This was the first of my 1997 trips to be recovered from my old notes in the 2023 clear-out. It was supposed to start in Germany following a flight to Amsterdam and finish with a day or two back in the Netherlands before flying home. The 'peg' on which it was to hang was an ADL tour on the Vennbahn, partly in Belgium and partly in Germany, with (it would seem, though my notes don't specifically say so, a session of bashing closing branches in Germany.. As is sometimes the case, it didn't work out quite according to plan - but it turned out to be very enjoyable just the same.
Monday 26.5.1997
The day started well with the plane (dep 10:00) starting to move at 10:00:00 and coming to a halt at Schiphol (arr 12:05) at 12:05:15. All seemed set fair for the 12:54 to Magdeburg, until baggage stopped appearing on the carousel. A brief adjournment was taken but on my return - still no more baggage. Remonstration with the baggage handling company (politely, since it wasn’t their fault) produced an assurance that it would be put on the flight arriving at 16:00.
There seemed nothing for it but to go and do the Hoek van Holland branch in order to free some recovery time next Monday. This was accordingly done, using a Brussel-bound IC from Schiphol to Rotterdam CS. The Hoek van Holland branch route proved to be dull but at least you go right to the buffer stops at Strand. Unfortunately you don’t go into the boat train platform at Haven.
On my return to Rotterdam it occurred that Ijmuiden might be worth a try, but enquiries were met with a wall of indifference ‘not our company’. I accordingly went to Haarlem where the booking clerk was helpful but wildly wrong, quoting an hourly service at XX:40. The platform man was indifferent, but confirmed that I was on the right platform (8) although the 16:40 hadn’t appeared. With the arrival of an NS service at 16:59 I gave up and set off back to Schiphol only to pass the Lovers Rail train (due at 17:03 in fact) just outside the station.
Returning to Schiphol I managed to get past the security (‘ask at door 16’) into the baggage hall and find that the rucksack had as promised wended its own way from Brum. Presumably the zealous search at Birmingham, caused by my clock and spectacle case confusing the X-ray machine, overtaxed the security man and he forgot to send it to the plane.
Next move was to try to get a couchette or kipper on the 22:24 Schiphol - Berlin Zoo. It had just been taken off the computer but the clerk inquired by phone and said there were a few left, thus lots of seats. Go and see The Man when the train arrives, she said.
The remaining four hours were occupied by going into Amsterdam where more accurate information was obtained from Lovers Rail (but only for dates after the 31st of May), then to Den Haag HS and CS in the hope that the kipper stopped at one. It doesn’t (originates at Schiphol) but the opportunity for sustenance was taken. Strange place, Den Haag - very dull and respectable but with rather more than its share of dubious entertainment. Back to Schiphol in time for the train, only to be told by The Man (German) that it was full up. No alternative, therefore, but to crash out on the cushions for a noisy and uncomfortable night, made worse when the thing became a commuter train at Braunschweig (04:26).
The day started well with the plane (dep 10:00) starting to move at 10:00:00 and coming to a halt at Schiphol (arr 12:05) at 12:05:15. All seemed set fair for the 12:54 to Magdeburg, until baggage stopped appearing on the carousel. A brief adjournment was taken but on my return - still no more baggage. Remonstration with the baggage handling company (politely, since it wasn’t their fault) produced an assurance that it would be put on the flight arriving at 16:00.
There seemed nothing for it but to go and do the Hoek van Holland branch in order to free some recovery time next Monday. This was accordingly done, using a Brussel-bound IC from Schiphol to Rotterdam CS. The Hoek van Holland branch route proved to be dull but at least you go right to the buffer stops at Strand. Unfortunately you don’t go into the boat train platform at Haven.
On my return to Rotterdam it occurred that Ijmuiden might be worth a try, but enquiries were met with a wall of indifference ‘not our company’. I accordingly went to Haarlem where the booking clerk was helpful but wildly wrong, quoting an hourly service at XX:40. The platform man was indifferent, but confirmed that I was on the right platform (8) although the 16:40 hadn’t appeared. With the arrival of an NS service at 16:59 I gave up and set off back to Schiphol only to pass the Lovers Rail train (due at 17:03 in fact) just outside the station.
Returning to Schiphol I managed to get past the security (‘ask at door 16’) into the baggage hall and find that the rucksack had as promised wended its own way from Brum. Presumably the zealous search at Birmingham, caused by my clock and spectacle case confusing the X-ray machine, overtaxed the security man and he forgot to send it to the plane.
Next move was to try to get a couchette or kipper on the 22:24 Schiphol - Berlin Zoo. It had just been taken off the computer but the clerk inquired by phone and said there were a few left, thus lots of seats. Go and see The Man when the train arrives, she said.
The remaining four hours were occupied by going into Amsterdam where more accurate information was obtained from Lovers Rail (but only for dates after the 31st of May), then to Den Haag HS and CS in the hope that the kipper stopped at one. It doesn’t (originates at Schiphol) but the opportunity for sustenance was taken. Strange place, Den Haag - very dull and respectable but with rather more than its share of dubious entertainment. Back to Schiphol in time for the train, only to be told by The Man (German) that it was full up. No alternative, therefore, but to crash out on the cushions for a noisy and uncomfortable night, made worse when the thing became a commuter train at Braunschweig (04:26).
Tuesday 27.5.1997
On time arrival at Berlin Zoo enabled me to dash off to do Westkreuz - Spandau which starts from a well hidden single line on one side of Westkreuz. Outwards was a class 232 diesel, 2 DR coaches and a bike van and return was a very modern 2 car DMU so good value, all in all.
The Amex office at Savignyplatz was nowhere to be found so after a very welcome wash and brush up at Zoo station I adjourned to 172 Friedrichstrasse where the Amex office does exist (the one at Savignyplatz is administrative only, so why put it in the book) and furnished hideously devalued DM.
On then to Berlin Hbf just in time to miss the 09:30 to Fürstenwalde. Caught the 10:30, off which there was of course no connection to Beeskow. A wander around the town revealed - eventually - a respectable pub in which Radeberger was sampled.
Back at the station the Beeskow branch has its own platform the other side of a level crossing - no physical connection unfortunately - motive power turned out to be a railbus and trailer, classes 772 and 972 respectively, and the line is surprisingly pleasant with a lot of it through woods and far from straight. Single track all the way with a lot of freight connections in varying stages of dereliction and a large bridge over the Spree. Track is overgrown and judging by speed, in poor condition. Beeskow is a run down country junction with semaphore signalling. Its other service, Königs Wusterhausen-Frankfurt (Oder) is worked by class 202 diesels with three coach ex-DR compartment stock (mostly).
