Germany 12/11 to 19/11 2001 "It was all going swell 'til Lichtenfels"

A single manned trip to DB land with the emphasis firmly on new track for Diesel, especially now that 218's had spread their wings a lot further into areas of the former East Germany. # denotes any winner locos gleaned during the trip.

12/11/01

3106         Waterloo International – Brussels 1227 Waterloo Int – Brussels 377km      

1601         Brussels – Köln 1544 Ostende – Köln  229km

A couple of hours here for food and drink before continuing the leap.

120 131#  Köln – Nürnberg 1910 Brussels Midi - Wien 461km

Daily Total  = 1067 KM

13/11/01

101 133#  Nürnberg – Schwäbish Hall Hesenthal  2125 Dresden – Stuttgart 113km

218 360    Schwäbish Hall Hesenthal – Heilbronn  0600 Schwabish H..H. - Heilbronn 61km

I'm sure I'd done Schwabisch H.H. to Heilbronn a few times before but nice to get a bit of diesel hauled on the way for my first bit of new track from Eberbach (I don't think I'd done the line south of Erbach previously)

110 238    Heilbronn – Eberbach  0709 Heilbronn – Mannheim 48km

218 360    Eberbach – Frankfurt   0824 Eberbach – Frankfurt 111km

A nice run through the forests and then the small towns around Frankfurt, now for todays main aim - winner track for diesel under the wires from Wiesbaden to Frankfurt, a new turn that didn't run for long. 

143 019#  Frankfurt – Wiesbaden 1053 Frankfurt – Wiesbaden 41km

218 215    Wiesbaden – Frankfurt 1233 Wiesbaden – Frankfurt 41km

That successfully done no more new track today so time to cover as many diesel turns as possible in search of new locos.

111 198#  Frankfurt – Offenbach  1326 Frankfurt – Fulda 10km

215 101#  Offenbach – Obertshausen  1408 Offenbach – Ober-Roden 8km

215 110    Obertshausen – Offenbach   1407 Ober-Roden – Offenbach 8km

215 109#  Offenbach – Offenbach Ost 1505 Offenbach – Ober-Roden 2km

2 out of 3 winners on the 215 turns then back to Hanau to cover 218's on the Erbach/Erberbach route.

111 110#) Offenbach – Hanau 1526 Frankfurt – Fulda 13km

111 101  )

218 285#  Hanau – Wiebelsbach Heubach 1615 Frankfurt – Stuttgart 35km

218 249    Wiebelsbach Heubach – Michelstadt 1703 Darmstadt – Erbach 19km

218 155    Michelstadt – Bad König 1803 Erbach – Darmstadt 7km

218 244    Bad König – Zell Kirchbrombach 1739 Darmstadt – Erbach 2km  

Just time to grab a quick beer in a pub outside the station     

218 215    Zell Kirchbrombach – Erbach 1819 Darmstadt – Erbach 8km

218 321#  Erbach – Eberbach 1815 Frankfurt – Eberbach 22km

143 655#  Eberbach – Stuttgart  2002 Heidelberg – Stuttgart 101km

That was a long run on a 143, now for an overnight to the other side of Germany.      

101 111#  Stuttgart – Nurnberg 2308 Stuttgart – Dresden  203km

Daily Total  = 853 KM

14/11/01

101 067#  Nürnberg – Leipzig  2308 Stuttgart – Dresden 368km

A very good day for new track in prospect, starting with both routes between Leipzig & Chemnitz.

218 210    Leipzig – Chemnitz (Via Borna) 0626 Leipzig – Chemnitz 87km

218 210    Chemnitz – Leipzig (Via Bad Lausick) 0851 Chemnitz – Leipzig 81km

143 143#  Leipzig – Halle 1047 Leipzig – Halle 38km

Now more new track for diesel, all the way from Halle to Vienenburg required.         

218 110    Halle – Halberstadt  1229 Halle – Halberstadt 93km

218 438    Halberstadt – Vienenburg 1407 Halberstadt – Vienenburg 49km

614 xxx    Vienenburg – Braunschweig 1451 Bad Harzburg –     39km

                                                                         Braunchsweig

A change to the saying "Go west young man" I'd much rather go East over winner track!

218 449    Braunschweig – Rathenow 1724 Braunschweig – Rathenow 142km

218 449    Rathenow – Stendal 1934 Rathenow – Stendal 35km

After nearly 500km's of winner track for diesel today, feet up in a Compo with just a quick change of trains in Hannover to grab a morsel & perhaps a couple of bottles...

103 237    Stendal – Hannover 1925 Berlin Ost – Münster 150km

101 021#  Hannover – Würzburg 2026 Hamburg – Wien 376km

Daily Total  = 1458 KM

15/11/01

101 065#  Würzburg – Frankfurt Flughafen 1916 Wien – Brussels 147km

A leap in the middle of the night probably for an S-Bahn into Frankfurt.

