Thu 15 Aug 2013

With no 103 expected during the morning, the right bank seemed the obvious place to go. I started south of Lorch, trying to get a couple of shots that had eluded me when I visited the line last year. There were plenty of freights but they were all going north and I needed trains going south. Eight northbounds passed in less than two hours but only two southbounds. It was the same at the next location, the Loreley Tunnel, where eleven northbound freights but only three southbounds passed in an hour and a half. The next location, north of St. Goarshausen, favoured northbounds so I was expecting the flows to reverse but they didn’t. Eleven northbounds and eight southbounds passed in the next three hours.

There seemed to be a bit more variety in the motive power than yesterday although DB class 185s were still far more common than anything else. A single 139 and a single 155 were the only old DB locos seen. A pair of 151s and a pair of 140s did pass but they were RBH locos. Crossrail, Railpool, Captrain and the inevitable MRCE Dispolok were also in evidence. 218.391, the yellow liveried loco that had been working ALEX services on the Oberstdorf branch in June, worked a civil engineers train north then returned south later, light engine.

Passenger services were largely as described yesterday with a number of InterCity services running via the right bank. Timekeeping was fairly poor so it was often difficult to tell which trains ran on which side of the river. It appears that the diversions are due to a shortage of staff at Mainz signalbox (thanks to Keith for the info) so they may continue for some time. Ex ÖBB 1042.520 also appeared, as it does almost every time I visit Germany, on a southbound ECS working on the right bank.

For a period of around an hour in the late afternoon, the right bank experienced an ICE fest with four southbounds and two northbounds seen, all 403s or 411s (I haven’t yet worked out how to tell the difference if there isn’t a number visible). I suspect these were diversions from the NBS as they didn’t fit with what was supposed to run via the left bank and weren’t seen yesterday.

I crossed to Oberwesel on the left bank for the late afternoon trains. IC118, the Salzburg - Münster, was worked by 103.235 as expected and EC6 was a Dispolok 182. The other ICs seen were worked by 101s. Most of the Frankfurt - Koblenz REs were top’n’tailed 143s on Dostos but RE12190 and RE12192 were 111s at the north end of single deck push-pull sets. Again, all the REs ran via the left bank, as did the Mainz - Koblenz locals. Timekeeping for the locals and REs was fairly good so it appears that the late running of ICs may not all be due to the problems at Mainz.

The weather was generally good but it did cloud up for a period in the middle of the day and again in the late afternoon, just in time to take out the 103 and 182 at Oberwesel. Oh well, try again tomorrow.

S of Lorch

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
185.046   NB Vans 09:01
401.008 ICE1028 05:30 Nürnberg Hbf - Hamburg-Altona Hbf 09:08
411.077 ICE1521 06:36 Dortmund Hbf - München Hbf 09:36
185.285   NB Oil Tanks 09:39
189.286 [DISPO]   NB Intermodal 09:43
155.008   SB Freight 09:50
185.302   NB Intermodal 10:02
145.103 [XRAIL]   SB Intermodal 10:17
185.401   NB Freight 10:25
185.xxx [XRAIL]   NB Intermodal 10:37
182.5xx [DISPO]   NB Intermodal 10:42

Loreley Tunnel, S of St. Goarshausen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
411.054 ICE27 08:37 Dortmund Hbf - Wien Westbf 11:18
101.127
propelling
  NB 11:22
(unidentified NB InterCity)
185.636 [RPOOL]   SB Light Engine 11:38
185.367   NB Freight 11:43
185.120   SB Freight 11:45
185.184   NB Intermodal 11:49
185.550 [CTD]   NB Vans 11:53
145.036   NB Freight 11:58
189.907 [LM]   NB Intermodal 12:03
185.283   SB Freight 12:04
1042.520 [CBB]   SB Empty Stock 12:07
189.213 [DISPO]   NB Intermodal 12:07
185.075   NB Car Carriers 12:13
185.599 [XRAIL]   NB Intermodal 12:18
185.384   NB Freight 12:35
185.176   NB Freight 12:41
185.157   NB Intermodal 12:49

Wellmich, N of St. Goarshausen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
185.304   SB Intermodal 13:00
151.151 [RBH]
151.152 [RBH]
  NB Hoppers 13:11
185.191   SB Freight 13:11
101.052 IC2023 07:32 Hamburg-Altona - Frankfurt (M) Hbf 13:14
101.079
propelling
IC2024 07:18 Passau Hbf - Hamburg-Altona 13:17
139.287   SB Freight 13:19
185.305   SB Freight 13:31
185.115   SB Freight 13:34
189.098 [DISPO]   NB Intermodal 13:45
140.815 [RBH]
140.789 [RBH]
  NB Hoppers 13:50
218.391   NB Departmental 13:54
185.189   NB Freight 13:58
152.151   SB Intermodal 14:02
185.692 [RPOOL]   NB Oil Tanks 14:23
151.168   SB Flats 14:32
185.001   NB Freight 14:41
185.xxx   SB Oil Tanks 14:41
185.376   NB Intermodal 14:57
401.052 ICE1026 13:44 Frankfurt (M) Hbf - Hamburg-Altona 15:12
185.275   NB Hoppers 15:18
185.552 [DISPO]   NB PKP Coal 15:24
401.054 ICE1025 09:32 Hamburg-Altona - Frankfurt (M) Hbf 15:31
189.050   NB Freight 15:43

Oberwesel

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
143.647
t & t with
143.216
RE4288 15:08 Frankfurt (M) Hbf - Koblenz Hbf 16:30
101.046 IC2011 14:51 Düsseldorf Hbf - Tübingen Hbf 17:13
103.235 IC118 06:53 Salzburg Hbf - Münster (Westf) Hbf 17:27
143.216
t & t with
143.647
RE4293 17:02 Koblenz Hbf - Frankfurt (M) Hbf 17:32
182.573 [DISPO] EC6 11:16 Chur - Hamburg-Altona 17:52
111.115 RE12190 16:08 Frankfurt (M) Hbf - Koblenz Hbf 17:58
101.xxx
propelling
EC114 08:42 Klagenfurt Hbf - Dortmund Hbf 18:25