Tue 24 April 2012
Tue 24 April 2012
31/07/12 16:57
The forecast was for an overcast day and I had a plan to travel the lines from Nürnberg to Schwandorf and Hof to look for photo positions. At 07:00 the sky was totally clear and it began to look like I’d have to replan. Unfortunately it wasn’t necessary as the weather had closed in completely by the time I left the hotel and within ten minutes it was raining. Back to plan A then.
I drove to Hersbruck (rechts Pegnitz) and bought a Bayern Ticket Single for the day. As with the Baden-Württemburg Ticket I had last week, there’s a first class version available for €31, very useful on the overcrowded DMUs in this part of the world. Even so, I couldn’t always get a seat facing the way I wanted on the side of the train I wanted.
I travelled into Nürnberg first, on a DMU inevitably, to try to find some decent maps but couldn’t find the ones I wanted. The next leg was east to Schwandorf on another DMU. I hadn’t travelled the line for many years and was surprised to find semaphore signals at Sulzbach-Rosenberg Hütte, Luitpoldhütte and Freihöls, none of which looked particularly easy to photograph. East of Amberg the line is single track. From Schwandorf I travelled south to Regensburg on an ALEX service with 223.069. A good proportion of the ALEX fleet was at Schwandorf just after 11:00 with 223.070 and 223.071 arriving on ALX355 from Regensburg, 223.072 backing down to take the train forward to Plzen and 223.069 on my train. There would be another loco at Nürnberg waiting to take the afternoon train to Plzen and another on its way from Plzen. No wonder they need the 2143 to work the Oberstdorfs.
The original plan was to return from Regensburg to Hersbrück but I didn’t feel I needed a second pass over the line and decided to travel north to Hof on the next ALEX service, behind 223.069 again. I’m really glad I did this line because there are numerous potential photo positions, that I was unaware of, and semaphore signals at Nabburg, Windischeschenbach (try saying that after a few) and Reuth (bei Erbendorf). Freights are few and far between but I did see a handful. In particular there appears to be a Müll operation in the area around Schwandorf with class 294s collecting trainloads of rubbish from various collection points and taking them to an incinerator (but I haven’t worked out where yet).
From Hof, where I did find the map I needed, I returned to Hersbruck by DMU then backtracked to Kirchenlaibach to check out the other side of the line before finally returning to Hersbruck. There are numerous potential photo positions on this line as well, mainly between Kirchenlaibach and Hersbruck.
It was an interesting day on a number of fronts, firstly the number of potential photo locations noted. They won’t all be as good as they looked from the train but I usually get close to 50% right and that’s enough to keep me going for years.
Secondly there was the contrast between the different types of train. The class 610 DMUs were quite comfortable with 2+1 seating and good legroom in first class but neither of the units I travelled on had a working toilet, a problem on longer journeys.
The 612s all had working toilets but the seating in first class wasn’t noticeably different from that in second class. Where it did differ was the absence of the strange, brain-rotting, whining noises that second class passengers on these units and the 611s are subjected to. I don’t know where the noises come from but if I was to hazard a guess, I’d have to say it probably involves torturing cats. What was also noticeable was just how rough riding the 612s were. I’ve had smoother rides in freight wagons in the third world (yes, really!).
The ALEX trains were several orders of magnitude more comfortable than either of the DMU types and a real pleasure to travel on. I hope Bayern is happy with its ALEX contract and extends it to other routes. Dresden to Nürnberg would certainly benefit from proper trains, four hours on a 612 is more than I could take.
DB seems to be on the retreat in this corner of Bayern with most local services around Regensburg, Hof and Bayreuth operated by Vogtlandbahn/ALEX or an outfit I’d never seen before called AGILIS (Unimaginitive would be a better name based on its drab, grey livery).
I drove to Hersbruck (rechts Pegnitz) and bought a Bayern Ticket Single for the day. As with the Baden-Württemburg Ticket I had last week, there’s a first class version available for €31, very useful on the overcrowded DMUs in this part of the world. Even so, I couldn’t always get a seat facing the way I wanted on the side of the train I wanted.
