TEFS visit to West Germany August 1974

[Trev52A]

Were any of today's RMweb members on a trip to the Rheine to Emden line in West Germany (as it was then) from 15th to 19th August 1974? This was organised by 'To Europe For Steam' and we stayed a couple of nights in Lingen, about 20 miles north of Rheine. Plenty of steam with Classes 012, 042 ,043 and 044 in action. I've been having some old negs and slides digitally scanned and I thought it would be a good idea to swap photos and tales from back then. Any takers?

I've included a shot of a northbound 012 taken near Lingen.

 

Cheers

Trev52A

[EddieB]

I never made it to Rheine in the days of steam (or the E04 electrics!), but I well remember TEFS (David Thornhill), the interest that was became concentrated there after the demise of the Hof Pacifics, David Canning's "Meppen" article in "Railway World" and the end of DB steam announced in Continental Railway Journal.

 

Lovely photo - was the original on 2 1/4 square, or is that just the crop for the digital image?

[Trev52A]

Thanks for getting back to me, Eddie.

The shot was taken on a Rolleiflex camera so yes, it is a 2 1/4 square negative. My colour slides were with a 35mm Praktica SLR using Kodachrome2 film. Here's one.

012 066-7 leaving Meppen heading north. I believe this loco is now preserved

I think my contact at TEFS was Bill Alborough (hope I've spelt it correctly - he did not sign the paperwork, but it was an address in Chepstow,) 

 

 

Cheers

Trevor

[EddieB]

Sorry, I'm getting two things mixed up.  Yes, Bill Alborough was "Mr TEFS" - David Thornhill was the editor of "World Steam".

 

012 066-7 is preserved in working order as 01 1066.  Here it is at the Festival der Eisenbahn, Nürnberg in 2002, 

 

[Marshall5]

I visited the Rheine - Emden line in August 1974 but It wasn't with TEFS (I didn't go with them until 1979) and we stayed in Rheine having travelled by minibus from Birmingham via Ostend.  It was a very rewarding trip photting at Rheine, where through trains changed from electric to steam haulage, and linesiding all the way to Emden.  I still remember an 012 Pacific struggling to lift its train over the lifting bridge outside Emden. Emden shed also had 094 class 0-10-0T's for shunting. I must get round to scanning the slides someday.

Eddy is quite right Dave Thornhill was 'World Steam' and Bill Alborough was (possibly still is) TEFS based in Quorn, later Loughborough. Nice pics, thanks.

Ray.

[Trev52A]

Thank you both, gentlemen.

 

Nice to see the pic of the preserved 01/012. The change of running number confused me a bit!

I believe 012 075-8 (which I travelled behind from Meppen to Lingen that weekend) is also preserved, but 012 061-8 (which headed our party's train from Rheine to Lingen) was not so lucky.

 

Trevor

[Allegheny1600]

Some nice photos already Gents, thanks!

Like EddieB, I never got to see W. German steam in action, only as preserved machines but they really are awesome.

Emden shed also had 094 class 0-10-0T's for shunting. I must get round to scanning the slides someday.

 

The 094 class (Prussian T16) are amongst my all time favourites, they have a smashing 'bark' - those slides would be most welcome sometime!

Cheers,

John.

[Ian Morgan]

Here is 01 1066 again, this time leaving Festival der Eisenbahn, Nürnberg in 2002, hauling a steam special back up north somewhere. I was in another steam special, hauled by 03 2295-8, heading back to Munich. Somehow, one departure was slightly delayed from its scheduled departure so both trains left the station almost together and raced each other to the flyover, where we went our separate ways. A great end to a really good day out.

 

 

[EddieB]

DB renumbering can get confusing, as preserved locos tend to be restored to their pre-1968 classification and number.  This site, which allows entry of any number carried through DRG, DB and DR times (minus check digits) is very useful: http://www.beitraege.lokomotive.de/datenbank/d_datenbank.php.

 

Both 012 061-8 (as 01 1061) and 012 075-8 (as 01 1075) have survived.  The former has been at the Deutsche Dampflokmuseum, Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg, since being sold in 1975.  Here it is, inside the roundhouse, in 2002.

 

1075 is part of the collection of the Stoom Stichting Nederland, Rotterdam.  Visiting while open to the public in 2001 (but not an operating day), conditions were cramped even for the widest lens (24mm or 20mm?) I had with me.

 

In response to John (Allegheny1600), I did see some West German steam in the 1970s, but I never visited any of the places that became hotspots for enthusiasts (except afterwards).  The steam I saw was in the course of making two family package holidays in Czechoslovakia from passing trains while travelling through West Germany en route.  At the time of the first, in 1973, there was quite a lot of steam spread along the route (mainly class 50s), not always photographable - particularly with the Kodak Instamatic I had at the time.  (Like Trev52A I was also shooting in square format - but there the similarity ends!)

