Pictures from a brief stop-over in Düren (halfway between Aachen & Köln) on our way back to the ferry.

Thanks to it's location, Düren is an ideal, if underlooked, veg-location simply for the variety of traffic: Thalys2 & ICE3M units pass through at regular intervals working Köln-Aachen-Brussels(-Paris) services, whilst Br111 & Br146 electric locos handle the local trains with the aid of push-pull double-decker rakes. Additionally, a branch line from Heimback to Linnich crosses the mainline at Düren although, in practice, trains run as two separate services, starting and terminating at opposite sides of the station. These are provided by the 'Ruhrtalbahn' company and use an older generation of 'RegioShuttle' DMUs, these having only four axles and being articulated in the centre, to create something rather small and pathetic-looking.

Freight traffic is also good; we encountered several trains during our 90mins here, and most utilises multi-voltage Br185-derived privately-operated electric engines.

Pictures taken in/around Boppard and up the famous 'Hünsrückbahn' to Emmelshausen.

Boppard itself is located on the left-hand back of the river Rhein 20kms south of Koblenz and sees a similar traffic-profile to other stations.

Passenger comprises the hourly Mainz-Koblenz-Köln regional bahn (operated by TransRegio with their 3-car 'Desiro Mainline' EMUs), and a roughly two-hourly Koblenz-Frankfurt Regional Express operated by DB using a pair of former-East German Br143 electrics in top-and-tail mode with four older double-deckers. Also present was a plentiful supply of IC & ICE trains, ranging from Br101 & 120-hauled 'Intercity' & 'Eurocity' services through to ICE1, ICE2 & ICE-T EMUs. Additionally, the hourly service up the Hunsrück to Emmelshausen was worked by a Br218 diesel and a pair of 'Silberlinge' coaches. However, the December 2009 timetable-change brought about the introduction of Rhenus Regio's 'RegioShuttle' railcars instead, bringing the curtain down on diesel haulage through the Hunsrück.

Freight traffic was also plentiful and varied; both DB and various private operators run a variety of freights, ranging from huge block trains of Iron Ore/Coal (powered by pairs of ageing Br140 electrics) through to containers and general freights.

Photos taken in the Andernach area; to be expanded in due course.

Andernach itself is on the left bank of the river Rhein, located part-way from Koblenz to Bonn/Köln, at the beginning of the branch up out of the valley to Kaisersech.

Passenger traffic through Andernach, just like anywhere else on the left-hand-bank, is varied and plentiful, ranging from the hourly 'TransRegio' 3-car EMU to the hourly RE5 Koblenz-Emmerich E146-propelled 5-car double-decker sets. Also frequent in number are ICEs, both loco-hauled push-pull sets and ICE1/2/T EMUs. In addition, an hourly service runs up the Kaisersech branch, this being formed of a 'power-twin' Br629 2-car DMU. The last few years have seen major changes in this area: DB Regio have regained operation of the Kaisersech branch from private company TransRegio, and have replaced single-coach 'RegioShuttle' DMUs with 2-car VT629-sets, at the expense of the Mainz-Koblenz-Köln regional services which have transfered to TransRegio, who emply 'Desiro Mainline' 3-car EMUs on the route.

Freight traffic was limited in our 15-minute stay, but is assumed to be as busy as the rest of the area.

A number of pictures taken during our stay in Lahnstein, south-east of Koblenz, along the Rhine Valley in central-western Germany.

Firstly, a sunny day in Ober- (higher - on a hill) lahnstein, nearest to where we were staying.
Secondly, 1 1/2 hours at Nieder- (lower - in the river valley) lahnstein station, a junction where the line from Limburg joins the right-hand Rhine line.
Thirdly, a jaunt out to Bad Ems and Nassau, with pictures only from the former, a smallish station recently rebuilt with small overall roof area and a basic but reliable RB/RE service, operated by DB (RE) and Vectus (RB).
Lastly, a return to Oberlahnstein on the day of our departure.

A number of pictures taken during a day-trip to Koblenz; the main station in the area, a junction where both Rhine line (left & right-hand banks) join, and also far more interesting, with a yard behind providing some basic but entertaining shunting activities!

Berlin Hauptbahnhof itself is huge and complicated!! The majority of IC/ICE-services run north-south through the low-level platforms which are several storeys below ground level and, due to this, awkward to photograph. The higher-level platforms, which are on the main 'corridor' through Berlin from Wannsee in the west right across to Ostkreutz in the east.