A steady trundle to Frankfurt was rewarded with the 14:29 to Cottbus being 10 minutes late thus making a negative connection. This is the continuation of (currently) Berlin Hbf - Fürstenwalde - Frankfurt service and is a class 142 electric with modern ‘regional’ stock.
Rain hammering down at Cottbus, so straight into the 15:57 to Dresden (class 232 plus three coaches) which got me to Hoyerswerda earlier than planned, but to no avail with ¾ of an hour to wait for the 202 hauled 17:25 to Bautzen. The line from Knappenrode to Bautzen is another rural single track branch with numerous stations and level crossings which, added together, almost outnumber the passengers. Arrival at Bautzen was followed by a trudge round in the rain to find accommodation. Der Goldener Adler in the main square obliged - very expensive and very comfortable. Bautzen is not awash with budget priced hotels. Back down to the station for the 19:39 to Löbau, but morale collapsed under tiredness, and the discovery that my intended 22:28 back from Löbau originated from Moscow and could therefore be hours late. Pork steak and DAB (Dortmunder Actien Brauerei) pilsner were taken on and bed finally reached at 21:30.
On time arrival at Berlin Zoo enabled me to dash off to do Westkreuz - Spandau which starts from a well hidden single line on one side of Westkreuz. Outwards was a class 232 diesel, 2 DR coaches and a bike van and return was a very modern 2 car DMU so good value, all in all.
The Amex office at Savignyplatz was nowhere to be found so after a very welcome wash and brush up at Zoo station I adjourned to 172 Friedrichstrasse where the Amex office does exist (the one at Savignyplatz is administrative only, so why put it in the book) and furnished hideously devalued DM.
On then to Berlin Hbf just in time to miss the 09:30 to Fürstenwalde. Caught the 10:30, off which there was of course no connection to Beeskow. A wander around the town revealed - eventually - a respectable pub in which Radeberger was sampled.
Back at the station the Beeskow branch has its own platform the other side of a level crossing - no physical connection unfortunately - motive power turned out to be a railbus and trailer, classes 772 and 972 respectively, and the line is surprisingly pleasant with a lot of it through woods and far from straight. Single track all the way with a lot of freight connections in varying stages of dereliction and a large bridge over the Spree. Track is overgrown and judging by speed, in poor condition. Beeskow is a run down country junction with semaphore signalling. Its other service, Königs Wusterhausen-Frankfurt (Oder) is worked by class 202 diesels with three coach ex-DR compartment stock (mostly).
A steady trundle to Frankfurt was rewarded with the 14:29 to Cottbus being 10 minutes late thus making a negative connection. This is the continuation of (currently) Berlin Hbf - Fürstenwalde - Frankfurt service and is a class 142 electric with modern ‘regional’ stock.
Rain hammering down at Cottbus, so straight into the 15:57 to Dresden (class 232 plus three coaches) which got me to Hoyerswerda earlier than planned, but to no avail with ¾ of an hour to wait for the 202 hauled 17:25 to Bautzen. The line from Knappenrode to Bautzen is another rural single track branch with numerous stations and level crossings which, added together, almost outnumber the passengers. Arrival at Bautzen was followed by a trudge round in the rain to find accommodation. Der Goldener Adler in the main square obliged - very expensive and very comfortable. Bautzen is not awash with budget priced hotels. Back down to the station for the 19:39 to Löbau, but morale collapsed under tiredness, and the discovery that my intended 22:28 back from Löbau originated from Moscow and could therefore be hours late. Pork steak and DAB (Dortmunder Actien Brauerei) pilsner were taken on and bed finally reached at 21:30.
Ferkeltaxi 772 707/907 stands at Beeskow after arrival from Fürstenwalde on 27.5.97. At the time the station was in ex-DR condition apart from signage
Wednesday 28.5.1997
Tuesday’s collapse of morale had dictated starting after breakfast. This proved to be a good decision as breakfast, taken at 06:40, was excellent. On balance I didn’t begrudge the Golden Eagle a pfennig! A gentle stroll down to the station at 07: 15 allowed time to inspect the stuffed and mounted class 52 [52 8056], complete with full service history on three plaques. Last overhauled at Magdeburg in 1984. The 07:48 to Löbau was the inevitable 202 with two coaches and even noisier brakes than usual. The line is a ‘good ‘un’, very scenic with many stretches through woods but good stretches of hilly landscape as well. At Löbau (which has an apparently workable 52 8141 in the shed) there was a choice of main line or the branch back to Bautzen so I opted for the branch again. Another 202, this time with one ex-DR and one odd coach, was waiting with the 10:25 for Bad Schandau at Bautzen. After a slow trundle down through Wilthen I resigned myself to a 2 hour wait at Neustadt since there wasn’t (by three or four minutes) time to go to Bad Schandau and back. [Checking the state of play in April 2023, 52 8141 is indeed kept in running condition by its owners, Ostsächsische Eisenbahnfreunde - however it has had an horrendous catalogue of problems since being taken into Meiningen works with a defective driving axle in December 2020 and remains, temporarily, unavailable].
On leaving the train at Neustadt where a Bad Schandau - Bautzen train crossed, I went to check the departure sheet only to find the 13:15 to Durrrohrsdorf was a bus... Mad dash back to the platform - Bautzen had gone but Bad Schandau was still there, just. This at least put me a bit nearer the original plan and the single line to BS proved to be exceptionally picturesque as it descended into the Elbe valley. A Dresden 148-propelled S-Bahn was obligingly held for us at BS and provided me with my fourth journey between Bad Schandau and Dresden Hbf (Dresden Hbf - Praha and back 1993, Praha - Dresden 1996). Arrival at 1306 made catching the 13:09 to to Freiberg easy. Ish. This is a tediously slow journey for an electrified main line, made worse by engineering work between Tharandt and Freiberg, and not recommended.
A brief and unsuccessful search for accommodation dictated the choice of the 14:36 to Holzhau with a no-minute connexion at Berthelsdorf on the way back for the last train of the day to Langenau. Madness, in retrospect. Holzhau is another ‘valley’ line very reminiscent of Kurort Kipsdorf. Very slow and no problems for yet another 202. Presumably the line used to go on beyond Holzhau into Czechoslovakia. [It did, to Moldava and Most] Plenty of accommodation in Holzhau but it didn’t seem worth coming back. Time will tell.
