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hide options panelDeutsche Bahn
893 photos
updated : 2022-12-03
DB or Deutsche Bahn, is Germany's state railway and operates passenger and freight trains across Germany. Many regional passenger services have been taken over by other operators and independents are also very active in the freight sector. However, DB is the biggest presence by far.
HSL Logistik
6 photos
updated : 2022-09-03
HSL Logistik is a Hamburg based freight operator that also offers shunting services around Bremen, Hamburg, Rostock and Seelze. For main line work its fleet consists mainly of modern electric locos, primarily classes 185, 186 and 187, with a few examples of other electric types and a few diesels.
Bayerische Regiobahn
7 photos
updated : 2022-09-03
Bayerische Regiobahn is owned by Transdev and operates numerous routes in Bayern. Some were operated under different brand names such as Meridian in the past. BRB is unit only but Meridian used DB Class 111s on a few München - Salzburg services in 2014, until it had enough units available
TX Logistik
7 photos
updated : 2022-09-02
TX Logistik or TXL is an open access freight operator owned by FS, the Italian state railway. The company's main business is moving freight between northern European ports and southern Europe. The company operates a fleet of around 80 locos, most of them modern electrics from Siemens or Bombardier.
RheinCargo / HGK
7 photos
updated : 2022-08-31
RheinCargo is an open access freight operator owned by HGK (Hafen und Güterverkehr Köln) and NE (Neusser Eisenbahn), operators of the railway systems in the ports of Köln, Neuss and Düsseldorf. RheinCargo has a fleet of around 90 main line locos, all modern and roughly half of them electrics.
Crossrail
5 photos
updated : 2022-08-30
Crossrail was a private freight operator that specialised in long distance traffic between the low countries and Italy via Germany and Switzerland. The company had a significant presence in Germany and its locos were a common sight on German main lines. Crossrail has recently been acquired by BLS Cargo.
Railtours
5 photos
updated : 2022-08-27
This gallery covers railtours and other special trains seen on the German network during the course of my travels. I rarely go out of my way to photograph specials, preferring to record the working railway, but I'll happily photograph any railtours that come past while I'm out and about.
NEG
2 photos
updated : 2022-08-27
Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Gesellschaft operates the 31km Niebüll - Dagebüll line and the 18km line from Niebüll to Tønder in Denmark, the latter jointly with Arriva Danmark. NEG was owned by CFL (Luxembourg) when these pictures were taken but RDC have since bought a 75% stake in the company
CFL Cargo
2 photos
updated : 2022-08-26
CFL Cargo is the freight division of Luxembourg's national operator and operates subsidiaries in other European countries including Germany. Among its operations are freight trains at the north end of the Marschbahn, including traffic to Westerland, worked by a Class 275 diesel outstationed at Niebüll.
NordWestBahn
2 photos
updated : 2022-08-25
NordWestBahn is a joint venture of Transdev and the municipal authorities of Osnabruck and Oldenburg. It operates local train services over a wide area of northern Germany centred on Bremen, Oldenburg and Osnabruck using modern EMUs of Class 440 and DMUs of classes 643 and 648.
DSB
1 photo
updated : 2022-08-25
DSB is Denmark's national railway operator and has provided the rolling stock for some cross border services into Germany. In recent years DSB's IC3 DMUs had been used on trains to Hamburg but DB Class 605 were hired to extend some trains to Berlin and free up the IC3s for domestic use.
Railpool
7 photos
updated : 2017-05-29
Railpool is one of the larger German locomotive leasing companies with a fleet of modern Bombardier TRAXX and Siemens Vectron locomotives equipped for operation over much of the European network. Many of its locos carry a silver and blue livery but others are painted in the colours of their operators.
Lokomotion
5 photos
updated : 2017-05-29
Lokomotion is a München based freight operator specialising in international services particularly between Germany, Austria and Italy. It is partly owned by and works in co-operation with RTC. Lokomotion has a fleet of modern Bombardier and Siemens locos but also operates a few older machines.
ÖBB
26 photos
updated : 2017-05-29
The locomotives of ÖBB, the Austrian state operator, are a common sight on Germany's electrified main lines. Class 1016 and 1116 electrics work passenger trains as far north as Hamburg and appear on freights across the network. Other classes can appear as well but are fairly uncommon these days.