I travelled into Nürnberg first, on a DMU inevitably, to try to find some decent maps but couldn’t find the ones I wanted. The next leg was east to Schwandorf on another DMU. I hadn’t travelled the line for many years and was surprised to find semaphore signals at Sulzbach-Rosenberg Hütte, Luitpoldhütte and Freihöls, none of which looked particularly easy to photograph. East of Amberg the line is single track. From Schwandorf I travelled south to Regensburg on an ALEX service with 223.069. A good proportion of the ALEX fleet was at Schwandorf just after 11:00 with 223.070 and 223.071 arriving on ALX355 from Regensburg, 223.072 backing down to take the train forward to Plzen and 223.069 on my train. There would be another loco at Nürnberg waiting to take the afternoon train to Plzen and another on its way from Plzen. No wonder they need the 2143 to work the Oberstdorfs.
The original plan was to return from Regensburg to Hersbrück but I didn’t feel I needed a second pass over the line and decided to travel north to Hof on the next ALEX service, behind 223.069 again. I’m really glad I did this line because there are numerous potential photo positions, that I was unaware of, and semaphore signals at Nabburg, Windischeschenbach (try saying that after a few) and Reuth (bei Erbendorf). Freights are few and far between but I did see a handful. In particular there appears to be a Müll operation in the area around Schwandorf with class 294s collecting trainloads of rubbish from various collection points and taking them to an incinerator (but I haven’t worked out where yet).
From Hof, where I did find the map I needed, I returned to Hersbruck by DMU then backtracked to Kirchenlaibach to check out the other side of the line before finally returning to Hersbruck. There are numerous potential photo positions on this line as well, mainly between Kirchenlaibach and Hersbruck.
It was an interesting day on a number of fronts, firstly the number of potential photo locations noted. They won’t all be as good as they looked from the train but I usually get close to 50% right and that’s enough to keep me going for years.
Secondly there was the contrast between the different types of train. The class 610 DMUs were quite comfortable with 2+1 seating and good legroom in first class but neither of the units I travelled on had a working toilet, a problem on longer journeys.
The 612s all had working toilets but the seating in first class wasn’t noticeably different from that in second class. Where it did differ was the absence of the strange, brain-rotting, whining noises that second class passengers on these units and the 611s are subjected to. I don’t know where the noises come from but if I was to hazard a guess, I’d have to say it probably involves torturing cats. What was also noticeable was just how rough riding the 612s were. I’ve had smoother rides in freight wagons in the third world (yes, really!).
The ALEX trains were several orders of magnitude more comfortable than either of the DMU types and a real pleasure to travel on. I hope Bayern is happy with its ALEX contract and extends it to other routes. Dresden to Nürnberg would certainly benefit from proper trains, four hours on a 612 is more than I could take.
DB seems to be on the retreat in this corner of Bayern with most local services around Regensburg, Hof and Bayreuth operated by Vogtlandbahn/ALEX or an outfit I’d never seen before called AGILIS (Unimaginitive would be a better name based on its drab, grey livery).
Lauf (r. Pegnitz)
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 232.xxx | 56900 | 08:37 Nürnberg Rbf - Schwandorf Freight | 09:15 |
Schwandorf
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 223.070 (VBG) 223.071 (VBG) |
ALX355 | 09:01 München Hbf - Praha hl.n. | 10:58 |
| 223.072 (VBG) | ALX355 | 09:01 München Hbf - Praha hl.n. | 11:02 |
| 223.069 (VBG) | ALX84111 | 09:40 Hof Hbf - München Hbf | 11:06 |
Regensburg Hbf
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 183.003 (VBG) | ALX84111 | 09:40 Hof Hbf - München Hbf | 11:42 |
| 183.002 (VBG) | ALX84106 | 10:44 München Hbf - Hof Hbf | 12:10 |
| 232.528 | WB Hoppers | 12:15 | |
| 223.069 (VBG) | ALX84106 | 10:44 München Hbf - Hof Hbf | 12:15 |
Regenstauf
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 232.xxx | SB containers | 12:30 |
Schwandorf
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 294.717 | shunting | 12:45 |
Weiden (Oberpf)
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 294.745 | SB Binliner | 13:11 |
Marktredwitz
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 232.259 | NB freight | 13:51 | |
| 232.217 232.528 |
stabled | 14:55 | |
| 232.xxx | SB freight | 14:56 |
Rupprechtstegen
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 232.xxx | SB freight | 16:16 |
