Germany & Austria 05/09 to 09/09/2003 "It's Black!"

Time to go to Germany & Austria once more in search of new track for Rabbits and the like. Single manned trip / # denotes new loco.

Friday 05/09/03

A cheap flight to Friedrichshafen, not the diesel bashing playground of yesteryear but still with plenty of moves to cover, albeit only 218's now available.
EI-DAF   Stansted – Freidrichshafen  1120 Stansted – Freidrichshafen
Bob Unit Freidrichshafen Flug – Meckenbeuren 6km
218 214    Meckenbeuren – Ulm  1404 Lindau – Ulm 95km
218 196    Ulm – Neu Ulm 1547 Ehingen – Memmingen 2km
218 194    Neu Ulm – Ulm 1535 Memmingen – Ehingen 2km
218 214)  Ulm – Plochingen 1533 Freidrichshafen Stadt – Stuttgart 72km
218 168) 
A 2 hour break to visit a Brewpub here, very civilised after an early start today. A winner Rabbit forward to boot.
218 389#) Plochingen – Stuttgart 1733 Freidrichshafen Stadt – Stuttgart 22km
218 443) 
218 443)  Stuttgart – Ulm 2002 Stuttgart - Freidrichshafen Stadt 94km
218 389)
111 088#  Ulm – Stuttgart 2240 Ulm – Stuttgart 94km
Daily Total  = 387 KM

Saturday 06/09/03

The only previous time I'd tried to use the "Orient Express" overnight it never turned up so ended up on a replacement cart to somewhere followed by no sleep on a wedged overnight to Munich Ost. Fared a lot better tonight!
101 079#   Stuttgart - Wien Hutteldorf           1749 Paris Est - Wien West 706km
4020 201   Wien Hutteldorf - Wien Meidling 0833 Wien Hutteldorf - Stockerau 9km
1014 005# Wien Meidling - Wien Sud            0731 Deutchkreutz - Wien Sud 4km
My first aim of the day, new track for diesel via Neusiedl am See down to Wulkersprodersdorf.
2143 022   Wien Sud - Wulkersprodersdorf    0919 W.Sud - Wulkersprodersdorf 89km
2143 022 at Neusiedl am See on the 0919 Wien Sud to Wulkersprodersdorf
2143 022 at Wulkersprodersdorf off the 0919 from Wien Sud
1014 009# Wulkersprodersdorf - Wien Sud 1031 Deutchkreutz - Wien Sud 59km
Back into Vienna via the much quicker electrified route then onto more winner track to Bratislava - I'd never been beyond Marchegg in the past.
2143 073# Wien Sud - Bratislava hl.st.   1222 Wien Sud - Bratislava 66km
I changed a £5 note to get some lunch, consisting of a filled baguette & a bottle of beer for the train - hold on I've quite a bit left so a hasty couple of pints of draft beer in the station bar please!
2143 073   Bratislava hl.st. - Simmering 1507 Bratislava - Wien Sud 62km
2143 073 waits time at Marchegg on the 1507 Bratislava - Wien Sud
1142 688   Spittelau - Absdorf Hippersdorf 1655 Wien FJBf - Krems 46km
4010 005   Absdorf Hippersdorf - Schwarzenau 1705 Wien FJBf - Gmund 96km
5047 009   Schwarzenau - Zwettl Stadt 1903 Schwarzenau - Zwettl Stadt 23km
Daily Total  = 1160 KM
A move up to Zwettl in anticipation of the booked 2095 on the Sunday, Novog run, Gmund - Gross Gerungs service, very sociable as timed around everyone having a Sunday dinner and a few beers in Gross Gerungs. I had stayed in Zwettl before, the Zwettl brewery tap and a couple of other decent pubs available on the main square.