Freight in this area is limited; most starts/ends at one of the main yards - particularly Seddin, which is not far out of town - and anything needing to cross the Capital takes one of the avoiding routes so as not to further increase congestion on this already-congested 'corridor' from east to west.

Passenger traffic is plentyful and varied; most local trains are in the hands of DBAG Br112/114/143 East-German electrics, mostly with equally old (or virtually brand new!!) double-deck stock. For variety, some services are worked by private companies, introducing white-based colour schemes applied to Siemens 'Desiro' 2-car DMUs, whilst DB's own Br646/946 'GTW' DMUs work down from the island of Usedom occasionally. InterCity traffic is considerably more interesting; ICE1- & ICE2-EMUs mingle with Br101-hauled 'Eurofima' rakes, whilst the Russia- & Warszawa-bound services generally turn up DBSchenker Br145s and hired-in Br186s respectively. ICEs to/from Kobenhavn generally involve pairs of Br605 ICE-VT 4-car DMUs, whilst the ICE-works at Berlin-Rummelsburg is well worth a pass or two on the top deck of a double-decker, as is the nearby 'Talgo' works; both are visible from Schönefeld-bound trains.

An uninspiring town midway between Coswig(Dresden) and Dresden Neustadt/Hauptbahnhof, the main station is Radebeul Ost from where a 750mm-gauge "Schmalspurbahn" climbs up the mountains to Radeberg, this being the only major item of interest in the local area. The works and yard for the so-called "Lößnitzgrundbahn" are at this end of the line; this provides something of interest between the hourly steam service and the large numbers of Br143s prevailent virtually everywhere in east Germany.

Passenger traffic consists of an half-hourly S1 service from Dresden Hbf to Coswig(Dresden), extending to Schöna in the east and Meißen-Triebischtal in the west; this utilises Br143s in push-pull mode with 4-coach sets of new Görlitz-build double-deck vehicles. Also passing, but not stopping, are frequent express services towards Hamburg and Leipzig; these lines split between here and Coswig, and frequent regional services on each route, both of which skip the Radebeul stations. Local services are operated by the uniqutous Br143 whilst expresses are a mixture of ICE1/2/T trainsets and Br101-hauled passenger coaches.

Freight traffic over this section of route is sparce, given the presence of a duplicating secondary-route (with connections to both the Leipzig and Hamburg lines just east of Coswig(Dresden, and better connections to Dresden-Friedrichstadt goods yard) which sees considerably less passenger traffic.

Near the border with the Czech Republic, Dresden handles the majority of the through traffic to & from Praha, and it's stock portfolio is equally varied. The layout of the station is interesting; there are through platforms at both the north and south sides of the station, these are at a higher level than the surrounding area. In between these are half-a-dozen ground-level bay platforms which are accessible only from the western end, these are at ground level and there is a road and tram-network behind. Whilst this sounds ideal for photography, it really isn't; the variety of electrical equipment for the bays makes it virtually impossible to gain a decent picture of one side of the station from the other; some piece of catenary or signalling equipment is guaranteed to get spectacularly in the way! Over at the eastern end, there are a couple of rarely-used bays; these see most use stabling stock between duties.
Dresden Neustadt, the other main station in Dresden, is currently being rebuilt and modernised, and as such the middle two platforms (4 & 5) were closed during my visit. This is a more 'traditional' station with 9 through platforms and a tenth at an obscure angle on a little-used line.

Passenger traffic mainly utilises Br143 electrics for the 'S-Bahn' network (with a variety of double-deck stock) or Br612 & Br642 DMUs for the longer & shorter journeys respectively. ICET Br411 & Br415 EMUs are used on the hourly ICE-service to Frankfurt/Main, with Br101s used on the last-remaining loco-hauled services, usually those which run through to Praha or occasionally further to Wien; these change locos at the border with a ÈD class 371 multi-voltage loco (identical to Br180 except for number) taking over at Dresden Hbf. During my visit, some ICET-worked services were replaced by "ICE-Ersatzzüge" [ICE-replacement-trains], one of which even showed up a Br120!

Freight traffic is plentiful, but virtually all of this takes the freight lines behind the station which, due to the position of the station relative to the sun, means it's nigh-impossible to get a photo which isn't pointing directly into the sun! Freight here is varied but the traction isn't particularly; most of this is going cross-border and Br180/371s are the mainstay, with the occasional diesel, Austrian 'Taurus' or German Br189 appearing.