111 096    Frankfurt – Marburg 0505 Frankfurt – Kassel 95km

The very early start was to cover track that had been available for a couple of years now but very hard to get too - Marburg to Erndtebrück.

212 298    Marburg – Erndtebrück 0625 Marburg – Erndtebrück 64km

Luckily I was doing it both ways as too dark to see anything on the outward trip.

212 298    Erndtebrück – Marburg   0800 Erndtebrück – Marburg 64km

That was all done on Silverfish stock, next part of the diagram booked to pilot a unit under the wires.

212 298    Marburg – Giessen 0941 Marburg – Giessen 29km

                 (Unit DIT)

111 103#  Giessen – Marburg 0949 Frankfurt – Marburg 29km

Although I'd done the Frankenberg branch once before (the day of the 130kmh Taxi!) I had time to cover it again and it produced a winner to boot.

212 356#  Marburg – Frankenberg 1341 Marburg – Frankenberg 33km

212 356    Frankenberg – Marburg  1430 Frankenberg – Marburg 33km

I liked nothing better than tootling along branch lines behind small locos like these.

141 208    Marburg – Giessen 1346 Kassel – Dillenburg 29km

111 101    Giessen – Frankfurt 1423 Kassel – Frankfurt  66km

ICE           Frankfurt – Mannheim 1201 Berlin Wannsee – München 88km

218 300    Mannheim – Ludwigshafen 1620 Eppingen – Bruchsal 3km

143 163#  Ludwigshafen – Mannheim 1652 Homburg – Stuttgart 3km

218 392    Mannheim – Heilbronn (via Sinsheim) 1847 Mannheim – Heilbronn 69km

That was a right clawback, the only previous time I'd attempted the route via Sinsheim a Bus was involved for part of the journey - not only that but this move dropped me straight into more winner track for diesel, under the wires to Bietigheim-Bissingen.

218 479    Heilbronn – Bietigheim-Bissingen 2046 Heilbronn –                30km

                                                                                  Bietigheim-Bissingen

Dreadful, we were always keeping our ears to the ground for this sort of odd working.

111 001#  Bietigheim-Bissingen – Stuttgart  2010 Heidelberg – Stuttgart 23km

xxx xxx    Stuttgart – Nürnberg  2305 Stuttgart – Dresden 203km

101 019#  Nürnberg – Halle      2305 Stuttgart – Dresden 330km

Daily Total  = 1338 KM

16/11/01

Another missed loco on the overnight, travelling alone it was always more important to secure a compo for the night than be too concerned with the loco number. Today a whole mass of new routes for 218 haulage beckoned.

Unit          Halle – Sandersleben 0604 Halle – Hannover 49km

218 110    Sandersleben – Sangerhausen 0612 Magdeburg – Sangerhausen 37km

First required track of the day, time for a fill-in move before my next piece of track.

219 115#  Sangerhausen – Oberroblingen 0745 Sangerhausen – Erfurt 5km

143 941#  Oberroblingen – Sangerhausen 0705 Erfurt –Sangerhausen 5km 

Now for a long run over winner track to from Sandersleben to Haldensleben.           

218 110    Sangerhausen – Haldensleben 0812 Sangerhausen – Haldenleben 126km

218 438    Haldensleben – Gross Ammensleben 1007 Oebisfelde – Magdeburg 11km

218 433#  Gross Ammensleben – Oebisfelde 0933 Aschesleben – Oebisfelde 46km

This was again winner track Haldensleben to Oebisfelde. It would then be rude not to cover the booked pair on my way to my first digs of the trip in Quedlinburg.

218 454)   Oebisfelde – Stendal 1124 Braunschweig – Rathenow 62km

218 905#)

112 180#  Stendal – Magdeburg 1117 Münster – Leipzig 58km

218 187    Magdeburg – Quedlinburg 1415 Magdeburg – Thale 76km

A fantastic place Quedlinburg, all cobbled streets and packed with medieval buildings, it is now a firm favourite of my wife's. I would be staying at the Brauhaus Lüdde, which Clive Muspratt had told me about. A brewpub downstairs, the rooms were along a walkway above from where you could view the revellers!

After checking in and making sure the beers was drinkable (!) I still required the track to the end of the branch at Thale.

218 455    Quedlinburg – Thale 1710 Magdeburg – Thale 10km

218 455    Thale – Quedlinburg 1918 Thale – Magdeburg 10km

As the beer was found to be eminently drinkable, time for a fair few more before bed!

