Wed 18 Sep 2013
17/10/13 21:45
Another dismal, gloomy, overcast, dull, wet useless day - when will it end? I took to the trains again, ostensibly to look for potential photspots on the Weiden - Neukirchen and Schwandorf - Furth im Wald lines but probably more to try to avert the crushing boredom of sitting in the car waiting for the sun to come out, knowing that it isn’t going to but not wanting to risk the slightest chance that it might. It was also an opportunity to renew my loathe/hate relationship with DB’s class 612 DMUs, noisy (in the most unpleasant sense), uncomfortable, rough-riding piles of junk that they are. In contrast, the Vogtlandbahn’s class 642s were a pleasure to travel in and the ALEX trains sheer luxury.
I travelled from Wiesau to Marktredwitz on a 642, down to Schwandorf behind an ALEX 223, over to Neukirchen on a 612, up to Neustadt (Waldnaab) on another 612, back to Hersbruck on the same 612 then to Schwandorf on yet another 612. The trip to Furth im Wald and back was loco hauled behind ALEX 223s and the final leg back to Wiesau was on a Vogtlandbahn 642. Everything went smoothly apart from the return trip from Furth, which was 40 minutes late due to delays in Czecho.
The day wasn’t a great success as far as identifying photo locations was concerned. Both lines suffer from an excess of lineside vegetation with few clear spots. Furth im Wald is very appropriately named - I’ve never seen so many trees!
Freights seen generally aligned with what was expected but there were two 232 hauled trains that didn’t fit with the schedule as I understand it, a northbound train of stone hoppers at Schwandorf in the middle of the afternoon and an eastbound train of CD coal hoppers on the Furth line in the late afternoon. Also of interest were 212.317 in current DB colours stabled at Weiden (what’s it doing there and can I have it out on a train please?) and a Dispolok 272 (Vossloh G2000) which appeared at Schwandorf between my second and third visits there.
Wiesau (Oberpf)
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.609 |
EZ51683 |
04:51 Zwickau Hbf - Nürnberg Rbf Freight |
08:31 |
Marktredwitz
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 294.599 |
|
Stabled |
09:23 |
| 232.xxx |
EZ45367 |
05:19 Nürnberg Rbf - Cheb Freight |
09:30 |
| 223.065 [VBG] |
ALX84102 |
06:44 München Hbf - Hof Hbf |
09:51 |
| 223.068 [VBG] |
ALX84111 |
09:40 Hof Hbf - München Hbf |
10:07 |
Schwandorf
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 223.069 [VBG] |
ALX84124 |
09:01 München Hbf - Hof Hbf |
11:07 |
N of Schwandorf
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.xxx |
EK56900 |
08:37 Nürnberg Rbf - Schwandorf Freight |
11:14 |
Neukirchen (b Sulzbach-Rosenberg)
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.117 |
|
EB Light Engine |
11:51 |
Weiden
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
294.898
212.317 |
|
Stabled |
12:46 |
Vilseck
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.xxx |
EZ45369 |
11:39 Nürnberg Rbf - Cheb Freight |
13:34 |
W of Amberg
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.xxx |
EK56908 |
14:48 Amberg - Nürnberg Rbf Freight |
14:38 |
Schwandorf
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.618 |
EZ45330 |
03:30 Plzen - Nürnberg Rbf Freight |
14:58 |
| 223.072 [VBG] |
ALX353 |
12:44 München Hbf - Praha hl.n. |
15:07 |
| 232.117 |
|
NB Stone Hoppers |
15:11 |
| 223.069 [VBG] |
ALX84115 |
13:40 Hof Hbf - München Hbf |
15:12 |
Furth im Wald
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 223.071 [VBG] |
ALX354 |
13:15 Praha hl.n. - München Hbf |
16:49 |
Neubäu
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 232.654 |
|
EB Coal Hoppers |
17:21 |
Schwandorf
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 223.065 |
ALX354 |
13:15 Praha hl.n. - München Hbf |
17:42
(from Schwandorf) |
| 294.898 |
|
Shunting |
17:42 |
| 272.407 [DISPO] |
|
Stabled |
18:06 |
Weiden (Oberpf)
| Loco |
Train
No. |
Train Details |
Notes |
| 223.068 [VBG] |
ALX84121 |
17:40 Hof Hbf - München Hbf |
18:46 |