Located around 20kms out of Dresden on the main line to Leipzig & Riesa, this station sees plenty of activity, both passenger and freight.

Passenger services centre around an half-hourly S1 (Meißen Triebischtal-Schöna), an hourly RE50 "Saxonia" (Leipzig-Dresden), and interspersed with this are 2-hourly RE18 (Dresden-Cottbus) and RE?? (Dresden-Hoyerswerda). Most services are formed of double-deck stock; the S-Bahn services use the newest Bombardier (Görlitz)-built stock, whilst the RE50 uses second-generation stock and the RE?? the oldest East German-designed vehicles. Worth noting is RE18 which uses 'Halberstadter' coaches; most formations being Bybdzf control-car, Abyz centre-coach and a Bimz (or two) former-InterRegio vehicle. Also worth noting, for track-bashers, is that RE?? takes a back route out of Dresden and rejoins the mainline just outside Coswig station; hence it usually uses Pl.5 here.

Freight traffic is less predictable but, as pictures will tell, seems to involve one heck of a lot of tanker wagons!! There is a nearby goods yard which explains the volume of trains. Trains are generally hauled by East German-built Br155 electrics and Br232 diesels, but the newer DB locos (Br185 & Br189) are slowly making an appearance, whilst private operator ITL has a strong presence in the area, bringing Br185s, Swiss-registered Br481s [a Br185 with a different number] and diesel-powered Br285. ITL Br232s also sometimes appear.

Pictures taken during an hour or so at Brandenburg, a medium-sized station about 50 minutes away from Berlin on the half-hourly Regional Express services which link the two cities.

Passenger traffic isn't particularly varied; former-DDR classes 112, 114 & 143 push/pull rakes of four new-ish double deckers around for a living, whilst Veolia subsidiary "Märkische Regiobahn" 'Desiro' 2-car DMUs work the hourly shuttle to Rathenow (on the Hamburg-Berlin line). Passenger services run to an hourly patter:
- 1 RE to Berlin & Frankfurt (Oder) which starts here,
- 1 RE to Berlin & Magdeburg which originates at Eisenhüttenstadt,
- 1 RE Eisenhüttenstadt-Berlin-Brandenburg-Magdeburg,
- 1 MR from Brandenburg to Rathenow.

Freight appears non-existant.

Also worth noting is the other station in the area - Brandenburg-Altstadt - which gets a much poorer service - the hourly MR Brandenburg-Rathenow train and return.

Steinfurt, a sleepy little station on the Münster to Enschede(NL) line.

Recently-rebuilt with pre-fabricated platform sections, the modern look and feel betrays the lack of interesting trains; the passenger service comprises an hourly DMU-shuttle between said towns and freight is non-existant!!

Osnabrück station is an odd affair; it is on two levels which are at right angles to each other. Underneath is the east-west route from Hannover to Hengelo via Rheine, whilst the main north-south route passes overhead, linking Hamburg & Bremen with Düsseldorf & Köln.

Passenger traffic is the usual mix of long- and short-distance, the former operated exclusively by DB Fernverkehr using BR101 & BR120 electrics, and ICE EMUs, whilst the short- to medium-distance workings are shared between DB Regio, Nordwestbahn & Westfrankenbahn, DB generally running the longer 'Regional Express' services with BR111 & BR146 electrics, whilst NWB use 'Talent' and 'LINT' DMUs on their services and WFB using it's fleet of 'FLIRT' EMUs.

Freight wasn't common; most took one of the many sides of the various triangles which exist in/around the station, although a couple were routed through the station and these varied in content.

Pictures from a visit to Münster (Westfalen) Hbf.

Münster Hbf. itself is a junction station, with the lines from the 'Ruhrgebiet' joining at the south end, whilst the lines to Osnabrück and Enschede(NL) split halfway down the station, creating a 'Vee' shaped station.

Passenger traffic varies considerably, from local trains formed of all-manner of stock ranging from brand new Eurobahn- and Westfalenbahn-operated Stadler 'FLIRT' EMUs to DB's old 'Silberlinge' regional coaches powered by ageing BR110 electrics. ET425 EMUs are also prevalent. Longer-distance and the 'diet' is DB BR146s with double-deckers, whilst the long-distance trains are operated by BR101 & BR120 electrics on IC coaches; ICE EMUs were noticeable by their absense.