 

Two years later, I was now equipped with a 35mm SLR, but the level of steam activity had declined severely.  From memory, the only decent sighting was of an 052 awaiting departure on a freight approaching Schirnding (the frontier station with Czechoslovakia) - and I wasn't ready with my camera as we passed it.  My last encounter with real steam in West German was on the return leg, when a light 023 passed on an adjacent track whilst we were stopped at Saarbrücken around midnight.

 

From 1973, here is 051 210-4 (with cabin tender) at Kirchenlaibach, in 1973.

[Trev52A]

Thanks again to everyone for all the input and photos.

Ian, you were fortunate to get the top view of 01 1066 just as you went over the flyover - what are the chances of that, eh?

Eddie, I've 'bookmarked' that German link you provided. Should come in handy. Also, nice to see that both the 012s which I travelled behind have been preserved.

This thread seems to be generating some interest and it is an opportunity to share some memories and show some pics which would otherwise never be seen. Great!

 

Here is a shot of the now-preserved 012 061-8 departing Meppen southbound on 17th August 1974.

 

Not quite the same in a museum, is it?

 

Cheers

Trevor

Edited January 4, 2017 by Trev52A

[5944]

If you want to be really confused, 01 1066 was running as 012 066-7 for a while recently. 01 066 was running as 01 2066-7 at the same time! I believe both worked on the same railtour round Germany a couple of years ago, but on different days.

[bingley hall]

Thanks for getting back to me, Eddie.

The shot was taken on a Rolleiflex camera so yes, it is a 2 1/4 square negative. My colour slides were with a 35mm Praktica SLR using Kodachrome2 film. Here's one.

(410bS) 012 066-7 Meppen 17-8-74 (T Ermel) .jpg

012 066-7 leaving Meppen heading north. I believe this loco is now preserved

I think my contact at TEFS was Bill Alborough (hope I've spelt it correctly - he did not sign the paperwork, but it was an address in Chepstow,) 

 

 

Cheers

Trevor

 

I was on a Steam Safaris tour to the Rheine area  (may still have been Worcester Locomotive Club at that time) in April 1974. Unfortunately we didn't get quite such fine action shots of the 012s as you did so they are every much appreciated as a memory.

 

I'm pretty sure Bill Alborough died a few years ago now.

Edited January 16, 2017 by bingley hall

[Trev52A]

Thanks for that, Bingley Hall.

 

Sad to hear your update on Bill. I remember him telling me that he enjoyed organising all the details of overseas travel. Better him than me - I would find it a logistical nightmare!

 

A note for photographers - I was in error saying I was using a Rolleiflex in 1974. Thinking back, I had a Minolta Autocord, although it also shot 2 1/4 square negs.

Here's another pic taken with it - a view from our hotel, just across the road from Lingen station! 012 075-8 is entering from the south, passing preserved 082 008-4, with several VW cars in evidence. Well organised, Bill!

 

Trevor

 

 

[Bill Jamieson]

Were any of today's RMweb members on a trip to the Rheine to Emden line in West Germany (as it was then) from 15th to 19th August 1974? This was organised by 'To Europe For Steam' and we stayed a couple of nights in Lingen, about 20 miles north of Rheine. Plenty of steam with Classes 012, 042 ,043 and 044 in action. I've been having some old negs and slides digitally scanned and I thought it would be a good idea to swap photos and tales from back then. Any takers?

I've included a shot of a northbound 012 taken near Lingen.

(1135b) 012 080-8 nr Lingen 18-08-74 (T Ermel) .jpg

Cheers

Trev52A

 

That really is a great shot and demonstrates well the flexibility that the square format gives.

 

I wasn't on the tour you mentioned but I did visit Rheine-Emden a couple of weeks later. This was part of what had been planned as an extended shed bash through West Germany and Austria (catalysed by, if I remember correctly, the May 1974 edition of Railway World which had a photo feature on Rheine-Emden and also a long article on surviving steam in Austria). In the event, I did some lineside photography as well, including a day and a half around Lingen and Salzbergen.

 

I’ve uploaded a few of the shots from that and subsequent trips on the German Fotocommunity site and the DB shots can be found here:- http://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/1764694?page=1&folder_id=781642

 

Bill

Edited January 20, 2017 by Bill Jamieson

[ColinK]

Nice pictures and interesting thread. I went on a couple of TEFS trips, but West German mainline steam had finished by then.

 

But did see standard gauge steam in East Germany, albeit only a tank loco on a mixed train. Got some cine film and slides of it. Hope to start digitising the slides and film soon.

[Trev52A]

Thank you for the updates, gents.

 

Some great shots on the webpage you quoted, Bill. You got to a lot of places I didn't. My only other visit was much more recently, in 2005, when I had a holiday in the Harz area. Good stuff, but not the same as Pacifics or double-headed ore trains!

 

Trevor

[Bill Jamieson]

Thank you for the updates, gents.

 

Some great shots on the webpage you quoted, Bill. You got to a lot of places I didn't. My only other visit was much more recently, in 2005, when I had a holiday in the Harz area. Good stuff, but not the same as Pacifics or double-headed ore trains!