A minor panic on the way back down caused by waiting to cross a train from Freiberg but the Langenau train was still waiting at Berthelsdorf and madness paid off. Langenau is a classic, with a corresponding number of photters and chasers. [The passenger service finished on 1 June 1997 so I only scraped in by a few days - and as there’s no comment in my notes, I suspect I didn’t realise at the time!] The line is very sharply curved, and there is much authentic railtour-type flange squealing. The terminus is a typical country one though somewhat marred by a large collection of wheelie bins [the rubbish disposal type, not Czech class 810s!]. Many photters present but no lining up, fortunately. A 2 minute late arrival at 18:21 allowed another comfortable connection into the 18:24 to Chemnitz where accommodation - expensive again - was obtained. It wasn’t worth going back to Holzhau!
Following the usual welcome wash and brush up there was time to get another 202 + 2 coaches to Stollberg to make the best of the daylight. Stollberg is a terminus (now, looks as if it once went further) [it did, to Zwönitz on the Chemnitz-Aue line] of lines from Chemnitz and St Edigion on the Chemnitz-Glauchau-Zwickau line/ Unfortunately the last train to St Edigion had gone so I was left to wander round the (deserted - Bridgnorth-type town at 9 p.m.) streets of Stollberg before going back to Chemnitz. This was the last inbound service from St Edigion so I might have made it round the triangle had I gone the other way. Who knows. ‘Twould have been dark anyway.
Tuesday’s collapse of morale had dictated starting after breakfast. This proved to be a good decision as breakfast, taken at 06:40, was excellent. On balance I didn’t begrudge the Golden Eagle a pfennig! A gentle stroll down to the station at 07: 15 allowed time to inspect the stuffed and mounted class 52 [52 8056], complete with full service history on three plaques. Last overhauled at Magdeburg in 1984. The 07:48 to Löbau was the inevitable 202 with two coaches and even noisier brakes than usual. The line is a ‘good ‘un’, very scenic with many stretches through woods but good stretches of hilly landscape as well. At Löbau (which has an apparently workable 52 8141 in the shed) there was a choice of main line or the branch back to Bautzen so I opted for the branch again. Another 202, this time with one ex-DR and one odd coach, was waiting with the 10:25 for Bad Schandau at Bautzen. After a slow trundle down through Wilthen I resigned myself to a 2 hour wait at Neustadt since there wasn’t (by three or four minutes) time to go to Bad Schandau and back. [Checking the state of play in April 2023, 52 8141 is indeed kept in running condition by its owners, Ostsächsische Eisenbahnfreunde - however it has had an horrendous catalogue of problems since being taken into Meiningen works with a defective driving axle in December 2020 and remains, temporarily, unavailable].
On leaving the train at Neustadt where a Bad Schandau - Bautzen train crossed, I went to check the departure sheet only to find the 13:15 to Durrrohrsdorf was a bus... Mad dash back to the platform - Bautzen had gone but Bad Schandau was still there, just. This at least put me a bit nearer the original plan and the single line to BS proved to be exceptionally picturesque as it descended into the Elbe valley. A Dresden 148-propelled S-Bahn was obligingly held for us at BS and provided me with my fourth journey between Bad Schandau and Dresden Hbf (Dresden Hbf - Praha and back 1993, Praha - Dresden 1996). Arrival at 1306 made catching the 13:09 to to Freiberg easy. Ish. This is a tediously slow journey for an electrified main line, made worse by engineering work between Tharandt and Freiberg, and not recommended.
A brief and unsuccessful search for accommodation dictated the choice of the 14:36 to Holzhau with a no-minute connexion at Berthelsdorf on the way back for the last train of the day to Langenau. Madness, in retrospect. Holzhau is another ‘valley’ line very reminiscent of Kurort Kipsdorf. Very slow and no problems for yet another 202. Presumably the line used to go on beyond Holzhau into Czechoslovakia. [It did, to Moldava and Most] Plenty of accommodation in Holzhau but it didn’t seem worth coming back. Time will tell.
A minor panic on the way back down caused by waiting to cross a train from Freiberg but the Langenau train was still waiting at Berthelsdorf and madness paid off. Langenau is a classic, with a corresponding number of photters and chasers. [The passenger service finished on 1 June 1997 so I only scraped in by a few days - and as there’s no comment in my notes, I suspect I didn’t realise at the time!] The line is very sharply curved, and there is much authentic railtour-type flange squealing. The terminus is a typical country one though somewhat marred by a large collection of wheelie bins [the rubbish disposal type, not Czech class 810s!]. Many photters present but no lining up, fortunately. A 2 minute late arrival at 18:21 allowed another comfortable connection into the 18:24 to Chemnitz where accommodation - expensive again - was obtained. It wasn’t worth going back to Holzhau!
Following the usual welcome wash and brush up there was time to get another 202 + 2 coaches to Stollberg to make the best of the daylight. Stollberg is a terminus (now, looks as if it once went further) [it did, to Zwönitz on the Chemnitz-Aue line] of lines from Chemnitz and St Edigion on the Chemnitz-Glauchau-Zwickau line/ Unfortunately the last train to St Edigion had gone so I was left to wander round the (deserted - Bridgnorth-type town at 9 p.m.) streets of Stollberg before going back to Chemnitz. This was the last inbound service from St Edigion so I might have made it round the triangle had I gone the other way. Who knows. ‘Twould have been dark anyway.
The first 202 of the day was 202 247, seen here at Löbau after bringing me from my overnight stay at Bautzen |
In the afternoon 202 677 took me up to Holzhau, quite high (618m) in the Erzgebirge. By now the terminus of a 30km branch from Freiberg it was formerly the last German station before crossing the Czech border to Moldava v Krusných horách which was the principal location for border formalities, as I discovered on a visit on 6.10.03.The line ends a few metres beyond the train in the photo; threatened with closure when I travelled, it remains open today though plans to reopen to Moldava have come to nothing. |
Sadly the shorter branch from Berthelsdorf to Langenau was not so fortunate, and closed on 1.6.1997 just after my visit. It remains open for freight as far as Brand-Erbisdorf. 202 677 is seen here at Berthelsdorf after I'd decamped to go to Langenau. |
202 743 is seen here at Langenau, with the shadows starting to lengthen |
Catching the light 'fair and square', 202 743 runs round at Langenau on 28.5.97 |
Thursday 29.5.1997.