Sunday 07/09/03

5047 009   Zwettl Stadt – Schwarzenau  0827 Zwettl Stadt – Schwarzenau 23km
1042 520# Schwarzenau – Gmund No    0705 Wien Franz Josefs – Gmund 24km
I met Medhurst as planned on this, should be a sociable bash and drink today.
On rolling into Gmund Stuart asked "what colour is it?" as one of the 2095's had been repainted into their old livery. My reply was "It's Black!" Bowled - there was a black, smoking, steaming Kettle sat on the stock for the 0940!
The Novog plan was Steam & Diesel, operating on alternate weekends & all timetabled, so into the ticket office to remonstrate with the Novog rep! It turns out that Landschlag station was officially 100 years old today & the Mayor had requested a Kettle to mark the event. There was a diesel out yesterday is that any good?
Bemused by the turn of events, being in Gmund on a Sunday morning meant we weren't really in a position of strength for leaping for anything else, so we bought return tickets to Weitra. 
399.04      Gmund No – Weitra               0940 Gmund No – Gross Gerungs 14km
Luckily two Brewpubs in town and we'd never visited either before, also as not in the UK a civilised opening time, even on a Sunday, meant one was already open when we arrived.
We spent the best part of the next six hours drinking, playing cards and occasionally swopping pubs, plus obviously having something to eat at some point.
399.04       Weitra – Gmund No               1505 Gross Gerungs – Gmund No 14km
1042 024# Gmund No – Heiligenstadt    1736 Gmund  - Wien Franz Josefs 164km
We parted company but had arranged to meet in St.Polten the following day.
4020 097   Heiligenstadt – Handelskai    1914 Wien Hutteldorf – Handelskai          
4020 079   Handelskai – Gerasdorf         1905 Modling – Mistelbach 
A final flourish and a chance to actually get something from the day - new track behind a winner 2143 to Laa a.d.Thaya where I had pre-booked accomodation.            
2143 014# Gerasdorf – Laa a.d.Thaya     1957 Wien Nord – Laa a.d.Thaya  65km
Daily Total  = 304 KM
It's a good job I had eaten earlier, arriving at this largely agricultural location late-ish on a Sunday night meant that neither of my intended pubs were still open - in fact I did well to grab a solitary pint in the one pub I did find open as they closed up around me!

Monday 08/09/03

Well I wasn't getting up for the 05xx back to Vienna with the 2143, time for Breakfast instead before making my way back on a couple of units.
5047 057   Laa a.d.Thaya Stadt - Mistelbach 0816 Laa - Mistelbach 29km
4020 xxx   Mistelbach - Wien Sud 0900 Mistelbach - Wiener Neustadt 15km
2143 038# Wien Sud - Hausfeldstrasse 1022 Wien Sud - Bratislava 14km
4020 052   Hausfeldstrasse - Simmering 1044 Hausfeldstrasse - Wien Sud 10km
2016 039# Simmering - Wien Sud 0955 Znojmo - Wien Sud 4km
After the quick Ned leap to bag a couple of winners, time to get over to St.Polten for the 1325, currently booked for a 2095.
1044 091# Wien West - St.Polten 1234 Wien West - St.Polten 60km
For once our luck was in, Medhurst had re-joined me for the Thrash up to Laubenbachmuhle. 
Even better rather than returning on the back of a 1099 hauled service as previous years it was now diagrammed to work back as well.
2095 015   St.Polten - Laubenbachmuhle 1325 St.Polten - Laubenbachmuhle 49km
2095 015 at Laubenbachmuhle ready to work the 1505 to St.Polten
2095 015   Laubenbachmuhle - St.Polten 1505 Laubenbachmuhle - St.Polten 49km
Time to cover the rest of the St.Polten Rush.
2043 044# St.Polten - Herzogenburg 1712 St.Polten - Krems 11km
2043 044 at Herzogenburg
2043 034# Herzogenburg - St.Polten 1708 Krems - St.Polten 11km
Scabby 2143 050 backs onto the 1825 St.Polten - Hainfeld a big winner for me & Medhurst
After two winners, back to St.Polten to find a right scabby, dirty 2143 050 backing onto the stock for our next move, a former Knittelfeld Beast recently transferred to St.P!
2143 050# St.Polten - Hainfeld 1825 St.Polten - Hainfeld 32km
That was Loud! A very quick visit to the Hainfelder brewery tap to celebrate, built into the wall of the Brewery itself.
2016 051# Hainfeld - St.Polten 1823 Leobersdorf - St.Polten 32km
1116 139# St.Polten - Linz 1950 Wien West - Hamburg Altona 130km
101 122#  Linz - Naumburg 2128 Wien West - Berlin Ost 586km 
Daily Total  = 1032 KM
Once again doing moves around St.Polten made me look a right Ned - SIX winners in a row!

Tuesday 09/09/03

I had booked my return flight from Leipzig to enable me to cover winner track from Hof to Leipzig via Gera. No decent way to get to it but needs must.
120 131   Naumburg - Leipzig 0518 Erfurt - Leipzig 54km
143 639# Leipzig - Zwickau 0724 Leipzig - Zwickau 90km
612 133   Zwickau - Hof 0901 Zwickau - Hof 96km
218 263   Hof - Leipzig (Via Gera) 0648 Munchen - Leipzig 157km
218 263 at Gera
143 639   Leipzig - Altenburg 1524 Leipzig - Zwickau 45km

Total KM = 3325  KM                   Total Moves = 44

Daily Average = 665 KM              Average Per Move = 75 KM

A proper trip with a combination of new track for Diesel, winning locos & decent Beer thrown in. Perhaps more beer than intended and less Klik's behind 2095's due to the Mayor of  Landschlag intervening but that's the perils of travelling long distances for your next move - sometimes you get bowled! Cheers Poodle.

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