schwandorf 1547 Marktredwitz - Regensburg 44km
217 015#) Schwandorf - Regensburg 1547 Marktredwitz - Regensburg 42km
218 217)
You can tell how whipped up we were with the 217 producing by the number of photo's taken!
218 233# Regensburg - Wernsberg 1825 Regensburg - Weiden 69km
211 219# Wernsberg - Schwandorf 1729 Hof - Schwandorf 27km
218 209) Schwandorf - Regensburg 1305 Dresden - München 42km
218 239)
A couple of celebratory beers no doubt, we had more time before the overnight than you may think as Border checks were still in place at Passau - the Schengen agreement was still 4 years away.
111 024# Regensburg - Würzburg 2113 Linz - Würzburg 202km (portion forward to H.Altona)
Daily Total = 1383 KM
Tuesday 23/04/91
103 ??? Würzburg - Göttingen 2125 München - Hamburg Altona 250km
The one that got away. I recently asked Neath, who went thru to Hannover on it, if he got the loco number? He says "the loco was in NeuRot livery and we walked / ran up the platform and it pulled out beyond the station lights when we were about a coach away - probably 103 198 which went the following year without me having it!" I'd better remember not ask him about it again in the future...
Single manned for the remainder of the trip.
113 309# Göttingen - Northeim 2112 Stuttgart - Kiel 19km
216 147# Northeim - Herzberg 0435 Northeim - Herzberg 27km
212 117# Herzberg - Northeim 0537 Herzberg - Göttingen 27km
A rare event for me around here, which is why I leapt for it - a Göttingen 212. Now for winner track via Bodenfelde through to Altenbeken.
216 177# Northeim - Bodenfelde 0555 Herzberg - Bodenfelde 37km
216 072# Bodenfelde - Altenbeken 0608 Göttingen - Altenbeken 58km
That done I was off to the Ruhr.
110 452# Altenbeken - Hamm 0726 Kassel - Duisburg 95km
103 163 Hamm - Dortmund 0732 Braunschweig - München 31km
212 290# Dortmund - Schwerte 0958 Dortmund - Iserlohn 18km
216 208# Schwerte - Hagen 0759 Kassel - Essen Hbf 14km
110 472# Hagen - Essen Hbf 0759 Kassel - Essen Hbf 45km
216 103 Essen Hbf - Bottrop 1239 Langenberg - Haltern 12km
216 119# Bottrop - Oberhausen 1212 Borken - Oberhausen 8km
I'm glad I've typed up this report - I didn't realise I'd been to Oberhausen diesel hauled. Where's my track map...?
140 803# Oberhausen - Duisburg 1256 Oberhausen - Duisburg 8km
Next up a short branch, electric loco hauled.
141 302# Duisburg - Duisburg Entenfang 1310 Duisburg - Duisburg Entenfang 7km
141 302 Duisburg Entenfang - Duisburg 1325 Duisburg Entenfang - Duisburg 7km
212 262# Duisburg - Moers 1340 Duisburg - Xantern 17km
212 239# Moers - Duisburg 1337 Xantern - Duisburg 17km
Two quick winner 212's on the Xantern branch diagrams.
110 243# Duisburg - Essen Hbf 1432 Duisburg - Bebra 19km
110 446# Essen Hbf - Düsseldorf 1440 Hamm - Köln 43km
212 327# Düsseldorf - Neuss 1607 Düsseldorf - Düren 11km
Now for something completely different - new track for Battery Electric unit, the short branch to Kaarst.
515 520 Neuss - Kaarst 1636 Neuss - Kaarst 6km
515 520 Kaarst - Neuss 1649 Kaarst - Neuss 6km
I'd probably heard the line was going over to 628 units or something so did it while the 515's were still active. A very JP-esque unit line bash.
110 149# Neuss - Köln Hbf 1545 Kleve - Köln Deutz 36km
110 457# Köln Hbf - Düren 1718 Köln Deutz - Düren 39km
110 395# Düren - Aachen 1609 Dortmund - Aachen 31km
1603 Aachen - Oostende 1805 Köln Deutz - Oostende 280km
Daily Total = 1168 KM
So the trip finishes the way it began, travelling through Belgium behind 1603.
Total KM = 5120 KM Daily Average = 1280 KM
Total Moves = 91 Average Per Move = 56 KM
The main aims of the trip were met, new loco's aplenty (including the new Class for us, the 217),
with plenty of new track covered as well. If I had my time machine I would use it to stay on the overnight with Neath thru to Hannover on the morning of the 23rd - he ended up with some massive track behind rare locos that day! If only...
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