 

Trevor

 

Thanks Trevor. While it's true I did get to a few places in West Germany, I was really a couple of years too late e.g. for the Schiefe Ebene - a visit to Hof shed in 1974 only found a handful of class 50s allocated (plus a visting class 44 from Bw Weiden), with the 01 Pacifics all gone. You mention the Harz and for me that was one of the best destinations through the 1980's, especially with the number of freight workings there were until 1990 - mind you it's as well German reunification happened when it did otherwise full dieselisation would have taken place, so it's still a great experience, not that I've been back recently.

 

Bill

 

PS I've really enjoyed your pages on the David Heys Collection site.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I missed out on Rheine-Emden. Did manage Crailsheim - Ulm in 1975. Class 23 2-6-2 on passenger trains and still 50s or 52s on freight. Really must scan the slides some time.

[AMJ]

As a youngster I managed to get a couple of the TEFS calendars possibly into the 1980's when I had realised that steam action still existed in parts of Europe and Asia. I tried to Google TEFS as the concept is interesting.

 

As mentioned above by others thanks again for the nice photos.

[Marshall5]

As I mentioned in post #5 I went to Rheine in 1974 and now I've thought about I'm pretty sure that it was with the Worcester Loco Soc'y and summertime so maybe they went twice. I looked through my notebook and copy of 'Rheine Dampf' (a booklet containing timetables, suggested photo locations etc - anyone remember that?) but can't find an exact date. Although I've still to scan my slides I dug out a few B&W's and uploaded them.  Maybe someone on here will recognize the participants - the last photo was taken on a preserved s.g. line in Enschede Holland on the way back to Ostend.  A much younger me (with flares and 'sideboards') is in the middle, Roger Cromblehome? next right and the tour leader sitting.

Trevor, I really liked your photo of the 012 and preserved 082 at Lingen - did you also notice the preserved 094 by the works?

Bingley Hall, are you sure about Bill Alborough's demise? A friend of mine from the 80's TEFS trips got an invite to last September's annual reunion and, although he didn't go, I'm sure he would have mentioned it.

Anyway, 'hope you find the photos interesting.  Cheers, Ray.

[Trev52A]

Once again, many thanks for adding to this thread, everyone.

 

Bill - glad you enjoyed my efforts on the David Heys site. For anyone else interested, check out pages 69 and 70 (Whoops, I've just blown my cover!)

 

Ray (Marshall5) - Nice to see your pics of 'my' two 012s (the ones I travelled behind in 1974.) I see 012 061-8 appears to have its DB plate on the left hand cabside missing - same as when I saw it.

No, sadly I didn't see the 094 at Lingen. Does anyone have a photo of where it was? I have a shot from the south with the works in the background and no sign of it there.

Yes, I've still got my 'Rheiner Dampf' book from 1974, the one with 012 075-8 on the cover.

Liked the group shot - definitely from another era! (If this had been in the fifties/early sixties no doubt you would all have been wearing jackets and ties!) I wish I had taken similar photos.

 

Here's another one of mine from August 1974 - an 043 with iron ore empties for Emden crossing the River Ems near Meppen. A friend of mine who had previously been to the line had kindly supplied me with a sketch map of likely locations at Meppen and Lingen otherwise I would never have found this spot.

 

Cheers

Trevor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marshall5]

Trevor, will this one of the class 94 at Lingen do?  And just to show that I didn't just phot the 012's here's a couple of other classes.  Interestingly, most if not all the Rheine based locos were oil fired but Emden's were mostly coal fired.

Cheers,

Ray.

[Trev52A]

Ray - thanks for the 094 pic. No, I was not aware of this at the time. Some of the party may have visited the works but I was away up the line taking photos, no doubt.

Here is my shot at Lingen showing the works in the background - was the 094 visible from the platform or was it tucked away on the far side? I have examined all my shots which include the works and no sight of it. Google Earth shows the tower still standing today (although a new road now passes right in front of it) and part of the works appears semi-derelict. It also shows the Rheine shed site, with the semi-roundhouse still standing!

 

Cheers

Trevor

 

[Marshall5]

Sorry Trevor but I can't remember exactly where the 94 was but it I don't think it was far from the other preserved loco.  I assume one of the group knew where it was - we didn't wander far from the station.  That's a nice shot of the class 44.

Cheers,

Ray.

[Trev52A]

Thanks Ray.

 

Here's another one at Lingen, taken from the platform after we had just alighted from the train. I like the lady with the shopping bags on the left, unaware, no doubt, that she had just travelled on one of the last steam-worked routes in Western Europe! Steam passenger workings ended here the following year, right? As I mentioned in an earlier post, the loco has lost its brass(?) DB plate from the cabside.

If I half close my eyes and ignore the external plumbing along the boiler etc., this could almost be a Gresley A3 (the smoke deflectors help, of course!)

 

Keep the pictures coming in, gents.

 

Cheers

Trevor