Captrain Deutschland
6 photos
updated : 2017-05-29
Captrain started life as Rail4Chem, an independent operator set up by and for the chemical industry in 2000. R4C was bought by Veolia in 2008 and in 2009 passed to SNCF and was grouped with its other German operations as Captrain Deutschland. This gallery includes predecessors, R4C and ITL.
SBB Cargo
6 photos
updated : 2017-05-29
SBB Cargo is the freight arm of the Swiss national operator and operates in Germany as SBB Cargo Deutschland. A number of SBB Cargo electrics are also hired to German independent operators and can appear almost anywhere. Class 482 electrics are the most visible type although class 421 also appear.
MRCE Dispolok
51 photos
updated : 2017-05-29
MRCE Dispolok is one of Europe's largest locomotive hire companies with a fleet of over 130 modern diesel and electric locomotives, most of them registered in Germany. Dispoloks can be seen all over Germany on freights and on a number of passenger services operated by DB and independents.
Agilis
4 photos
updated : 2017-03-16
Agilis, a subsidiary of Hamburg based Benex, operates local passenger services on a number of lines in north-east Bayern, using Class 440 EMUs on lines radiating from Regensburg and Class 650 DMUs on the diesel worked routes around Hof, Marktredwitz and Bayreuth.
ALEX
145 photos
updated : 2017-03-16
ALEX operated loco hauled fast trains from München to Oberstdorf from 2002. From late 2007 München - Lindau and München - Hof services were added and, from 2010, some services to Plzen. The München to Lindau and Oberstdorf trains ceased in late 2020 but the Hof and Plzen trains still run.
Press
5 photos
updated : 2017-03-10
Press is an offshoot of the preserved Pressnitztalbahn, a 760mm gauge line. Press owns, operates and hires out an interesting fleet of standard gauge diesels and electrics including some vintage machines. Most of its locos are painted in a very attractive blue livery but carry misleading numbers.
Nord-Ostsee Bahn
35 photos
updated : 2016-06-02
The Nord-Ostsee Bahn or NOB operated regional passenger services between Hamburg and Westerland from 2000 to 2016. NOB had a fleet of Class 223 and Class 251 diesels and modern push-pull stock. It also had a few DMUs for local services but the vast majority of trains were loco hauled.
RTS
4 photos
updated : 2016-01-27
RTS Rail Transport Service is a subsidiary of Swietelsky, a large Austrian civil engineering contractor with a presence in many European countries. RTS's main activities are centred around moving track machines and running engineering trains but it also contracts for freight work.
SVG
11 photos
updated : 2016-01-27
SVG started as a preservation operation based on the Staudenbahn, a closed line near Augsburg, but has expanded into the loco hire business. SVG's ex ÖBB Class 2143 diesels have been used on ALEX passenger services. They also had 3 ex ÖBB Class 1142 electrics at one time.
Cantus
4 photos
updated : 2022-08-29
Cantus is a joint venture between the Hamburger Hochbahn and Hessische Landesbahn and has had the contract to operate local passenger services around Kassel since the end of 2006. It uses 3-car Class 427 and 4-car Class 428 Stadler Flirt articulated EMUs on all its routes, including the line south to Fulda.
Vogtlandbahn
5 photos
updated : 2016-01-27
The Vogtlandbahn started running local passenger services in the Vogtland area of Sachsen in 1994 and has expanded into neighbouring Thüringen and Bayern and runs across the border into the Czech Republic. All services are operated by DMUs. Vogtlandbahn is now owned by Netinera.
Wismut Werkbahn
2 photos
updated : 2015-08-05
The Wismut Werkbahn was an industrial line that used to serve uranium mines around Ronneburg, near Gera. It now transports materials for the restoration of old mining sites. Motive power was provided by a fleet of V300 diesels, ex-DB class 232s rebuilt with Caterpillar engines and painted green.
Ceske Drahy
9 photos
updated : 2015-08-04
Czech Railways (ČD and ČD Cargo) locos have long worked EuroCity passengers and many freight trains along the Elbe Valley to Dresden and occasionally further into Germany. In the era of open access and standard loco types across Europe, they could appear anywhere in Germany in the future.
Germany has one of the largest and busiest railway systems in Europe with most important routes electrified. There's plenty of freight traffic on the main routes and frequent passenger trains on most lines. Add some attractive scenery and a wide variety of liveries and you have an excellent place to photograph trains