Woken at 05:00 by the first tram of the day negotiating the sharp bend outside below my window (which faced the opera house – very attractive). Breakfast, at 06:00, was adequate but not quite of the usual standard (soggy rolls!) and not quite ready. The day started in style for once, on IR2066 at 06:57 to Zwickau. Zwickau was the fallback for accommodation the previous night, luckily not needed since Zwickau Hbf seems to be a long way from anywhere, not least Zwickau. Well, a metre gauge tram ride anyway. At Zwickau there was no sign at all of Neumark on either departures or arrivals poster but enquiry elicited that it did exist (‘Ah, Neumark’, as if they were well used to this) and was served by 08:30 to Adorf. This was a very smart RegioSprinter low floor articulated unit in ‘Vogtlandbahn’ décor.
Neumark does indeed exist and is indeed open, and on arrival a single coach was waiting in platform 3 for Greiz. A large diesel (Cl. 218?) was lurking and was duly attached and shut down. The line to Greiz is another rural backwater, albeit with an operative (I think) coal yard part way along. Quite scenic apart from the last bit through Greiz. [I was wrong about the coal yard – freight traffic ceased from the end of 1995, and like Langenau I scraped in on this one, with passenger service withdrawn at the end of May 1997. Again, there’s no indication in my notes of whether I knew about the closure.] Greiz main line station although not modernised has a steel framed roof which is far more light and airy than the heavy timber structures on many of the Sachsen stations.
After this architectural diversion the train to Gera caught me unawares by arriving early. It is booked to cross a southbound train, seemingly, and as usual the timetable makes allowance for out of course running. National Railways please note [I’m not sure why my notes referred to the UK network thus, although as the last BR service was privatised in March 1997, possibly the Government, the media and the railway company publicists were then casting around for a name to attach to the whole horrible conglomeration of private companies, along with the double-arrow logo which remained attached to such items as sign posts, and still does in 2023]. Near catastrophe at Gera Süd as I noticed destination boards fro places like Dresden and Erfurt and thought I had reached the main line. I had, but not the main station. Insufficient time to get out, fortunately, as the next station is Gera Hbf where the IRs stop.
The IR to Eisenach (eventually Düsseldorf) made a welcome change from 202s and clapped out ex-DR stock. Eisenach proved to have more hotels than average for the region but too far away to reach in the available time. Off to Bad Salzungen, therefore, with a 232 and decrepit ex-DB main line stock. Excruciatingly uncomfortable with their vinyl pseudo-reclining seats. A 202, naturally, on the Vacha train from which I disembarked at Dorndorf to find a a 772/972 waiting to go to Kaltennordheim. Kaltennordheim was a very pleasant rural branch with a steady climb to the terminus. The parallel road, and the large, very rusty steel bridge near Dorndorf have presumably done for it. The unit was infested with photographers who insisted on a photo stop at each station. The crew were very obliging but had obviously limited patience. [This was yet another von Beeching job, closing on 31 May – surely I must have known, although branches in the former DDR had been closing at a rate of knots from 1990 onwards]. Back at Dorndorf the unit terminated and I waited for the Bad Salzungen-Vacha working with yes, a 202.
Vacha was a real surprise, with substantial freight traffic [potash, I was later informed] and a number of dumped locos – 232s, 202s and shunters. There is also a huge tip on the horizon and a marginally less huge but extremely unstable-looking one near the line. A 15 minute ‘no beer’ break then away back to Bad Salzungen (202) and Eisenach (232). Another unsuccessful hotel hunt (one shut, one full) so in view of the very limited opportunities for doing closing lines in Thüringen the following day [ah, perhaps I did know what was going on] I decided to go for Kassel, thinking there would be more hotels. There are. Slightly. Only expensive ones around Kassel Wilhelmshöhe however, so it was necessary to repair to Hbf where the Hotel Tiffany obliged, for an excessive price.
Woken at 05:00 by the first tram of the day negotiating the sharp bend outside below my window (which faced the opera house – very attractive). Breakfast, at 06:00, was adequate but not quite of the usual standard (soggy rolls!) and not quite ready. The day started in style for once, on IR2066 at 06:57 to Zwickau. Zwickau was the fallback for accommodation the previous night, luckily not needed since Zwickau Hbf seems to be a long way from anywhere, not least Zwickau. Well, a metre gauge tram ride anyway. At Zwickau there was no sign at all of Neumark on either departures or arrivals poster but enquiry elicited that it did exist (‘Ah, Neumark’, as if they were well used to this) and was served by 08:30 to Adorf. This was a very smart RegioSprinter low floor articulated unit in ‘Vogtlandbahn’ décor.
Neumark does indeed exist and is indeed open, and on arrival a single coach was waiting in platform 3 for Greiz. A large diesel (Cl. 218?) was lurking and was duly attached and shut down. The line to Greiz is another rural backwater, albeit with an operative (I think) coal yard part way along. Quite scenic apart from the last bit through Greiz. [I was wrong about the coal yard – freight traffic ceased from the end of 1995, and like Langenau I scraped in on this one, with passenger service withdrawn at the end of May 1997. Again, there’s no indication in my notes of whether I knew about the closure.] Greiz main line station although not modernised has a steel framed roof which is far more light and airy than the heavy timber structures on many of the Sachsen stations.
After this architectural diversion the train to Gera caught me unawares by arriving early. It is booked to cross a southbound train, seemingly, and as usual the timetable makes allowance for out of course running. National Railways please note [I’m not sure why my notes referred to the UK network thus, although as the last BR service was privatised in March 1997, possibly the Government, the media and the railway company publicists were then casting around for a name to attach to the whole horrible conglomeration of private companies, along with the double-arrow logo which remained attached to such items as sign posts, and still does in 2023]. Near catastrophe at Gera Süd as I noticed destination boards fro places like Dresden and Erfurt and thought I had reached the main line. I had, but not the main station. Insufficient time to get out, fortunately, as the next station is Gera Hbf where the IRs stop.
The IR to Eisenach (eventually Düsseldorf) made a welcome change from 202s and clapped out ex-DR stock. Eisenach proved to have more hotels than average for the region but too far away to reach in the available time. Off to Bad Salzungen, therefore, with a 232 and decrepit ex-DB main line stock. Excruciatingly uncomfortable with their vinyl pseudo-reclining seats. A 202, naturally, on the Vacha train from which I disembarked at Dorndorf to find a a 772/972 waiting to go to Kaltennordheim. Kaltennordheim was a very pleasant rural branch with a steady climb to the terminus. The parallel road, and the large, very rusty steel bridge near Dorndorf have presumably done for it. The unit was infested with photographers who insisted on a photo stop at each station. The crew were very obliging but had obviously limited patience. [This was yet another von Beeching job, closing on 31 May – surely I must have known, although branches in the former DDR had been closing at a rate of knots from 1990 onwards]. Back at Dorndorf the unit terminated and I waited for the Bad Salzungen-Vacha working with yes, a 202.