Freight was virtually non-existant during our visit, although we were treated to a loco-movement featuring two ancient 'Nohab' diesel locos!!

Rheine is a medium-sized town in northern Germany, near the Dutch border at Enschede(NL).

Passenger traffic is a regular diet of BR146s on regional trains mainly of push-pull double-decker rakes, with BR110s & 'Silberlinge's working the shorter duties. Many local services have been contracted-out to Westfalenbahn GmbH, who run 3- & 5-car Stadler-built 'FLIRT' EMUs on these services.

InterCity trains are approximately hourly, and are BR101-hauled and formed of 'Eurofima' vehicles with the odd former-InterRegio buffet car in.

Freight was quite varied during our visit, but mainly comprised car transporters and tanker wagons, hauled by a variety of engines.

Wunstorf, visited by train from Hannover, whilst staying in the neighbouring area.

Wunstorf itself is a junction station, with the platforms build around two blocks of three, each with a through line 'behind' the platforms, and the middle platform housing the station building. This is where services to the north west of Germany (Nienburg, Bremen, Norddeich Mole, etc) diverge from those heading south west and into the 'Ruhrgebiet' area, towards Minden and on to Rheine, Dortmund and, eventually, Köln.

Freight traffic is pretty frequent, heading both into Hannover (the line to Hannover passes the huge Seelze freight complex first), and heading away from said location both north and south.

Hannover, a large town in central-northern Germany, located partway between Hamburg and the 'Ruhrgebiet'.

Passenger services are plentyful, and feature a broad mix of IC/ICE services to most parts of germany; the former being E101-propelled and the latter ICE1/ICE2 trainsets. Regional services link Hannover with the north west and the former-east, the latter via Braunschweig (see collection). Regional services are worked almost entirely by DB, except the hourly "metronom Express" service to Hamburg. Also present is a less-than-spectacular 'S-Bahn' network; most lines operate an hourly frequency, except the one linking the airport with Hameln and the north-eastern tip of the Ruhrgebiet, which runs half-hourly.

Freight wasn't plentiful during our visits, despite the town being surrounded by marshalling yards; we presume there is an avoiding line somewhere, although we did (repeatedly!) see the only-remaining prototype E120, now in use with DB Mess.

Staying in the town of Burgdorf, in the area to the north-east of Hannover, we ventured out to Celle (the end of the Burgdorf line from Hannover), which also passes through Lehrte on the way to Burgdorf.

Passenger trains on this corridor are half-hourly, a mix of hourly Silberlinge-operating 'Regional Express' services which skip Lehrte, and hourly 'S-Bahn' ET424 EMU-operated services which call at all stations. Celle itself is also on the 'direct' route from Hannover to Hamburg, and thus gets plenty of 'fast' ICEs and some stopping IC services, as well as the 'metronom Express' (ME) direct services from Hamburg to Hannover. Lehrte meanwhile, is on the Hannover to Braunschweig route, and has both stopping (E143s & Silberlinge-operated) and longer-distance (IC/RE) to and from Halle in the former-DDR. These are operated either by E101s and IC-coaches or pairs of VT612 stopping services.

Freight is relatively frequent at all places; although there wasn't a great amount to be seen at Celle in the short time we were there

Random/odd photos which don't fit into any other collections on here

A short visit to Braunschweig whilst on holiday in the neighboughing Hannover area.

Situated east of Hannover, and on the main ICE-route from Berling through southern Germany and into Austria (via München) and Switzerland (via the Black Forest). Regional services link Braunschweig with the Harz, Magdeburg (both new-build DMU-operated) and the other local areas (628/9238-pairings) whilst electric inter-regional services are provided by E111 electrics and modern double deckers.

Freight traffic was reasonable, but much passes through the back of the station out of sight, although there is also an avoiding line which, I presume, carries most of the good traffic.

Two visits to these town on the lower Elbe, on the line from Hamburg out to Cuxhaven, where the Elbe joins the North Sea.

Both of these towns are junction stations for EVB-local services towards Bremen. Stopping services along the mainline are provided, as far as Stade, by a December 2007-opened extension of the S-Bahn Hamburg network, in addition to the hourly Hamburg to Cuxhaven metronom-operated services.

Freight services were sparse at Buxtehude, and non-existant at Stade; the latter being due to visiting on a Sunday!