Thu 12 Sep 2013

By lunchtime there was no sign of the light improving on the Paris - Belfort line, so I set off on the long journey east to the Stuttgart - Singen line, hoping for some afternoon shots on the Höllentalbahn or the Gäubahn. If anything, the weather was worse in Germany with heavy rain most of the way from Freiburg to my base for the next few days, Empfingen, near Sulz am Neckar. There was no sign of the cloud breaking anywhere. Time to call it a day and retire gracefully to the bar.

Fri 13 Sep 2013

It was Friday the 13th, the forecast was gloomy and it was completely overcast at dawn, hardly a promising start. Fridays should see a 181 and a 120 each working a Stuttgart - Zürich IC to Singen and back. There’s also a 115 booked to work south in the evening but it’s much too late to photograph. I’d expected the remaining IC services to be worked by 101s but they seemed to be having an unlucky day. The first northbound was 101 hauled but none of the other trains were. Every other IC seen was worked by a 120 or a 181.

The Stuttgart - Singen REs were all 146s on dosto push-pull sets apart from the expected 425+426 combo on RE19040. The Rottweil REs were all 425s, again as expected.

There wasn’t a huge amount of sunshine but I did manage five shots in full sun including a 181, a 120, a 146 and a pair of 185s on a freight. The freights ran largely as expected, with two exceptions. There was an unexpected southbound van train just before midday, hauled by a 185 as virtually all the freights are, and an even more unexpected northbound train of armoured vehicles in the afternoon, hauled by an extremely unexpected 232!

Probably the best day of the trip so far, although that’s not saying much.

Grünholz, S of Sulz am Neckar

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
181.223 IC181 07:58 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 08:55
101.041 IC284 07:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 09:09
185.088   NB Containers 09:33
146.210
propelling
RE19035 08:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 09:35
185.089   SB Freight 09:47
181.204 IC183 09:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 10:54
120.109 IC282 09:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 11:10

Aistaig, N of Oberndorf (Neckar)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.206
propelling
RE19037 10:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 11:37
185.087   SB Vans 11:48
185.392
185.238
  NB Containers 12:09
146.210 RE19042 11:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 12:25
120.135 IC185 11:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 12:56
181.223 IC280 11:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 13:08

N of Rottweil-Neufra

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.208
propelling
RE19039 12:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 13:58
146.206 RE19044 13:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 14:05
232.703   SB Light Engine 14:14
181.204 IC186 13:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 14:46

S of Rottweil-Saline

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
120.109 IC187 13:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 15:14

N of Rottweil-Neufra

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
232.703   NB Military Vehicles 15:43
146.210
propelling
RE19041 14:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 15:57
146.208 RE19046 15:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 16:05
120.135 IC184 15:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 16:46

S of Rottweil-Saline

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
181.xxx IC281 15:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 17:15




Sat 14 Sep 2013

Another interesting day on the Gäubahn but a totally unproductive one. The sun did come out for 20 minutes between trains in the late afternoon but there were no shots in good light and it rained for most of the morning. Once again the rarer classes were busier than expected on the ICs at the expense of 101s. Two 115s were out, instead of the one expected, and a 181 also made an unexpected appearance. Add in a 120 and there wasn’t that much left for the 101s to do.

There were a couple of steam specials running from Rottweil to Villingen, Donaueschingen, Tuttlingen and back to Rottweil, celebrating 10 years of the 3er Ringzug, the local service over the same route operated by the Hohenzollerische Landesbahnen using soulless class 650 railcars. The loco was Rottweil based 52.7596 without feedwater heater or smoke deflectors. It wouldn’t have looked too out of place on the Usak - Afyon mixed in the early 1980s but wasn’t quite right for the Schwarzwald.

The REs all worked as expected with 146s on the Singen trains and 425s on the Rottweils. The two morning northbound freights I expected didn’t run but there was a block train of Fals hoppers southbound in the afternoon behind the inevitable 185.

Grünholz, S of Sulz am Neckar

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
120.110 IC181 05:56 Frankfurt (M) Hbf - Zürich HB 09:10
115.346 IC284 07:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 09:10
185.266
185.310
  NB Light Engines 09:35
146.210
propelling
RE19035 08:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 09:37
146.206 RE19040 09:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 10:30
181.207 IC183 09:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 10:55
101.044 IC282 09:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 11:10
146.208
propelling
RE19037 10:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 11:36
146.210 RE19042 11:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 12:28
115.448 IC185 11:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 12:54
120.110 IC280 11:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 13:07

N of Rottweil-Neufra

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.206
propelling
RE19039 12:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 13:59
146.208 RE19044 13:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 14:05
52.7596 75911 12:57 Immendingen - Rottweil Special 14:25
181.207 IC186 13:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 14:47
101.002 IC187 13:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 15:14
146.210
propelling
RE19043 14:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 15:59
146.206 RE19046 15:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 16:05
185.397   SB Fals Hoppers 16:30
115.448 IC184 15:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 16:47
101.024 IC281 15:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 17:18
146.208
propelling
RE19045 16:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 17:58
52.7596 75913 16:57 Immendingen - Rottweil Special 18:02
146.210 RE19048 17:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 18:05


Sun 15 Sep 2013

More rain, and it was forecast to stay dull and wet all day. Instead of sitting in the car watching the rain lashing down, I decided to sit on a train and watch the rain lashing down. First move was from Oberndorf to Tuttlingen to pick up the Schwarzwald Bunny (218.406 today) for a trip to Neustadt, then to Rottweil and back to Villingen. Then it was time to have a look at potential photspots on the Schwarzwaldbahn with a trip to Offenburg then back down to Singen before finally returning to Oberndorf. Apart from the 218 and it’s 3-coach push-pull set, everything else I travelled on was formed of Dosto push-pull sets worked by 146s.