Vacha was a real surprise, with substantial freight traffic [potash, I was later informed] and a number of dumped locos – 232s, 202s and shunters. There is also a huge tip on the horizon and a marginally less huge but extremely unstable-looking one near the line. A 15 minute ‘no beer’ break then away back to Bad Salzungen (202) and Eisenach (232). Another unsuccessful hotel hunt (one shut, one full) so in view of the very limited opportunities for doing closing lines in Thüringen the following day [ah, perhaps I did know what was going on] I decided to go for Kassel, thinking there would be more hotels. There are. Slightly. Only expensive ones around Kassel Wilhelmshöhe however, so it was necessary to repair to Hbf where the Hotel Tiffany obliged, for an excessive price.
The Romanian-built 2000 hp C-C diesel hydraulic 219 061 seems a little excessive for its single coach load as it waits at Neumarkt(Sachs) to work to Greiz on 29.5.97 |
A more modestly powered 772/972 set after arrival at Kaltennordheim from Dorndorf on 29.5.97. Already (31.12.94) closed to freight, this 27 km branch lost its passenger service a few days after my visit (31.5.95). |
202 525 at Vacha later in the day on 29.5.97. Though Vacha lost its passenger service in 2001 there are still hopes for reopening. |
Friday 30.5.1997
The Tiffany’s morning staff were very pleasant (unlike the previous night’s individual, whose description in my notes is probably best left unrepeated) and a substantial breakfast was demolished in time for the 07:45 to Kassel Wilhelmshöhe and thence the 08:00 IR to Düsseldorf. This was nearly empty all the way, and 2 minutes late all the way to Duisburg then 3 early at Düsseldorf. A (the?) preserved TEE diesel unit was outside Hamm works looking in apple pie order despite its accident. The stretch through the Ruhrgebiet was a surprise to someone [it would have been fair to say ‘an ignoramus’] expecting smoking chimneys and a 1950s Black Country landscape. It’s flat, with quite a lot of agriculture and a good few [modern!] factories. Onward connection to Aachen was via Mönchengladbach.
At Aachen sensibly priced accommodation was located right outside the station, and the rucksack thankfully abandoned for a day and a half. There proved to be an 08:08 bus to Eupen on Saturdays which at the time of writing seems a better bet than the train ... Further investigation reveals that it gets in at 08:50, comfortably in time for 09:47. If not, then fast cars to Raeren!
Off to Mönchengladbach again to locate accommodation for Sunday night – not quite so easy but a suitable hotel was found a few streets from the station. The opportunity to purchase a Kursbuch was taken at M/gladbach. Interestingly heavy. [This may have been my first encounter with the infamous ‘wine box’ version, the carrying of which, with its multiple volumes inside a robust card folder, was not an exercise to be lightly undertaken. Sorry.] Onward to Köln via Grevenbroich for a bit more track, with the intention of catching 18:42 Bonn - Bad Münstereiffel - Euskirchen - Köln, however on checking the departure sheet at Köln it became apparent that I could just get the last ‘rush hour only’ round the east curve at Horrem on to the Horrem-Grevenbroich-Neuss line. That got the vote and I decamped at the first station after the curve, returning via (most of) the other curve to Horrem, where unfortunately the platforms are on the branch and there are no through trains to Düren or Aachen. [Still the case I believe and even if there are, I still need the last bit of the curve!] That will be one for a railtour. Back into Köln while I considered the next move, but there wasn’t really time for anything worthwhile so I settled for 18:50 to Bergisch-Gladbach (an apparently outer suburban S-Bahn line with a lot of freight traffic at the end, so worthwhile as it turned out) and 19:17 back, before going back main line to Aachen.
The Tiffany’s morning staff were very pleasant (unlike the previous night’s individual, whose description in my notes is probably best left unrepeated) and a substantial breakfast was demolished in time for the 07:45 to Kassel Wilhelmshöhe and thence the 08:00 IR to Düsseldorf. This was nearly empty all the way, and 2 minutes late all the way to Duisburg then 3 early at Düsseldorf. A (the?) preserved TEE diesel unit was outside Hamm works looking in apple pie order despite its accident. The stretch through the Ruhrgebiet was a surprise to someone [it would have been fair to say ‘an ignoramus’] expecting smoking chimneys and a 1950s Black Country landscape. It’s flat, with quite a lot of agriculture and a good few [modern!] factories. Onward connection to Aachen was via Mönchengladbach.
At Aachen sensibly priced accommodation was located right outside the station, and the rucksack thankfully abandoned for a day and a half. There proved to be an 08:08 bus to Eupen on Saturdays which at the time of writing seems a better bet than the train ... Further investigation reveals that it gets in at 08:50, comfortably in time for 09:47. If not, then fast cars to Raeren!
Off to Mönchengladbach again to locate accommodation for Sunday night – not quite so easy but a suitable hotel was found a few streets from the station. The opportunity to purchase a Kursbuch was taken at M/gladbach. Interestingly heavy. [This may have been my first encounter with the infamous ‘wine box’ version, the carrying of which, with its multiple volumes inside a robust card folder, was not an exercise to be lightly undertaken. Sorry.] Onward to Köln via Grevenbroich for a bit more track, with the intention of catching 18:42 Bonn - Bad Münstereiffel - Euskirchen - Köln, however on checking the departure sheet at Köln it became apparent that I could just get the last ‘rush hour only’ round the east curve at Horrem on to the Horrem-Grevenbroich-Neuss line. That got the vote and I decamped at the first station after the curve, returning via (most of) the other curve to Horrem, where unfortunately the platforms are on the branch and there are no through trains to Düren or Aachen. [Still the case I believe and even if there are, I still need the last bit of the curve!] That will be one for a railtour. Back into Köln while I considered the next move, but there wasn’t really time for anything worthwhile so I settled for 18:50 to Bergisch-Gladbach (an apparently outer suburban S-Bahn line with a lot of freight traffic at the end, so worthwhile as it turned out) and 19:17 back, before going back main line to Aachen.