Daily Total  = 495 KM

17/11/01

A very relaxed start with ample time to enjoy breakfast in the brewpub.
219 038#  Quedlinburg – Halberstadt 0918 Thale – Magdeburg 18km

218 268    Halberstadt – Aschersleben 1001 Halberstadt – Halle 32km

218 458    Aschersleben – Güsten 1044 Aschersleben – Dessau 12km

That was the first required bit of track today, just leaving Sandersleben to Güsten for later.

218 448    Güsten – Aschersleben 1000 Dessau – Aschersleben 12km

218 262#  Aschersleben – Halberstadt 1029 Halle – Halberstadt 32km

I'd made time to visit Heine Brau, open since 1999 in a Hotel just 3 minutes walk from the station.

Don't worry I sat on a stool at the bar, so as not to lower the tone.

218 447    Halberstadt – Quedlinburg 1215 Magdeburg – Thale 18km

I'd so enjoyed my stay in the Brauhaus Lüdde, why not pop-in for a couple more beers?

218 447    Quedlinburg – Halberstadt 1418 Thale – Magdeburg 18km

Unit          Halberstadt – Aschersleben 1238 Hannover – Halle 32km

218 432#  Aschersleben – Gusten  1544 Aschersleben – Dessau 12km

218 435    Gusten – Aschersleben  1442 Magdeburg – Aschersleben 12km

218 268    Aschersleben – Sandersleben 1601 Halberstadt – Halle 12km        

218 108    Sandersleben – Schönebeck  1612 Sangerhausen – Magdeburg 82km

That move included my 2nd piece of new track today, Sandersleben to Güsten

143 159#  Schönebeck – Magdeburg 1642 Halle – Magdeburg 15km

Red Shed  Magedburg – Leipzig 1436 Oldenburg – Dresden 124km

Well I've got to be bowled by a rancid 232 at some point...

112 122#  Leipzig – Halle    2125 Dresden – Stuttgart 38km

101 100#  Halle – Nürnberg 2125 Dresden – Stuttgart 330km

Daily Total  = 799 KM

18/11/01

I had planned to do an IC from Nuremberg to Regensburg to pick up my intended train the 0922 departure, but no I decided I'd rather go via Bamberg & Hof to do a route I'd not done as often in the past.

143 017#  Nürnberg – Forchheim  0538 Nürnberg – Ludwigslust 39km

111 168#  Forchheim – Lichtenfels 0559 Nürnberg – Sonneburg 55km

As with all hastily made changes of plan I just assumed a 218 would whisk me forward - but they'd finished!

Unit!        Lichtenfels – Hof  0708 Lichtenfels – Hof 95km

Pendo!     Hof – Marktredwitz 0826 Hof – Nürnberg 42km

So a loss of 218 mileage from Regensburg to Marktredwitz, not my finest hour - Rover Brain had struck! My new track for the day to Zwickau thankfully still awaited.

218 007    Marktredwitz – Zwickau 0922 Regensburg – Zwickau 138km

218 007    Zwickau – Regensburg 1310 Zwickau – Regensburg 275km

111 204#  Regensburg – Landshut 1644 Regensburg – München 62km

111 219    Freilassing – Salzburg 1833 München – Salzburg 6km

Daily Total  = 712 KM

A bit of a gap between Landshut & Freilassing can only mean units were done between the two!

I checked in my hotel then had a meal & a few beers in the new tap of the Stiegl brewery in the city centre which was combined with a hotel.

19/11/01

My targets for today featured no diesels, instead the winner branches to Berchtesgaden & Ruhpolding, at least they could still be done hauled.
139 315#  Salzburg – Berchtesgaden 0827 Salzburg – Berchtesgaden 39km

I could have called the article "Where Poodle's Dare" but I don't think it has the resonance of "Where Eagles Dare" somehow...

139 315    Berchtesgaden – Freilassing 0947 Berchtesgaden – Salzburg 33km

120 102#  Freilassing – Traunstein  1036 Salzburg – München 29km

139 310#  Traunstein - Ruhpolding 1104 Traunstein – Ruhpolding 13km

139 310    Ruhpolding – Traunstein 1132 Ruhpolding – Traunstein 13km

I distinctly remember snow on the branch, very pleasant scenary.

111 028#  Traunstein – Salzburg 1033 München – Salzburg 35km

Another uneventful airport check-in and flight - oh those were the days.

91101       Peterborough – Doncaster  xxxx Kings Cross – Newcastle 156m

Daily Total  = 162 KM

Total KM =  6844 KM                   Total Moves =  93    

Daily Average = 860 KM               Average Per Move = 74 KM

A very productive trip for winner track diesel hauled, the new routes available in the former East were completed on this trip. It's a very nice area especially Quedlinburg & the Harz mountain range in general. Doing the Berchtesgaden & Ruhpolding branches electric hauled finished the trip off nicely.

Cheers Poodle (Richard Mann)