Germany 15 & 16/09/2001 The Shortest Trip

I worked this SHORT trip around the chance to do THREE lots of required track in just TWO days, based around Lübeck. A 218 was now rostered onto a Saturday only IC between Rostock & Seebad Heringsdorf, ALL new track for a 218. Not only that but 218's had started working between Lübeck & Rostock so new track was also available to get to the IC!

Saturday 15th September 2001 

I can no longer remember how I got to the Stansted cowshed but I've never done a hotel in the area, vague recollections of an overnight National Express coach from somewhere!

EI-CNT Stansted - Lübeck Flughafen 0645 Stansted - Lubeck

I took a tram into Lübeck where I was meeting Neath & Trog who were also doing the winner track on the IC to Seebad Heringsdorf.

218 427 at Lübeck on 05/08/1990

218 459 Lübeck - Rostock 0940 Kiel - Rostock 149km

218 461 Rostock - Seebad Heringsdorf 0833 Köln - Seebad Heringsdorf 174km

Nearly all of the 323km's above were winner track! Only local trains available to get us back to Stralsund where we were all booked in the same hotel.

Unit Seebad Heringsdorf - Zussow 1917 Seebad Heringsdorf - Zussow 55km
143 333# Zussow - Stralsund 2059 Zussow - Stralsund 47km

We dropped our bags at the hotel then met up to go to Zum Alten Fritz, tap of the Stralsunder brewery. We talked about sharing a taxi but Trog insisted it's straight down this road, we can walk it. Not a good decision as it turned out to be 2.5km's away & we were on our last legs when it finally came into view!
Entrance to Zum Alten Fritz 

A few beers were sampled & a taxi WAS ordered to get us back to the hotel!

Sunday 16th September 2001 

My aim today was more winner track from the junction outside Neustadt in Holstein to Puttgarden (the ferry terminal to Rødby in Denmark).

All 3 of us did the next moves as far as Lübeck:

143 251# Stralsund - Rostock 0859 Zussow - Rostock 72km
218 170# Rostock - Lübeck 1102 Rostock - Kiel 149km

The required 218 was certainly a bonus, we parted ways here as my IC was a connection out of the service from Rostock.

218 119) Lübeck - Puttgarden 0659 Aachen - Puttgarden 91km
218 347)
218 347) Puttgarden - Lübeck 1513 Puttgarden - Hamburg Altona 91km
218 119)

A tram back to the airport where I found a small bar had opened opposite the tram terminus, a couple of Wheat beers at a lot cheaper prices than in the airport itself, before my short flight back to Stansted.

A highly successful short trip, all 3 routes caned in: only 8 moves in total but an average of 103km's each so no ned leaps this time.

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