Saturday 31.5.97
Having “persuaded” the hotel to provide breakfast at 07:30 I wandered in at 07:20 to find locals already in residence. [It appears that the hotel staff didn’t actually need “persuasion” from me!] Breakfast adequate, and away to the bus stop in good time. I was just beginning to wonder if I was the only ‘clever clogs’ to think of the Aachen-Eupen bus move, when a number of friends and acquaintances appeared off a Köln train. Bus also appeared and charged DM5-ish to Eupen. The train would have cost DM26.60, I subsequently discovered! Coffee and beer supplies were obtained in Eupen ready for the stresses of the day. The Vennbahn train arrived about 09:30 to find about a dozen ‘sensible’ loonies waiting. “Ist das alles?” or words to that effect, asked the guard. We assured him that there was worse, or more, to come.The worse and/or more duly arrived on 09:47 arrival ex Verviers and we set off to Raeren and Stolberg in two coaches hauled by Vennbahn’s ex CFL diesel 1603 [an EMD F7 Co-Co, apparently]. At Raeren for reasons unclear we transferred to a 3-car railbus after much debate as to whether car 3 was available. It was. At Stolberg we transferred to a Dürenbahn unit, 2xsingle car, complete with buffet in each car (Bitburger – forget it). [Even at that early stage of my German travels I’d acquired a dislike for both Bitburger and Warsteiner, however popular they may or may not be. Both are independent, family run companies albeit huge and multinational, so I’m afraid it just comes down to the taste of their beers which, in the case of both flagship brews, I just don’t like! ].
The tour route was to Frenz, Würselen, Oberbruch (we went beyond there but not as far as Heinsberg), Ratheim and back to Aachen Hbf with an on time arrival at 17:08 despite various timekeeping eccentricities on the day. Königspilsener, an altbier (better) and Erdinger Weissbier (better still) were sampled at the ‘hotel’ before various parties scattered to Köln, Epsom, Godalming etc. Plans having been laid to do the Altenkirchen freight line shuttles on the Sunday, a meal was found in a restaurant by the cathedral, ‘and so to bed’ .
Having “persuaded” the hotel to provide breakfast at 07:30 I wandered in at 07:20 to find locals already in residence. [It appears that the hotel staff didn’t actually need “persuasion” from me!] Breakfast adequate, and away to the bus stop in good time. I was just beginning to wonder if I was the only ‘clever clogs’ to think of the Aachen-Eupen bus move, when a number of friends and acquaintances appeared off a Köln train. Bus also appeared and charged DM5-ish to Eupen. The train would have cost DM26.60, I subsequently discovered! Coffee and beer supplies were obtained in Eupen ready for the stresses of the day. The Vennbahn train arrived about 09:30 to find about a dozen ‘sensible’ loonies waiting. “Ist das alles?” or words to that effect, asked the guard. We assured him that there was worse, or more, to come.The worse and/or more duly arrived on 09:47 arrival ex Verviers and we set off to Raeren and Stolberg in two coaches hauled by Vennbahn’s ex CFL diesel 1603 [an EMD F7 Co-Co, apparently]. At Raeren for reasons unclear we transferred to a 3-car railbus after much debate as to whether car 3 was available. It was. At Stolberg we transferred to a Dürenbahn unit, 2xsingle car, complete with buffet in each car (Bitburger – forget it). [Even at that early stage of my German travels I’d acquired a dislike for both Bitburger and Warsteiner, however popular they may or may not be. Both are independent, family run companies albeit huge and multinational, so I’m afraid it just comes down to the taste of their beers which, in the case of both flagship brews, I just don’t like! ].
The tour route was to Frenz, Würselen, Oberbruch (we went beyond there but not as far as Heinsberg), Ratheim and back to Aachen Hbf with an on time arrival at 17:08 despite various timekeeping eccentricities on the day. Königspilsener, an altbier (better) and Erdinger Weissbier (better still) were sampled at the ‘hotel’ before various parties scattered to Köln, Epsom, Godalming etc. Plans having been laid to do the Altenkirchen freight line shuttles on the Sunday, a meal was found in a restaurant by the cathedral, ‘and so to bed’ .
Most of ADL's 'The Stolberger' tour on 31.5.97 was done in one of Dürener Kreisbahn's Siemens-Duewag Regiosprinter low-floor units. Here the tour train poses for photographs at Frenz, the end of a freight branch serving the Weisweiler power station. |
Boldly going where no tour has been for a while, if at all, the DKB unit lurks in the undergrowth at Würselen, the furthest remaining point on the Stolberg–Kohlscheid line |
'The Stolberger' pauses at Stolberg before heading off to Aachen, Oberbruch and Ratheim. With hindsight, it's a pity that my notes on the day weren't more comprehensive, and likewise the photographs! |
Sunday 1.6.97
No more closing branches to do. The only option for Altenkirchen was the 06:23 direct to Köln where there was sufficient life to provide breakfast. With mayonnaise, unfortunately. The S-Bahn service to Au provides a very pleasant trundle up into the hills east of Köln, once out of the suburbs. Au is effectively a country junction which would be shut, probably permanently, at 09:30 on a Sunday in the UK but was quite busy. The DMU to Altenkirchen goes from the bay platform, so no physical connection again.
At Altenkirchen the motive power for the shuttle proved to be a Kriegslok, 52 8121 , which made the subsequent trip all the better. 45 minutes each way on a very picturesque, and seemingly well-used freight line [Subsequent checking of my photo catalogue reveals that we went as far as Raubach, on the line towards Siershahn]. The fare was DM20, about £7.50 at current rates, which seemed eminently reasonable. A BLS contingent of about six Eurobashers was present.This dispersed on return to Altenkirchen with your reporter and one other heading south, he for Frankfurt and I for Staffel where there was an 8 minute connection, made easily, for Siershahn which had been recommended as a possible closure candidate. The train was heaving, there seemed to be plenty of freight traffic as well, so the logic of the recommendation was mysterious, but to be fair there did seem to be some kind of promotion on, with obvious non-gricers returning on the same service they went out on, and the DB staff handing out promotion packs and not gripping tickets. [In 2023 the line’s still open for passengers, and of course connects at Montabaur with the Köln-Frankfurt NBS]
On the return (single line junction north of Staffel so no overlap problem!) I continued to Limburg hoping to make a -1 minute connection into a Koblenz semi-fast. This fortunately was a few minutes late but was semi-slow and lost time into the bargain, arriving at Koblenz around 17:25 instead of the booked 17:10. This made the connection into 17:12 EC ‘Josef Haydn’ (Wien-Hamburg) a non-starter but the 17:12 proved to be a Frankfurt-Münster ‘D’ train and 20 minutes late into the bargain. The mystery remains unresolved but advantage was taken. The most valid route into Mönchengladbach seemed to be via Krefeld with options to get there from Köln via Neuss, or via Düsseldorf. In the event there was just time to get the connection from Köln and with a few minutes wait for a late running connection at Krefeld I was in Mönchengladbach, which was shut, by 19:30. Goodness knows what they do for entertainment, refreshment, a change of scenery or whatever. [Shutness at 19:30 on a Sunday shouldn’t have surprised me but I wasn’t yet properly into the swing of things in Germany!] An early night was had...
