On Track - a Gricer's Tales
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Germany 18.4.08-20.4.08

Back to Germany again, this time for a Mercia Charters railtour which was booked to fill in a particularly vexatious omission (due to closure) from Marienheide to Brügge, as well as a variety of other freight track. Oh all right then, it was just an excuse. I did want the track though, honest.
Friday 18.4.08

A strenuous day, starting with a trip to the dentist in Wolvo then back home to collect a poorly daughter and drive her and our grandchildren down to Kent. Thence, courtesy of a lift to the station from a neighbour, to the station for the 1426 to Charing Cross as far as London Bridge, and the 1515 (about 10 late) to Luton.

Swift ‘alf in a GBG listed free house (Beacon, pretty average) accompanied by a tedious clique of locals, then back to Luton Airport Parkway and the efficient bendy-bus link to the airport. Easyjet Airbus to Dortmund, no more than 3 minutes late. [My first encounter with ‘Air Stelios’, which I found perfectly acceptable]. Oddly, they use a tractor to push the aircraft on to the stands at Dortmund so they end up tail to terminal.

440 bus to Aplerbeck then U47 tram to Leopoldstrasse and a short walk to Hotel Drei Kronen which was English speaking and expecting me, which seems good enough to me!

Saturday 19.4.08

Only 6 hours kip due to the late arrival and early departure but at least it was comfortable and undisturbed. 0645 RE to Köln Hbf which, astonishingly, was diverted via the goods lines from Langendreer to Bochum, which the tour should be doing later. [It did]. Hordes of füssball fans at Do-Hbf (and some polizei) but no trouble at all. Mostly going to Berlin it seemed. Let’s hope FC Köln are at home.

They must have been, as all was quiet at Köln. I went in search of breakfast at Kamp’s (no mayo – excellent!) and while I was finishing my coffee IM arrived. After getting further supplies we reconvened for the Mercia Charters tour, six surprisingly comfortable 4-wheelers with NIAG diesels fore (ex DB 216, no. 8) and aft (Vossloh no. 4).

And so off up the Gummersbach line for the fourth time, this time stopping at Dieringhausen where three reversals were required to get us down the steep branch to the HSW museum depot for much photting of kettles etc.

On over exceptionally valid track to Brügge [2021 - a little less valid now from a trackbashing viewpoint, after its 2015 reopening!], pausing to run down the Krummenerl branch which serves a quarry. We got as far as the former station, a few hundred metres short of the end.

First glitch occurred after Hagen where we were booked to take the freight line via Wengern Ost but in fact we used the passenger line through to Witten, only reaching freight track again at Landengreer where we took the south to west curve on to the freight line which the RE used earlier. Then via the freight lines towards Bochum but turning right to go via Bochum Nord then straight on at Bo-Präsident to the single line via Gelsenkirchen-Wattenscheid to Bottrop Süd. Thence along the south side of Oberhausen-Osterfeld Süd yard and the south side of Oberhausen West yard and via the freight line across the Rhein to Moers, arriving somewhat late.

Farce ensued, with the NIAG ‘depot visit’ consisted of standing in the rain watching 216 no. 9 attached to the Vossloh. Then along the Vluyn branch and back, complete with numerous level crossings requiring a ‘stop and proceed slowly’.

Around 90 minutes late leaving Moers, round via Duisburg Entenfang and on to Düsseldorf-Rath and Hilden more or less in daylight. Dark down to Opladen if we’re honest – en route we hit the moleworks which started at 2100, plus OHLE problems on the passenger lines. After a long wait north of Opladen for the single line we staggered on eventually, stopping almost 2 hours late at Köln-Deutz where I baled out hoping to just make 2223 to Ennepetal. Couldn’t see it on the board so I dived back on to the tour and settled for 2251 RE Köln Hbf-Dortmund Hbf. This arrived at Dortmund 12 late, pigging me off no end!
Picture
Slightly bedraggled but still impressive, 2-10-0 44 1681 stands at Dieringhausen on 19.4.08
Picture
03 2155 obliges with the overworked 'shed door' shot in the roundhouse at Dieringhausen, 19.4.08
Picture
NIAG's ex DB class 216 no 8 heads the Mercia Charters 'Amazing Grace' at the former goods depot at Dieringhausen, 19.4.08
Picture
At the other end of the train, NIAG's Vossloh Bo-Bo no 4 waits at the former passenger station at Krummenerl.
Picture
At Vluyn, the last branch of the day, we'd acquired an extra loco (no, 9, also ex-DB)
Sunday 20.4.08

