Fri 09 Sep 2011
Fri 09 Sep 2011
31/07/12 17:03
Today’s forecast was reasonably optimistic and by 09:30 the cloud was breaking up nicely north of Oberstaufen. EC191 passed in sun and then everything stopped. Neither the eastbound ALEX, due at Oberstaufen at 10:40, nor the DMU, due in the opposite direction at virtually the same time, appeared. After around half an hour of wondering what was going on, a German photographer nearby phoned a friend on the railway and was told that there had been an accident somewhere, that nothing would move for a couple of hours and that EC193 would run via Memmingen, despite that line being officially closed for engineering work.
An air ambulance had gone up the valley towards Harbatshofen some time earlier so I set off in that direction. There were firemen and police swarming all over the line at Harbatshofen but, thankfully, no wrecked train. Continuing west, the ALEX was found hiding in the woods near Ellhofen, east of Röthenbach with more firemen hanging around nearby looking bored. I concluded that whatever had happened had happened at Harbatshofen and then settled down to wait for the ALEX to move. It eventually passed just after 12:00, 90 minutes down. Then everything stopped again for over an hour before trains started running normally again, around 13:20.
There was always the possibility that all the ECs would run via Memmingen and so it was a great relief to see EC194 appear. The remainder of the day’s EC trains also ran via Kempten. The afternoon was spent around Harbatshofen with all but two trains passing in full sun. Not a bad day overall, in spite of the three hour break.
An air ambulance had gone up the valley towards Harbatshofen some time earlier so I set off in that direction. There were firemen and police swarming all over the line at Harbatshofen but, thankfully, no wrecked train. Continuing west, the ALEX was found hiding in the woods near Ellhofen, east of Röthenbach with more firemen hanging around nearby looking bored. I concluded that whatever had happened had happened at Harbatshofen and then settled down to wait for the ALEX to move. It eventually passed just after 12:00, 90 minutes down. Then everything stopped again for over an hour before trains started running normally again, around 13:20.
There was always the possibility that all the ECs would run via Memmingen and so it was a great relief to see EC194 appear. The remainder of the day’s EC trains also ran via Kempten. The afternoon was spent around Harbatshofen with all but two trains passing in full sun. Not a bad day overall, in spite of the three hour break.
Bufflings, N of Oberstaufen
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 223.065 (VBG) | ALX84142 | 06:51 München Hbf - Lindau Hbf | 08:57 |
Zell, N of Oberstaufen
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 218.423 218.440 |
EC196 | 07:13 München Hbf - Zürich HB | 09:16 |
| 218.418 218.404 |
EC191 | 07:16 Zürich HB - München Hbf | 09:48 |
Heimhofen, E of Röthenbach
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 223.066 (VBG) | ALX84147 | 09:59 Lindau Hbf - München Hbf | 12:03 (90 mins late) |
| 223.067 (VBG) | ALX84146 | 11:19 München Hbf - Lindau Hbf | 13:42 |
| 223.065 (VBG) | ALX84151 | 13:59 Lindau Hbf - München Hbf | 14:35 |
| 218.445 218.463 |
EC194 | 12:34 München Hbf - Zürich HB | 14:40 |
Harbatshofen
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 223.069 (VBG) | ALX84148 | 13:19 München Hbf - Lindau Hbf | 15:54 |
| 218.463 218.445 |
EC195 | 13:16 Zürich HB - München Hbf | 15:57 |
| 223.067 (VBG) | ALX84153 | 15:59 Lindau Hbf - München Hbf | 16:34 |
| 223.066 (VBG) | ALX84150 | 15:19 München Hbf - Lindau Hbf | 17:28 |
| 223.069 (VBG) | ALX84155 | 17:58 Lindau Hbf - München Hbf | 18:32 |
| 218.423 218.440 |
EC192 | 16:34 München Hbf - Zürich HB | 18:43 |