No more closing branches to do. The only option for Altenkirchen was the 06:23 direct to Köln where there was sufficient life to provide breakfast. With mayonnaise, unfortunately. The S-Bahn service to Au provides a very pleasant trundle up into the hills east of Köln, once out of the suburbs. Au is effectively a country junction which would be shut, probably permanently, at 09:30 on a Sunday in the UK but was quite busy. The DMU to Altenkirchen goes from the bay platform, so no physical connection again.
At Altenkirchen the motive power for the shuttle proved to be a Kriegslok, 52 8121 , which made the subsequent trip all the better. 45 minutes each way on a very picturesque, and seemingly well-used freight line [Subsequent checking of my photo catalogue reveals that we went as far as Raubach, on the line towards Siershahn]. The fare was DM20, about £7.50 at current rates, which seemed eminently reasonable. A BLS contingent of about six Eurobashers was present.This dispersed on return to Altenkirchen with your reporter and one other heading south, he for Frankfurt and I for Staffel where there was an 8 minute connection, made easily, for Siershahn which had been recommended as a possible closure candidate. The train was heaving, there seemed to be plenty of freight traffic as well, so the logic of the recommendation was mysterious, but to be fair there did seem to be some kind of promotion on, with obvious non-gricers returning on the same service they went out on, and the DB staff handing out promotion packs and not gripping tickets. [In 2023 the line’s still open for passengers, and of course connects at Montabaur with the Köln-Frankfurt NBS]
On the return (single line junction north of Staffel so no overlap problem!) I continued to Limburg hoping to make a -1 minute connection into a Koblenz semi-fast. This fortunately was a few minutes late but was semi-slow and lost time into the bargain, arriving at Koblenz around 17:25 instead of the booked 17:10. This made the connection into 17:12 EC ‘Josef Haydn’ (Wien-Hamburg) a non-starter but the 17:12 proved to be a Frankfurt-Münster ‘D’ train and 20 minutes late into the bargain. The mystery remains unresolved but advantage was taken. The most valid route into Mönchengladbach seemed to be via Krefeld with options to get there from Köln via Neuss, or via Düsseldorf. In the event there was just time to get the connection from Köln and with a few minutes wait for a late running connection at Krefeld I was in Mönchengladbach, which was shut, by 19:30. Goodness knows what they do for entertainment, refreshment, a change of scenery or whatever. [Shutness at 19:30 on a Sunday shouldn’t have surprised me but I wasn’t yet properly into the swing of things in Germany!] An early night was had...
Altenkirchen, 1.6.97 - there's always one. I suspect this was a 'false start' by 52 8121 as I don't recall spending enough time there to allow the shuttle train to get down to Raubach and return before the working I travelled on. |
The shuttle trains went as far as Raubach, where 52 8121 is seen running round its train. Not much chance of a clear shot, but at least the track was done. |
52 8121 leaving Altenkirchen again - the absence of photographers suggests this was a real departure and they're all on the train! |
Tuesday 2.6.97
...brought to an end by an 06:00 flight out of Düsseldorf airport! The hotel (Burgund, 5 minutes walk from the station) was excellent, however.
Plan A had been to disappear on 07:58 to Eindhoven but with a lack of things to do in the Netherlands I decided to do the Dalheim branch first to avoid the need to come back to Mönchengladbach later, and catch the 09:58 instead. [What a pity that I forgot to mark up my track map at the time, as well as mislaying my trip notes. This resulted in me jumping through all sorts of hoops in 2022 when I ‘discovered’ that I ‘hadn’t done’ Dalheim! I thought it odd, and in addition to those two failures I failed to search my photo catalogue and discover the photo of Dalheim station.]
Dalheim is more or less rush hours only though there is a Saturday service [in 2022/3 it’s got a regular clock-face service] and the 2-car DMU I rode on had very few passengers other than a school party from Rheydt to Hegberg. Only one passenger got on at Dalheim. The line was originally cross border [to Roermond] and track appears to be in situ beyond Dalheim. Even so it’s very rusty and there is obviously no freight traffic. Possibly a threatened branch. [Originally part of the Iron-Rhine route it has a complex history too long to describe here - see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiserner_Rhein - and may yet see traffic west of Dalheim]
A freight branch goes off northwards between Wegberg and Arsbeck – looked as if it had little or no traffic though there were a few decrepit flat wagons at the junction. [If I had north and south the right way round this was the former branch to RAF Brüggen – otherwise it would have been the former branch to RAF Wildenrath now used by the Siemens railway test centre]. The loop and siding at Wegberg seemed to have been used recently, though possibly by the civil engineers. [Quite likely in fact; the Siemens facility was constructed in 1997].
Back at Mönchengladbach there was only a short wait before 09:58 to Eindhoven which left very well filled. Surprisingly, Netherlands immigration staff appeared at Venlo and conducted an apparently random passport check (not including mine). Large numbers of people were swapped for large numbers of other people at Venlo and the train continued to Eindhoven packed. An 8 minute connection here was no problem , for 11:09 to Den Haag CS which was taken as far as Rotterdam CS. The reconstruction at Dordrecht seems to be finished. Large numbers of scrapped 22xx were noted at Breda, with some 11xx and some 6xx.