6 hours later, up for a shower and a very presentable (and welcome) breakfast at the Drei Kronen. Made the 0850 U-Bahn instead of the planned 0920 – just as well. All went swimmingly until Aplerbeck where there was no timetable for the airport-bound 440 bus. I hung about hopefully for a while then saw the moleworks notice and realised I had a problem! Rushed about for a bit, finding the ‘ersatzhalt’ by deduction, and just 1 minute (no, probably 15 sec in reality) before the bus got there.

And so to the airport – Easyjet were good again, arrived early from Budapest, departed on time, arrived on time at the hell which is Luton. 15 minute queue to be let back into my own country but still plenty of time before the 1220 VT99 bus to Milton Keynes, an excellent £4.50 worth.

Arrived at MKC at 1320, checked the bus for tomorrow’s commute [I had the dubious pleasure of commuting from Telford to Newport Pagnell for the following 5 days] then in the station found everything back to the 1137 ‘delayed’. ‘Anything heading for Birmingham?’ quoth I to the booking office person. ‘Afraid we really don’t know’, quoth she. Headed for the platform to find the 1137 ‘expected 1325’. It appeared and stood a couple of signals away for some minutes, eventually rolling in at 1337. Fair enough, it was going to Wolvo and I’d expected to catch the 1337! Rolled out at 1339 (major signal problem, no trains out of EUS – mine was the last but one to escape) then stopped again at Wolverton. Finally got going 130 late, Coventry about 127 late. This was the 1248 from New Street – left there at 1442, a mere 114 late! I left it at Wolvo where it was held up and left 120 late on the dot – can’t help wondering if this was deliberate so that it would run in the path of the cancelled 1510 [no compensation then, see].

