Afternoon all...

 

While I am still recovering, I keep telling myself that spending time outside and for things which to people like us on here will most certainly be highly agreeable. Consequently, I again have a series of photos from two spotting rounds to my favourite freight spotting location at Thekla Station which I have been on yesterday and today.

 

 

 

Yesterday, rail traffic was still in the middle of getting under way after the large scale strike of last week, also necessitating several positioning moves. Thus, 232 255 of DB Schenker – sans logos – was stopping briefly ahead of the "F" westbound intermediate signal on the way for her next services.

 

 

 

 

Likewise, 155 104 was travelling light in the morning sunlight.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, 155 080 – which we'll see again in a few moments – was working a rake of Hcceerrs³³⁰ type articulated car carriers.

 

 

Visibly derived from the class 798 railbus, 701 167 was performing an OHLE inspection run. As this is a diesel car, the pantograph only serves as a measuring sensor.

 

 

 

Pressnitztalbahn also are a fairly common sight in East Germany, and represented here by 293 046 at the head of a mixed freight service which also included a track crew accommodation car derived from an ex-DR passenger coach.

 

 

The lot of ex-DB V 90 series shunters were also busy getting freight trains to their mainline motive power. Here, 294 895 – which I actually observed several times that day – is pulling a formation of container carriers on a trip service.

 

 

 

 

Performing an ECS service, 650 538 of Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn – signed for a stopping service to Bad Lausick – was running towards Engelsdorf.

 

 

 

 

A locomotive I have in my H0 scale fleet but earmarked for a different purpose, 182 595 of MRCE Dispolok – one of only a handful of locomotives still wearing the old Dispolok livery – was working a container service.

 

 

 

As previously mentioned, 155 080 returned light after having dropped her car carriers elsewhere.

 

 

 

185 304 was pulling a formation of Ermewa gas tankers...

 

 

 

…and 185 009 heading the regular PKP coal service.

 

And the last snapshot for yesterday had been 185 196 at the head of a mixed formation of chemical and gas tankers.

 

 

_________

 

 

Having noticed before that Leipzig Northern Station is not too bad a spotting location either, I decided to try my luck there on my way to Thekla this morning.

 

 

Demonstrating that even a highly standardised series of EMUs such as the Bombardier Talent 2 has lots of variety in the details, this photo shows 442 210 on the RE 18454 service from Cottbus to Leipzig Central Station approaching, and one of the Central German Suburban System's 1442.1s, of which I missed to write down the exact running number, departing on the S 37614 service to Leipzig Trade Fair Centre Station.

 

 

 

I have been noticing how an extraordinarily high number of suburban 1442s seem to have been hit by atrocious graffiti at present. I suppose the scrotes will make much use of the long autumn nights for their questionable hobby… In any case, 1442 102, working the S 37417 service from Thekla Station to Geithain, was one of the reasonably clean examples.

 

 

Running a few minutes late, ICE 1627 from Berlin Central Station to Munich Central Station was crossing over to the western station approach, and taking advantage of this section being equipped for full bidirectional running.

 

 

 

A surprise sighting was this PW inspection service with DB Systemtechnik's 182 506 at the tail. I wish there were models – even kits – of these measuring coaches...

 

 

 

Due to competition by intercity buses which have been allowed in Germany for about a year now, the InterConnex services provided by what is now Veolia will cease with the December timetable change. Here, 146 520 is swooping through Northern Station at the head of X 68902 from Berlin Gesundbrunnen Station.

 

 

 

Again on the left track due to bidirectional running, 1442 208 was approaching on the S 37419 service from Eilenburg to Borna.

 

 

 

 

The first spotting to be made at Thekla this morning was 185 524 of Alpha Trains on lease to ITL.

 

 

 

 

189 932 of MRCE Dispolok is currently on lease to Captrain, and seen here heading a mixed freight service.

 

 

 

 

All alone in the morning mist, 185 201 was repositioning herself.

 

 

 

 

The silver ES 64 U2 series locos of HUPAC are a fairly rare sight. Here, 182 600, or ES 64 U2-100, is crossing over to the Cottbus bypass with an intermodal service.

 

 

 

 

152 127 was repositioning herself also.

 

 

 

 

With a resounding horn blast as a greeting, 145 069 sped through with a long formation of empty car carriers.

 

 

 

?There still are a handful of freight services provided by the 101s. Here, 101 122 was taking a break from her usual IC services and running east with a mixed freight formation.

 

 

 

 

The sun slowly struggled to burn through as the morning passed, shedding light on 145 023 and her freight train.

 

 

 

A popular spotting subject since her roll-out in December 2013, 110 043 of Pressnitztalbahn is actually 110 511, formerly the works locomotive of Deutsche Bahn's Dessau workshops. This locomotive is wearing a promotional livery for National Express which in my opinion looks like a blend of the original dark blue Deutsche Bundesbahn livery for express locomotives and British Rail's late InterCity livery. Note that the locomotive has been outfitted with LED lighting also.

 

 

 

Also on her way to get some freight haulage, 285 109 of CBRail is on extended lease to ITL.

 

 

 

 

 

A different V 90 for a change, 294 889 was running towards Engelsdorf.

 

 

Thank you for looking!