A luxurious 14 minute wait ensued at Rotterdam for 12:33 to Amsterdam CS which was somewhat less full. At Amsterdam CS enquiries were made of Lovers Rail which revealed that a round trip could be made between 14:55 and 16:39 which provided time for a sandwich and a drink and to get to Schiphol afterwards; this made an excellent fill in for the afternoon. The train consists of three ancient and gaudily painted coaches whose interiors would be familiar to anyone who has travelled in ex-BR Mk 1 and is top and tailed by two 22xx diesels (2207 and 2211 in my case). It also has a wagon at one end. Why? It looks a strange sight especially in Amsterdam CS next to gleaming NS EMUs and the NS/NMBS/SNCB international sets. The trains stop at Haarlem and Santpoort Nord [now Driehuis] on the main line and Driehuis-Westerveld on the Ijmuiden branch. This has a full set of immaculate NS station furniture including ‘bus’ shelter though whether newly provided or left from NS service days I don’t know. Progress down the branch is very leisurely with several manually worked crossings. Sawn-off electrification masts can be seen here and there. The approach to Ijmuiden, a.k.a Amsterdam Beach, a.k.a Kennemerstrand, is lined with cement works, steel works (presumably Hoogovens) and other delights; the station itself is a temporary structure right at the end of the line (current end of line anyway) beside a former yard just beyond a level crossing. The beach itself is nowhere to be seen... [Research nearly 26 years later after closure of the line, and a lot of rebuilding in the area, reveals that the station was at the site of the original NS station and that it was at around 52.4605 N, 4.5937 E. Not surprisingly, a bus link was provided to the beach, some 2.5km away! A history of the line, in Nederlands, can be found at https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoorlijn_Santpoort_Noord_-_IJmuiden]
An equally leisurely trip up the branch is followed by some antics as the train crosses to the down (wrong) line, back to the up line and into the up platform loop for Santpoort Nord. On the way back to Amsterdam the train goes through the main island platform at Haarlem instead of being banished to the outer fringes. The schedule is helpfully printed on the back of the tickets but is quite different from the one in the Lovers Rail leaflet (which appears to be the one they run to). Fortunately all the departure times on the ticket are earlier, but unfortunately one of the trains is duplicated and one missing! The only fault on an otherwise excellent service. A ride back to Schiphol on the 16:43 local finished the rail part of the trip. Will the rucksack get to Birmingham? Watch this space ... [It did].
...brought to an end by an 06:00 flight out of Düsseldorf airport! The hotel (Burgund, 5 minutes walk from the station) was excellent, however.
Plan A had been to disappear on 07:58 to Eindhoven but with a lack of things to do in the Netherlands I decided to do the Dalheim branch first to avoid the need to come back to Mönchengladbach later, and catch the 09:58 instead. [What a pity that I forgot to mark up my track map at the time, as well as mislaying my trip notes. This resulted in me jumping through all sorts of hoops in 2022 when I ‘discovered’ that I ‘hadn’t done’ Dalheim! I thought it odd, and in addition to those two failures I failed to search my photo catalogue and discover the photo of Dalheim station.]
Dalheim is more or less rush hours only though there is a Saturday service [in 2022/3 it’s got a regular clock-face service] and the 2-car DMU I rode on had very few passengers other than a school party from Rheydt to Hegberg. Only one passenger got on at Dalheim. The line was originally cross border [to Roermond] and track appears to be in situ beyond Dalheim. Even so it’s very rusty and there is obviously no freight traffic. Possibly a threatened branch. [Originally part of the Iron-Rhine route it has a complex history too long to describe here - see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiserner_Rhein - and may yet see traffic west of Dalheim]
A freight branch goes off northwards between Wegberg and Arsbeck – looked as if it had little or no traffic though there were a few decrepit flat wagons at the junction. [If I had north and south the right way round this was the former branch to RAF Brüggen – otherwise it would have been the former branch to RAF Wildenrath now used by the Siemens railway test centre]. The loop and siding at Wegberg seemed to have been used recently, though possibly by the civil engineers. [Quite likely in fact; the Siemens facility was constructed in 1997].
Back at Mönchengladbach there was only a short wait before 09:58 to Eindhoven which left very well filled. Surprisingly, Netherlands immigration staff appeared at Venlo and conducted an apparently random passport check (not including mine). Large numbers of people were swapped for large numbers of other people at Venlo and the train continued to Eindhoven packed. An 8 minute connection here was no problem , for 11:09 to Den Haag CS which was taken as far as Rotterdam CS. The reconstruction at Dordrecht seems to be finished. Large numbers of scrapped 22xx were noted at Breda, with some 11xx and some 6xx.
A luxurious 14 minute wait ensued at Rotterdam for 12:33 to Amsterdam CS which was somewhat less full. At Amsterdam CS enquiries were made of Lovers Rail which revealed that a round trip could be made between 14:55 and 16:39 which provided time for a sandwich and a drink and to get to Schiphol afterwards; this made an excellent fill in for the afternoon. The train consists of three ancient and gaudily painted coaches whose interiors would be familiar to anyone who has travelled in ex-BR Mk 1 and is top and tailed by two 22xx diesels (2207 and 2211 in my case). It also has a wagon at one end. Why? It looks a strange sight especially in Amsterdam CS next to gleaming NS EMUs and the NS/NMBS/SNCB international sets. The trains stop at Haarlem and Santpoort Nord [now Driehuis] on the main line and Driehuis-Westerveld on the Ijmuiden branch. This has a full set of immaculate NS station furniture including ‘bus’ shelter though whether newly provided or left from NS service days I don’t know. Progress down the branch is very leisurely with several manually worked crossings. Sawn-off electrification masts can be seen here and there. The approach to Ijmuiden, a.k.a Amsterdam Beach, a.k.a Kennemerstrand, is lined with cement works, steel works (presumably Hoogovens) and other delights; the station itself is a temporary structure right at the end of the line (current end of line anyway) beside a former yard just beyond a level crossing. The beach itself is nowhere to be seen... [Research nearly 26 years later after closure of the line, and a lot of rebuilding in the area, reveals that the station was at the site of the original NS station and that it was at around 52.4605 N, 4.5937 E. Not surprisingly, a bus link was provided to the beach, some 2.5km away! A history of the line, in Nederlands, can be found at https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoorlijn_Santpoort_Noord_-_IJmuiden]
An equally leisurely trip up the branch is followed by some antics as the train crosses to the down (wrong) line, back to the up line and into the up platform loop for Santpoort Nord. On the way back to Amsterdam the train goes through the main island platform at Haarlem instead of being banished to the outer fringes. The schedule is helpfully printed on the back of the tickets but is quite different from the one in the Lovers Rail leaflet (which appears to be the one they run to). Fortunately all the departure times on the ticket are earlier, but unfortunately one of the trains is duplicated and one missing! The only fault on an otherwise excellent service. A ride back to Schiphol on the 16:43 local finished the rail part of the trip. Will the rucksack get to Birmingham? Watch this space ... [It did].
What a pity I hadn't remembered this photo (Dalheim, 2.6.97) when planning my Interrail in 2022 - it would have saved me all the effort involved in going there again... |
2207 and 2211 at Ijmuiden on 2.6.97 with the Kennemerstrand Express. The scene is very different now, with a street (Margadanstraat, named after the designer of the original station) where the train is standing. |
Another view of Ijmuiden showing the extensive station facilities |
2211 waiting to take the Kennemerstrand Express back to Amsterdam, with the mysterious wagon between the loco and the first coach. |
Although my records are far from complete I was making quite frequent visits to the Low Countries and Germany in 1997, and I was in Belgium and Germany for two IBSE tours in early July.