By contrast, ATW’s 158 forming 1526 to Shrewsbury turned up early and left on the dot of 1526. H was ready at Shifnal at 1547 which ended a generally satisfactory trip.
Not only straight back to Germany, but straight back to the Czech Republic as a result of the introduction of a new summer weekend cross border service. I set off in July, somewhat inconvenienced by the Trutnov rock festival...
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  • Home
  • The Tales
    • The Tales - Index
    • How it all began
    • 1991-1999 >
      • 1991
      • 1992
      • 1993 >
        • April 1993 - Belgium & Luxembourg
        • September 1993 - Germany & Poland
        • September 1993 - Belgium
        • November 1993 - Belgium
      • 1994 >
        • January 1994 - Belgium & Netherlands
        • January 1994 - USA
        • April 1994 - Luxembourg
        • May 1994 - Belgium
        • September 1994 - Belgium
        • October 1994 - Luxembourg, Germany, France
      • 1995 >
        • March 1995 - Belgium
        • April 1995 - Poland
        • May 1995 - The Netherlands
        • August 1995 - Belgium
        • October 1995 - Belgium
        • November 1995 - Belgium
      • 1996 >
        • April 1996 - Germany
        • May 1996 - Belgium and the Netherlands
        • July-August 1996 - Belgium
        • August 1996 - Anniversary tour
        • August 1996 - Belgium
        • September 1996 - Netherlands and Belgium
      • 1997 >
        • May 1997 - Belgium
        • May 1997 - Netherlands and Germany
        • July 1997 - Belgium and Germany
        • July 1997 - Germany
        • October 1997 - France
      • 1998 >
        • January 1998 - Germany
        • February 1998 - Belgium
        • April 1998 - Belgium and Germany
        • April 1998 - Netherlands, Belgium & Germany
        • August 1998 - Germany, Poland, Czech Republic
        • December 1998 - Germany
      • 1999 >
        • January 1999 - Germany
        • February 1999 - Belgium
        • April 1999 - Germany, Czech Republic, Poland
        • June 1999 - Belgium, Germany
        • July 1999 - Germany
        • December 1999 - Germany
    • 2000-2009 >
      • 2000 >
        • February 2000 - Germany
        • March 2000 - Germany
        • April 2000 - France
        • April 2000 - Germany
        • May 2000 - Germany
        • August 2000 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • September 2000 - Belgium
        • September 2000 - Belgium and Germany
      • 2001 >
        • January 2001 - Germany
        • February 2001 - Northern Ireland
        • March 2001 - Germany
        • April 2001 - Germany
        • May 2001 - Germany, Denmark and Sweden
        • May 2001 - Netherlands and Germany
        • October 2001 - Germany
        • December 2001 - Germany
      • 2002 >
        • February 2002 - Germany
        • March 2002 - Germany
        • April 2002 - Germany
        • August 2002 - Czech Republic
        • September 2002 - Netherlands
        • October 2002 - Germany
        • November 2002 - Germany (1)
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      • 2003 >
        • January 2003 - Germany
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        • May 2003 - Germany
        • June 2003 - Czech Republic and Slovakia
        • October 2003 - Czech Republic
        • December 2003 - Germany
      • 2004 >
        • March 2004 - Germany
        • April 2004 - Various countries
        • May 2004 - Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary
        • August 2004 - Germany, Switzerland, Austria
        • October 2004 - Germany
      • 2005 >
        • April 2005 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • June 2005 - Portugal
        • August 2005 - Belgium and Germany
        • October 2005 - Germany and Czech Republic
      • 2006 >
        • January 2006 - Germany
        • March 2006 - Germany
        • May 2006 - Ireland
        • July 2006 - Germany
        • August 2006 - Germany
        • September 2006 - Czech Republic and Slovakia
      • 2007 >
        • February 2007 - Czech Republic
        • May 2007 - Czech Republic
        • June 2007 - Germany and France
        • October 2007 - Czech Republic and borders
        • October-November 2007 - Czech Republic
      • 2008 >
        • April 2008 - Czech Republic
        • April 2008 - Germany
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        • August 2008 - Austria (1)
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        • December 2008 - Czech Republic
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      • 2009 >
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        • November 2009 - Austria
    • 2010-2019 >
      • 2010 >
        • April 2010 - Germany
        • July 2010 - Germany, Belgium, Netherlands
        • July 2010 - Austria
      • 2011 >
        • April 2011 - Austria
        • June 2011 - Germany and 6 others
        • October 2011 - Germany
      • 2012 >
        • April 2012 - Belgium and Germany
        • May 2012 - Germany
        • July 2012 - Germany
        • October 2012 - Germany
      • 2013 >
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        • April 2013 - Germany
        • August 2013 - Germany
      • 2014 >
        • May 2014 - Germany
        • July 2014 - Germany
      • 2015 >
        • April 2015 - Germany, Czech Republic
        • June 2015 - Slovakia, Czech Republic
      • 2016 >
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        • June 2016 - Netherlands plus 5
        • November 2016 - Germany, Poland
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        • March 2017 - Germany, Poland
        • July 2017 - Czech Republic and Poland
        • July 2017 - Poland and Slovakia
      • 2018 >
        • August 2018 - the best laid plans of mice and men
      • 2019 >
        • July 2019 - Interrail part 1
        • August 2019 - Interrail part 2
    • 2020-present >
      • 2022 >
        • June 2022 - Interrail
        • September 2022 - Belgium
      • 2024 >
        • June 2024 - France, Belgium, Luxembourg
  • Contact