The main sightings of interest were at Rottweil where they’re clearly preparing for a big track renewal job with piles of new sleepers and other material in the station area. 213.336 and 218.261, both with Bahnbau Gruppe markings, were stabled at opposite ends of the station. Kriegslok 52.7596 was also there, waiting to depart on what appeared to be a special to Tübingen. There were at least two withdrawn 110s at the depot, one of them clearly being worked on by the preservation group based there.

The Schwarzwaldbahn was seriously overgrown in most places, which is just as well as the last thing I need at the moment is another line to photograph. Unless the weather improves dramatically, the 115s will be at least 200 years old before i’ve got the shots I want on the Gäubahn. There were a few good positions but nothing exceptional and if all that’s on offer is 146s and the occasional 101 or 185, they can wait.

Only three of the Stuttgart - Zürich ICs were seen, IC280 and IC185 were expected to be worked by 101s and were. IC281 was a 181 as expected.

Timekeeping was generally good throughout the day but not always spot on. My +1 from the northbound Schwarzwaldbahn train into the southbound at Offenburg looked seriously dodgy when we dropped a couple of minutes and I was all set to switch to plan B. However it wasn’t required as the southbound was also a few minutes late.

Oberndorf (Neckar)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.210
propelling
RE19035 08:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 09:38
(travelled Oberndorf - Tuttlingen)

Rottweil

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
213.336
218.261
  Stabled 09:53
(both DB Baugruppe)
52.7596   Rottweil - Tübingen Hbf Special 09:53

Aldingen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.206 RE19040 09:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 10:00

Tuttlingen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
218.406
propelling
IRE3220 08:10 Ulm Hbf - Neustadt (Schwarzw.) 10:15
(Travelled Tuttlingen - (Donaueschingen))

Donaueschingen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
218.406 IRE3220 08:10 Ulm Hbf - Neustadt (Schwarzw.) 10:45
(Travelled (Donaueschingen) - Neustadt (Schwarzw.))

Neustadt (Schwarzw.)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
143.312
t & t with
143.364
RB26932 11:31 Neustadt (Schwarzw.) - Freiburg (Breisgau) Hbf 11:32
218.406
propelling
RE22304 11:33 Neustadt (Schwarzw.) - Rottweil 11:32
(travelled Neustadt (Schwarzw.) - (Villingen))

N of Donaueschingen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.239 RE5317 10:09 Karlsruhe Hbf - Kreuzlingen 12:16

Villingen (Schwarzw)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
218.406 RE22304 11:33 Neustadt (Schwarzw.) - Rottweil 12:25
(travelled (Villingen) - Rottweil)

Rottweil

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
101.024 IC280 11:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 12:50
218.406
propelling
RE22311 13:11 Rottweil - Neustadt (Schwarzw.) 13:02
(travelled Rottweil - Villingen)
185.087   SB Containers 13:02
101.002 IC185 11:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 13:09

Villingen (Schwarzw)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
294.821   Stabled 13:49
146.229
propelling
RE5314 12:31 Kreuzlingen - Karlsruhe Hbf 13:49
(travelled Villingen (Schwarzw) - Offenburg)

Offenburg

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.234 RE5323 14:09 Karlsruhe Hbf - Kreuzlingen 14:59
(travelled Offenburg - Singen (Hohentwiel))

Hornberg

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.239
propelling
RE5316 13:31 Kreuzlingen - Karlsruhe Hbf 15:32

St Georgen (Schwarzw)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.228
propelling
RE4722 14:38 Konstanz - Karlsruhe Hbf 15:58

Singen (Hohentwiel)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.210 RE19048 17:19 Singen (Hohentwiel) - Stuttgart Hbf 17:04
(travelled Singen (Hohentwiel) - Oberndorf (Neckar))
146.112
propelling
RE5320 16:31 Kreuzlingen - Karlsruhe Hbf 17:06
185.397
152.160
11215 [SBB]
  Stabled 17:20

N of Engen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
181.xxx IC281 15:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 17:36

Aldingen

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
146.208
propelling
RE19045 16:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 18:00


Mon 16 Sep 2013

My final day on the Gäubahn and the sun actually came out for a couple of pictures in the morning, a 101 and a 185 of course, not the 115 I really wanted. The blue patch turned out to be a freak event and the rest of the day was completely overcast. After the 115 had passed in full gloom it was time to move on to the Oberpfalz, north-east of Nürnberg. On the way I stopped near Etzelwang to see the afternoon freights from Amberg and Plzen making their way westwards in the drizzle.

Grünholz, S of Sulz am Neckar

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
120.156 IC181 05:56 Frankfurt (M) Hbf - Zürich HB 08:59
101.045 IC284 07:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 09:13
185.093   SB Freight 09:21
146.208
propelling
RE19035 08:18 Stuttgart Hbf - Singen (Hohentwiel) 09:38
185.085   SB Freight 09:57

Aistaig, N of Oberndorf (Neckar)

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
101.051 IC183 09:56 Stuttgart Hbf - Zürich HB 11:00
115.448 IC282 09:05 Zürich HB - Stuttgart Hbf 11:11

Lehendorf, W of Etzelwang

Loco Train
No.
Train Details Notes
232.527 EK56908 14:48 Amberg - Nürnberg Rbf Freight 15:20
232.589 EZ45330 03:30 Plzen - Nürnberg Rbf Freight 16:09